Agricultural & Applied Economics: News & Events
Febuary 2007
Student News
Mohammed Z. Alhassan
Mohammed Alhassan, a Ph.D. student majoring in agricultural economics, is from Yendi, Ghana. He received a BS in agricultural economics in 2001 and a Master of Philosophy degree in agricultural economics in 2004. Mohammed is a member of the Ghana Association of Agricultural Economists (GAAE) which has the objective of advancing the development of orderly knowledge of agricultural economics and related fields with the view of improving the agricultural sector and the welfare of the rural communities in Ghana. At the University of Georgia, he is a member of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department’s Graduate Student Association.
While working on his undergraduate and masters degrees, Mohammed researched the demand for inorganic fertilizer and the socioeconomic evaluation of animal trypanosomosis control in the Northern Region of Ghana. He is currently working with Dr. Jeff Mullen on a project to develop a methodology for measuring the value of climatological information under various conditions and locations.
Upon obtaining his Ph.D., Mohammed plans to conduct research and teach. In order to benefit people in agriculture and related fields, he plans to focus his research on basic economics directed toward problem solving.
In his leisure time, Mohammed enjoys spending time with family and friends. He also enjoys participating in a variety of volunteer community development programs.
Saul Julian Abarca Orozco, a second year M.S. student majoring in Agricultural and Applied Economics, is from Xalapa, “the beautiful capital city of Veracruz State, located in the Southeast of Mexico in the middle of the mountains.” He received a B.A. in international business administration from the Universidad Veracruzana in Xalapa. After graduating, he excelled in a one-year diploma training course in international trade.
After obtaining his M.S., Saul is considering pursuing a Ph.D. in either economics, agricultural policy, or international affairs. While working on his M.S. degree, he wants to conduct research in rural development and international trade. Saul hopes to identify some potential agribusiness areas in Veracruz. Commodities such as fruits, vegetables, plants, and trees are abundant in Veracruz, and he would like to investigate ways of obtaining better prices for these commodities in local and foreign markets.
Saul stated, “Life is not all about money. I firmly believe that some of our time should be invested in people with economic disadvantages.” After graduation, he would like to utilize some of his knowledge in Xalapa and the region to develop better conditions for the local people.
In his leisure time, Saul enjoys watching movies, talking with his family in Mexico, playing soccer, hanging out with friends, and reading business magazines and novels. He would like to volunteer in a civic organization doing some translations, preparing boys and girls for college, and raising funds for cooperative projects.
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Kristy Plattner
Kristy Plattner, a first-year M.S. environmental economics major, received a B.S. in environmental economics and management with a minor in geology from the University of Georgia in 2006. In addition to her M.S., she is working toward a Certificate in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development. She is a member of the Geology Club and the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economic’s Graduate Student Association. Krtisty was awarded an assistantship and is working with Drs. Fonsah and Escalante researching organic blueberry production in Alma, Georgia. Her most recent project involved a mulching experiment for weed control. Also, she is a student worker at the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia and has a variety of duties, including supervising events held in the buildings.
After receiving her M.S., Kristy would like to work for the United Nations or the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She is interested in aiding in the development of developing countries. She is also interested in alternative agricultural practices using agro-ecological methods of production as well as organics.
Kristy is from Gainesville, Georgia. Before moving to Gainesville, she lived in Sanford, North Carolina and Highland Mills, New York. In her leisure time, she enjoys hiking, camping, playing frisbee golf, watching movies, going downtown with friends, and traveling as much as possible.
Doris Sande
Doris Sande, a Ph.D. student majoring in agricultural economics, is from Western Province, Kenya. She received a B.S. in agriculture from the University of Nairobi, Kenya in 1994 and an M.S. in agricultural economics from the University of Georgia in 2005. For her outstanding academic achievement, she was inducted into AGHON, the Honor Society of Agriculture in 2005. She is also a member of the African Student Organization.
During the years before entering the Graduate Program at the University of Georgia, Doris worked as a research assistant at the University of Nairobi, taught agriculture in a high school, and worked for the United Nations Dairy Project as an extension officer.
After obtaining her Ph.D., Doris hopes to acquire a position as a researcher with a leading agricultural organization. She stated, “Adjusting between countries is quite a challenge, but achieving your main goal at the end of it all is worth the challenge.”
Doris is involved with volunteer work at her church. In her leisure time, she enjoys shopping, watching movies, and visiting friends.
Faculty News
Dr. Charlie Huang
Dr. Charlie Huang, Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, was presented the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA). Dr. Huang is a prolific scholar, having published in over 30 different refereed journals. In addition, he has edited a book, authored a number of book chapters and delivered numerous presentations at professional meetings.
Dr. Huang served as secretary-treasurer of the SAEA from 1984 to 1988. He has spent over 12 years serving as editor/co-editor for two important agricultural economics journals. His early service as co-editor of the Journal of Agribusiness (JAB) helped to establish it as a national outlet for scholarly works in research, extension, and instruction. His leadership continued as co-editor of the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics (JAAE). While serving as co-editor, Dr. Huang was instrumental in revamping the JAAE, restructuring the editorial council and review process, redesigning the cover, and developing a professional format for the articles. He also procured funding, developed, and published the supplement issue of the journal which required indexing 30 years of articles. He has been editor of the JAB since 2004.
Dr. Huang received a B.A. in economics from Tunghai University in 1967, an M.A. in economics from Central Missouri State University in 1972, and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in 1976. He was a visiting professor at the Institute of Applied Economics, National Taiwan Ocean University in September 2001 - January 2002. Since 1991, he has served as an adjunct professor for the Department of Housing & Consumer Economics at UGA.
Dr. Huang has been on the forefront of leading-edge research in his field. During his early work on the Food Stamp Program, he advanced the use of Tobit analysis and flexible functional forms. His computer program using the Box-Cox transformation techniques for specification of functional form served to expand the use of these techniques in applied economics. Dr. Huang led the way in publishing techniques for modeling consumer preferences for organics and communicated research findings to policy makers. His research continues with recent work in consumer risk perception and health economics.