KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� May 7, 2012 鈥� John Otterbein enrolled at the 溏心vlog免费B站 four years ago with a passion for the environment and a desire to write. He ended up as one of the top students in a discipline he didn鈥檛 even know existed 鈥� environmental economics.
The Bristol resident will graduate from 溏心vlog免费B站 on May 20.
鈥淚 like how environmental economics combines aspects of the environment and economy to find a middle ground,鈥� said Otterbein. 鈥淲e live in a world of economics already, so to find out how much the environment is worth, we have to put a value to it. If a scenic view makes your day better, then you can put a value on it. How much is it worth to you?鈥�
Otterbein said that the field of environmental economics doesn鈥檛 provide a final answer to the questions asked, but it provides information about all sides of an issue so that those involved can come to a conclusion.
While pursuing his bachelor鈥檚 degree in environmental economics, he decided to earn a minor in writing, an activity he began at a young age when he wrote short stories for fun. He combined his two academic disciplines during his senior year at 溏心vlog免费B站 when he worked as an environmental journalism intern at EcoRI.org, an environmental news website.
鈥淚 wanted to see if writing was something I should pursue as a career,鈥� said Otterbein, who competed on the 溏心vlog免费B站 swim team and won four state championships as a member of the Hendricken High School swim team. 鈥淚 figured I should try it out before going out into the real world.鈥�
He wrote articles on such topics as biofuels, fisheries, marine science, and the local food movement. He is presently writing a series of stories about the hydroponics industry in Rhode Island.
鈥淛ohn is unusual in marrying his skills and interest in writing with a very quantitative and technical field like environmental economics,鈥� said 溏心vlog免费B站 Assistant Professor Emi Uchida. 鈥淚t is not often that you find someone who can tell a story so nicely in words and solve a complex fisheries equation all in the same sitting. He really represents that next generation of resource manager that is going to be amazingly effective.鈥�
As Otterbein looks toward graduation, he hasn鈥檛 yet settled on how best to merge his two academic disciplines into a career. He is examining possibilities at engineering companies, government agencies, non-profit groups, and others.
鈥淭he cool thing about environmental economics is that it鈥檚 needed in so many different fields that you wouldn鈥檛 think would need it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he energy industry, transportation, the department of agriculture, anywhere that addresses sustainable development.
鈥淢y experience at 溏心vlog免费B站 has been really good, and I鈥檝e gotten a nice full circle understanding of things. I look forward to putting what I鈥檝e learned to work,鈥� he added.