June 10, 2011

Faculty Profile on Moriah Bellenger Bostian

2011 Faculty Profile

Assistant Professor of Economics

 

Education
PhD 2010 Oregon State University; M.S. 2005 Auburn University; BS 2003 Florida State University

Research & Teaching Interests
Environmental and resource economics, econometrics

What most excites you about joining the LC community?
During my visit, I was struck most by the openness and intellectual curiosity that I encountered at Lewis & Clark.  Upon leaving, rather than feeling exhausted from the usual stresses of interviewing, I was genuinely excited by all of the great conversations that I had just had.  I am really looking forward to carrying this into my classes by incorporating more discussion and critical analysis.  It is also difficult to imagine a more inspiring natural setting from which to research environmental economics.   

What kind of hobbies or special activities do you enjoy outside of work?
I am a total foodie, so my perfect Saturday morning starts at the farmers’ market.  I love to cook with things that are in season, and experiment with new ingredients.  Whenever I get the chance, I love to travel and am hoping to see more of Asia now that I will be living on the West Coast.  I also really enjoy running and hiking and am very much looking forward to getting outside as much as possible around Portland.

What were your childhood goals/aspirations?
Although ‘economist’ was not an early aspiration of mine, I did tend to be a bit serious as a child.  I was always very interested in history and politics, and I loved to write.  Remembering back, I was pretty certain that I wanted to become either a journalist or a lawyer, mainly to advocate human rights.  I realized that I love studying economics in college, after taking a few economics classes to better understand international affairs.  After that I was hooked!  I am sure though that my decision to study environmental economics was at least partly borne out my early interest in public policy.

What are you listening to in your car right now?
NPR–I don’t have an mp3 or CD player in my car.  In terms of music,  I really like Neko Case these days.  I’m also a big Lucinda Williams fan– I grew up in the Deep South and there is something so familiar to me about her voice.  

What was your favorite childhood story?
I still love ‘The Giving Tree,’ by Shel Silverstein.