Research by Lecturer Faculty Camille Antinori, conducted with students in both undergraduate and graduate-level Environmental Economics courses, explores how interdisciplinary approaches in education support real-world needs in oceans and climate policy.
"The science of sustainable oceans and the blue economy is a large and rapidly growing field," says Antinori. "As such, there is also a need for educational institutions to prepare economics students for research and practice in ocean and coastal related issues." This experiment provides an example of overcoming the challenge of orienting students and survey respondents to a complex marine environment.
Students from ECON 550 and 850 served as researchers in carrying out this activity, Antinori says. This included choosing the survey topic after a trip to the Estuary and Ocean Science Center, developing a survey, collecting data, and writing an analysis. Ultimately, through collaboration with ecologists and peers, students developed willingness-to-pay measures for a 10-year restoration program for 200 acres of eelgrass in the San Francisco Bay.
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