Featured Students

Major/minor/concentrations:

Elizabeth's research focuses on the economic analysis of climate change impacts and the effects of policies to mitigate climate change, with particular emphasis on the interplay between agricultural economics, environmental sustainability, and the role of fertilizers in these dynamics.

GLASSNET related activities:

Elizabeth developed an update to the GTAP-CE database to analyze the impact of the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) on fertilizers by disaggregating carbon-intensive commodities targeted by CBAM. This work was presented at the 2024 GTAP Conference and includes detailed sectoral data for commodities like iron, steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, and electricity. Elizabeth is also developing an agricultural version of the GTAP-POWER model to examine CBAM's impact on agricultural sectors through fertilizer policy shocks. Additionally, she contributed to developing the mini-model SIMPLE-G book chapter, attended a workshop in Colorado on modeling climate mitigation policies in CGE models, and served as a TA for AGEC 528 in Spring 2024.

Interesting things about Purdue:

At Purdue, Elizabeth has had the opportunity to explore various topics, from machine learning to agricultural policy and sustainability. She has enjoyed serving as a TA for a course with Professor Tom Hertel, assisting students in understanding complex economic models and their applications. This role has allowed her to contribute to their learning while deepening her own knowledge. Additionally, she has had the privilege of presenting her research on an international stage at the 26th Annual GTAP Conference in Bordeaux, sharing insights on the impact of climate policies and economic dynamics with a global audience.

Graduation plan:

After graduating, Elizabeth hopes to work for a government agency, research institution, or consulting firm. Her agricultural economics and climate change expertise will guide her contributions to policy development, climate mitigation strategies, and consulting on economic impacts and sustainability issues.

Name: Kavitha Srikanth

Major/minor/concentrations:

Major: Agricultural Economics

Concentration: Environmental and Resource Economics  

GLASSNET related activities:

I have been engaged with the GLASS lab since Fall 2023, and have been working on two projects so far. For AGEC 528 (Global Change and the Challenge of Sustainably Feeding a Growing Planet), I updated a class assignment with the latest science on impacts to crop yield due to climate change using the recent GGCMI-CMIP-6 projections. Using data collected from the GGCMI-AgMIP Yield Data Aggregator Tool, I analyzed the resulting economic impacts on the agricultural sector due to these crop yield shocks using the SIMPLE model (Simplified International Model of agricultural Prices, Land use and the Environment). This analysis produced some intriguing results, motivating the organization of a GLASSNET webinar titled ‘Understanding Climate Impacts on 21st Century Crop Yields from the GGCMI Network’. I had the exciting opportunity to present these results at the webinar as a user of the GGCMI-AgMIP Yield Data Aggregator Tool. Currently, I am working on extending this analysis using SIMPLE-G, a gridded version of SIMPLE.

Additionally, I have been exploring the potential for using the SIMPLE-G framework to study groundwater governance in the United States. Given that groundwater regulations and policies are spatially heterogeneous and have wide-ranging global impacts, I believe this could be an interesting area to explore global-local-global linkages. I hope to leverage the expertise of economists, hydrologists, and climate scientists within the GLASSNET network to develop this research further in a policy-relevant manner.

Interesting experience at Purdue:

As an international student, my first experience of the United States has been through Purdue, making every life experience in the past year quite unique and interesting!

Academically, I have found my intellectual home in the GLASS lab at Purdue since it mirrors my interests in inter-disciplinary research; and the opportunity to build my research in a collaborative manner with expert cross-disciplinary guidance from a range of natural and social science disciplines has been incredibly exciting. It has been instrumental in helping me build a unique perspective on how to utilize a range of tools (economic modeling, econometrics, spatial analysis) for building evidence-based, policy-relevant research.

Graduation plan:

I aspire to advance my career as an environmental and resource economist, working in think tanks or international organizations such as the United Nations suite of organizations or the World Bank.

Undergraduate Students:

Name: Yolanda Sung 

Major/minor/concentrations:

Major: Supply Chain Analytics
Minors: Computer Science & Environmental Science
Concentration: Business Analytics

GLASSNET related activities:

Currently working with Alfredo Cisneros (postdoc with Dr. Hertel) on the relationship between land use change and biodiversity loss, hopefully going to publish my first paper soon!

Interesting things about Purdue:

I'm surprised at how well Purdue made me feel about uncertainty; the old me would have never been okay with not knowing where I'm going to be in the short and long run! I never envisioned myself going from Computer Science to Supply Chain to being interested in Ag Econ, and funnily enough, I'm just going with the flow right now. Hopefully, I will figure out what it is that I want for my career.

I'm also pleasantly surprised on how open minded the professors are towards interdisciplinary studies; as someone who is interested in different topics, it's refreshing to have people who are supportive of that.

Plans after graduation:

I will be a Supply Chain Analyst at 3M; I will be working in the facility that deals with the N95 respirators, so very excited! In the long run, I'll be getting my Masters; currently, I'm thinking about Agricultural Economics, but not entirely certain.

Name: Gabriel Leonard 

Major(s)/concentration and minor(s)/certificates:

Major: Economics Honors (B.S.) Minors: Mathematics, Environmental Politics & Policy

GLASSNET-related activities:

AGEC 528: Feeding the World Sustainably (as a student) This course was my first exposure to economic modeling as it pertains to agriculture/environmental policy. I remember being intrigued by the SIMPLE model’s ability to synthesize complex economic ideas and data sets into a relatively intuitive format. For my project, I modeled a food waste reduction policy in developing regions of Asia. After spending several semesters working to reduce food waste at Purdue, I was really excited to think about waste issues on a global scale.

Research Assistant—GLASS Lab Dr. Hertel was generous enough to offer me a spot as a research assistant with the GLASS lab. It was eye opening to learn about all the veins of research related to modeling agricultural systems/markets. I was able to contribute to a benefit/cost analysis of conservation policies in biodiverse regions.

Grader/Teaching Assistant: AGEC 528 It’s been fun to experience the 528 course from the instructor’s perspective. I think I’m able to relate to the things students struggle with and use my experiences to help when I can. Holding office hours has challenged me to explain things in the simplest terms possible, which forces me to make sure I understand the fundamental concepts inside and out. Moving forward, I plan to seek out more opportunities to teach.

Interesting things about Purdue:

I didn’t realize how many hundreds of independent projects, labs, groups etc. make up Purdue before coming here—I’ve been able to get involved in something related to nearly anything I find interesting. Seeing the amount of overlap and collaboration at the intersection of environment/economics at Purdue has been encouraging as well; in high school environment and economics tend to be presented as two disciplines at odds with one another.

(Unrelated to GLASSNET): Because so many students/faculty are STEM-focused, most of the music and arts scene is dominated by hobbyists rather than (aspiring) professionals. Because of this, there are an incredible amount of opportunities to get involved in creative outlets alongside other passionate people. This has greatly enhanced my experience at Purdue.

Plans after graduation:

I’ve accepted a full time position as a Quantitative Research Assistant for the RAND Corporation in Washington, D.C. From there I could see myself going to grad school, or searching for positions in the government/NGOs. Truthfully, I am still sorting out what direction I’d like to take my career!