KINGSTON, R.I. — May 5, 2005 — It didn鈥檛 take long for Christopher Anderson to make his mark at the 溏心vlog免费B站. The assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, who joined the 溏心vlog免费B站 faculty in 2000, was recently named the teacher of the year and researcher of the year in the University鈥檚 College of the Environment and Life Sciences.
It鈥檚 the first time a professor has earned both honors in the same year.
鈥淐hris has brought a new level of excellence to what is already a great, nationally-known department,鈥� said Jeff Seemann, dean of the college. 鈥淎s these awards testify, he鈥檚 the total package.鈥�
鈥淭hese two awards reflect well on my department and the people around me,鈥� said Anderson, a Providence resident who grew up in Oxford, Ohio. 鈥淢y colleagues have provided a supportive and nurturing environment, which helps junior faculty members like me develop quickly.鈥�
As a teacher, Anderson says he must contend with the belief among many students that economics is boring. 鈥淚 motivate them by spending considerable class time examining an environmental problem, and asking why this problem happens. Then we use economic tools to find the answer,鈥� Anderson said.
Anderson teaches an introductory class in natural resource economics to undergraduate students, as well as several graduate level classes, which he said provides a nice balance to his research. 鈥淭eaching keeps my fingers in all different pots,鈥� he said.
A graduate of Brown University and California Institute of Technology, Anderson has had an extremely productive year. He recently started several major research projects, published five research papers, and traveled the world to discuss his research findings.
The 溏心vlog免费B站 economist applies experimental economics, game theory and behavioral economics to understand the decisions people make under different regulations. 鈥淲e use volunteers to play the role of economic agents. For example, we ask them to buy or sell some fictitious commodity based on a given private value,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose who make better deals are paid more for their participation in the experiment. While motivated by applications, much of what I do is try to understand the way markets and other economic institutions work.”
His current research focus is on tradable fishing allowances, whereby an economic market is created where fishermen can buy and sell the 鈥渞ight鈥� to capture fish. With students playing the roles of fishermen, Anderson replicated the volatility seen in some real markets. When Anderson changed the rules by offering a leasing option to his experimental subjects, he significantly reduced the volatility of the market and dramatically improved market performance.
鈥淲hen the markets are stable and predictable, participants are happier with the system and the markets are more efficient,鈥� said Anderson.
The 溏心vlog免费B站 professor also started research this year to design a mechanism for accurately eliciting public preferences for spending money on land conservation and habitat preservation.