Agricultural & Applied Economics: News & Events
September 2007
Student News
Chris Chammoun
Chris Chammoun, a fourth year agricultural economics major from Adel, Georgia, spent nine weeks of the summer of 2007 working as an Agricultural Fellow in the office of Senator Johnny Isakson in Washington, D.C. His duties included writing memos related to agricultural issues for Senator Isakson and his staff, attending meetings with agricultural organizations, answering concerns from constituents about agricultural issues and the Farm Bill via letters and phone calls and conducting tours of the Capital. In addition to Senator Isakson, Chris met some other well-known people in Washington, including Senator Saxby Chambliss and Congressman Sanford Bishop from Georgia, Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, and Senator James Inhofe from Oklahoma. He also attended intern lectures conducted by Senators Kay Baily Hutchinson from Texas, Byron Dorgan from North Dakota, and Robert Bennett from Utah.
Much of Chris’s leisure time during the summer was spent sightseeing. He visited numerous monuments and memorials, including Mount Vernon, Appomattox Courthouse and the National Firearms Museum in Virginia, and he visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He also attended a Washington Nationals baseball game. Concerning his overall experience in Washington, Chris stated, “My internship in Washington was a great experience for me. It allowed me to see how the U.S. Senate works and allowed me to see various other organizations in Washington. It helped me make a decision about a future career in our nation’s capital. I feel that I would enjoy working in Washington for several years, but I would like to have a graduate degree before I return to work in Washington. Also, I feel that I would be better suited to work specifically in agriculture, such as with the USDA or with an ag lobbying firm.”
Chris is the recipient of the Roy E. Proctor Memorial Scholarship, the Georgia Farm Credit Scholarship, the CAES Scholarship, and the Harold and Celestia Loden Scholarship. He is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society, Golden Key International Honor Society, Alpha Zeta Professional Agricultural Fraternity and AGHON. He is also a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Agricultural Fraternity, UGA Agronomy Club and UGA Collegiate FFA. After obtaining his BSA in agricultural economics, Chris plans to work for several years in the agricultural field where he can help farmers better understand farm economics and farm policy. After acquiring some work experience, he hopes to attend graduate school and pursue a masters degree in agricultural economics.
In his leisure time, Chris enjoys being involved in philanthropic activities through various organizations. He attends the Catholic Center at UGA and enjoys reading and studying the teachings in the Bible, watching the History Channel and discussing agricultural issues with friends and colleagues.
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Preston Cox
Preston Cox, a third year environmental economics and management major from Marietta, Georgia, spent twelve weeks during the summer of 2007 working as an Agricultural Fellow in the office of Congressman David Scott. His duties included attending agricultural committee briefings and hearings and writing summational memos to his Legislative Director, preparing briefs, conducting agricultural research, meeting with constituents and lobbyists, and administrative work. In addition to Congressman Scott, Preston met some other famous people in Washington, including Senator John Kerry, Senator Barack Obama, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Johnny Isakson, and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns.
Along with nine other student interns, Preston lived in WISH – Washington Intern Student Housing. The house mates spent a great deal of time together hosting parties, watching movies and exploring the city. On weekends Preston went bowling and out to dinner with his new friends. He also visited major monuments and the Smithsonian museums. After work, he attended receptions each week in the various House and Senate office buildings.
Preston had the following to say about his Washington experience: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Washington, D.C. I could not have asked for a better summer! This experience was overwhelmingly positive, and I therefore plan on obtaining another Washington internship for next summer. This tremendous opportunity helped me refine my career goals. I now feel more confident in my future career plans and the avenues I will follow to achieve my goals. I could certainly see myself working for a Congressman in the future, as I am very interested in public policy. The insights into the workings of the government that I gained while in D.C. were unforgettable. I was excited to learn detailed information on the operations and procedures of our government.” He added, “The most important asset I will take with me from my internship is a heightened understanding of professionalism. I feel that I greatly improved my professional social skills, and I believe I am better at working through tough challenges. I never worked in an office environment in any of my previous jobs; therefore, learning the dynamics of an office, especially one with such a fast pace, was entirely new to me. I believe I gained a detailed understanding of how ‘the Hill’ operates, from intern assignments to congressman duties. Additionally, I learned the procedure and ‘behind the scenes’ action of how a bill moved through congress. Learning about the process in a textbook is very different than personally watching the process unfold.”
Preston is a Presidential Scholar, on the Dean’s List, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and was recognized at UGA’s Honors Day Program. He has served as treasurer of Alpha Zeta Honorary Fraternity, and is a member of Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honors Society, Alpha Lambda Honors Organization, Agricultural and Environmental Economics Club and Students for Environmental Awareness Club. After obtaining his BSA in environmental economics and management, Preston plans on attending graduate school and studying either environmental economics or law. In either case, he plans on working for the Economic Research Service (ERS) within the USDA and eventually hopes to join a private research management company.
Outside of academics, Preston’s interests include local service projects, traveling, sports, history, and photography. He also enjoys playing tennis and basketball, working out, attending concerts, watching movies, and hiking.
Stephen Kuzniak
Stephen Kuzniak, an M.S. student majoring in agricultural economics, worked in the International Internship Program for the Foreign Agriculture Service in the Agricultural Trade Office in the United States Embassy in Manila from March – July 2007. His work involved marketing United States products to the Philippines and facilitating coordination between international importers and exporters. He learned about international agriculture and international trade policy. Stephen was based in Manila, Philippines, but traveled throughout Southeast Asia during his internship, including visits to Thailand, Singapore and China.
Stephen really enjoyed his time in Manila and gained a lot of insights into how the relationship between the government and agriculture actually works. He especially enjoyed meeting new people, making new friends and going to the beautiful beach at Boracay, Philippines.
It was surprising for Stephen to see how prevalent United States agricultural products are in the Philippines. He noticed that numerous American brands are prevalent in the agricultural food sector of the country. Also, English is a national language, school is taught in English and all signs are in English. Stephen was also shocked by the size of the city of Manila – 11 million people. It is a very nice city with some very ritzy areas. He was impressed by the beauty of the country and its beaches.
Stephen received a BSA in agribusiness from UGA in 2006. As an undergraduate, he was a Presidential Scholar, on the Dean’s List, recipient of the AGR Don Ray Newton Award and Scholarship, and Scholarship Officer of Alpha Gamma Rho. He was a member of the Alpha Zeta Honorary Fraternity, Collegiate 4-H Club, Georgia Counselors Alumni Association, and the Poultry Science Club. Additionally, he served as vice-president and president of the Agricultural and Environmental Economics Club. He also played intramural sports, including flag football, basketball, softball, indoor soccer, and tennis. In his leisure time, Stephen enjoys playing football and running.
Betsy MacMillan
Betsy MacMillan, a fourth year environmental economics and management major from McDonough, Georgia, spent twelve weeks during the summer of 2007 working as an Agricultural Fellow in the office of Congressman Jim Marshall in Washington, D.C. Betsy’s duties included researching potential amendments to the Farm Bill and determining if and how these amendments affected the 8th Congressional District of Georgia.
When Betsy was not working, she did a lot of sightseeing and shopping. On weekends, she met friends for coffee and went to the Eastern Market which was filled with clothes, bags, flowers, and yummy food. She visited all the monuments and especially enjoyed seeing them at night. Her summer also included a weekend in Baltimore. While she was in Washington, Betsy met and spoke to Representative Dennis Kucinich who is a Democratic candidate for President.
Overall, Betsy’s experience in Washington was very positive. It gave her a new appreciation for government and the many hours of research and discussion that go into making just one decision. She remarked, “Washington is flooded with so many intelligent people. Everyone is capable of making strong arguments, so I understand why decisions sometimes take a long time to get made. After spending my summer in Washington, my passion for certain issues has increased, and I plan to construct the rest of my education and eventually my career to working on these issues.”
Betsy directed the following comments to her fellow students in the department: “Certainly consider applying for this internship. Even if you don’t know anything about politics, or just don’t like them, this internship has a lot to offer. In a city filled with political science majors, you will be appreciated for your specific knowledge of agricultural and environmental issues. CAES and the department really help you make a smooth transition into DC living.”
Betsy added that she believes she is in the best department in the best college at the University of Georgia. Her future plans include attending Duke University to pursue a masters degree in environmental economics and policy. She would then like to work as an environmental economist or analyst for a firm that influences environmental policy.
Betsy is the recipient of the Sigma Alpha Outstanding Leader Award and scholarships from the department and the college. She has served as president and philanthropy chair of Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, and she is currently serving as the 1st vice president. She is also a CAES Ambassador, a member of Delta Epsilon Iota Honor Society and a volunteer at Butterfly Dreams Farm for therapeutic riding.
In her leisure time, Betsy enjoys scuba diving and traveling. She will be walking in the 60-mile 3-day walk for Breast Cancer in October and is currently in the process of raising $2,200.
Samuel Houser Pugh
Samuel (Sam) Pugh, a first year M.S. environmental economics major from Columbus, Georgia, has been chosen to participate in the Graduate School Future Leaders Program. Sam was selected for the program by a committee after being nominated by his graduate coordinator. “The program assists participants by offering sessions on personal, professional, and leadership skills necessary for those entering a workplace characterized by diversity of people, career opportunities, and ever increasing responsibilities. Participants gain insight and information to help them address their own career goals, understand workplace complexities, and become effective leaders in their disciplines.”
At the 2007 American Agricultural Economics Association annual meetings, Sam presented a paper which he co-authored titled “Use of Hedonic Method to Estimate Lake Sedimentation Impacts on Property Values in Mountain Park and Roswell, GA.” He won second place in the Spring 2006 Agricultural and Applied Economics Department Undergraduate Paper Competition for “The Effects of US Commodity Prices on Developing World Food Aid,” and he is active in the Graduate Student Association.
Sam received a BA in English from UGA in 2003 and a BSES in Environmental Economics and Management in 2006. He was on the Dean’s List during Spring and Fall 2005 and Spring 2006.
Sam’s future goals include a career as a research analyst in policy making or planning in either municipal, state or federal government. He also has an interest in non-profit or for-profit enterprises focusing on environmental protection, natural resource protection, or urban development with respect to industrial hazard remediation and redevelopment or public transportation and quality growth.
In his leisure time, Sam enjoys reading, writing, tennis, music and travel.
Alumni News
Emily K. Kubala
Emily Kubala is the Director of Resource Conservation Management at Baldor-Dodge-Reliance at Fort Smith, Arkansas. She is responsible for leading and managing Baldor’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint by reducing energy consumption, reducing landfill waste for Baldor and its customers, increasing recycling, assisting in improving the efficiency of the company’s products, and offsetting resources consumed.
After joining Baldor as an intern in 2005 in the Gainesville, Georgia motor plant, Emily then served as the Environmental Coordinator in Gainesville and was responsible for plant-level natural resource reduction and conservation. She was instrumental in leading and managing the plant’s efforts to reduce and conserve natural resources. Over the last two years, Gainesville delivered a 36.8% reduction in electricity, a 30.6% reduction in natural gas, and a 10.5% reduction in water usage, based on reduction per unit sales and the previous year’s consumption. She also worked with federal government agencies on a team to support Georgia Superfund investigation and remediation. In recognition of outstanding performance, Emily was the recipient of the 2006 Dodge-Reliance Award of Superior Achievement in Environmental Excellence.
Emily graduated from UGA with a BSES in environmental economics and management and a certificate in water resource management in 2005. During her internship with Baldor-Dodge-Reliance, she conducted plant-wide waste stream mapping and evaluations, designed a waste management/reduction/recycling plan using cost-efficiency analyses and participated in advanced lean manufacturing and time management training. Also, while she was in college, Emily worked as a water quality lab technician at UGA’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences conducting both field and lab work for extensive watershed quality research projected in Northeast Georgia. She analyzed storm water samples and stream flow samples using ISCO systems, filtering devices, turbidimeters, and field and lab equipment and input data into an extensive water quality data bank. In addition, she worked as a research economist intern in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics where she conducted stream-crossing cost/benefit analysis, storm water management and storm water permit research and data collection, development pattern analysis of Etowah River Basin for completion of Etawah Habitat Conservation Plan Community VIS Model and Nutrient-trading research.
Emily offers the following advice to current students in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics: “Use your off-time wisely. Spend summers working with research groups, internships, or travel applicable to your interests and study. You will not only learn where your passions lie and potential career options, but also what it is that you would not want to do with the rest of your life.”
In her leisure time, Emily enjoys being outdoors, hiking, camping, playing with her yellow lab, Daphne, traveling, and volunteering with water conservation organizations.