Peter Maille
PhD Candidate
Natural Resource Economics

Division of Resource Management
P.O. Box 6108
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506-6108

(304) 293-4832 ext. 4483
(304) 293-3752 Fax
peter.maille@mail.wvu.edu

Job Market Paper

Hello and welcome.  In brief, I …

 

·        expect to complete my Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics in the Summer of 2008,

·        have an M.S. in Forestry, and undergraduate degrees in Environmental Resource Management, and Forest Technology, 

·        am currently a co-principal investigator on a National Research Institute-funded study, and a teaching assistant, and

·        have significant first-hand experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. 

 

Directly below is a short version of my curriculum vitae, brief statements of my research interests, and my approach to teaching.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or would like additional information.

 

Curriculum Vitae Summary

 

Formal Education

 

Ph.D. Natural Resource Economics, West Virginia University, expected July, 2008. 

Fields: 1) Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, and 2) Development Economics.

Dissertation: Performance-Based Payments for Conservation:  Cost-Effectiveness and Impacts on Farm Households.

M.S. Forestry.  The Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 1992

B.S. with honors Environmental Resource Management. The Pennsylvania State University, 1988.

A.S. Forest Technology. The Pennsylvania State University, 1979.

                                                            

Current Assignments

 

Principal Instructor, Spring 2008, Introductory Environmental and Resource Economics 220

Teaching Assistant, Fall 2007, Principles of Microeconomics 201

West Virginia University, Division of Agriculture and Resource Economics.

Co-Principal Investigator, 8/06 to present, “Farmers as Producers of Clean Water: Providing Economic Incentives for Reducing Agricultural Non-Point Pollution” National Research Institute, USDA/CSREES (summary).

Graduate Research Assistant, 8/04 to present, West Virginia University, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resource Economics.

 

Publications and Presentations

 

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Maille, P., and R. Mendelsohn.  “Valuing Ecotourism in Madagascar,” Journal of Environmental Management, 38(1993): 213-218 (link to abstract).

Maille, P.  “Refining a Previous Analysis of the Economics of a Eucalyptus/Agricultural Crop Combination,” Agroforestry Systems Journal, 14(1991): 145-148 (abstract).

Elliott, H.A., B.A. Dempsey, and P.J. Maille. “Content and Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Water Treatment Sludges,” Journal of Environmental Quality, 19(1990): 330-334.

 

Book Chapter

Maille, P., and A. Collins, "Farmers as Producers of Clean Water: A Field Experiment” in Water, Agriculture and Sustainable Well-being, Eds. U. Pascual, A. Shah, J. Bandyopadhyay. Oxford University Press: Delhi, India, forthcoming (pdf).

 

Other

Maille, P. “Understanding Science,” Cacapon [newsletter], September 2002, (pdf).

Maille, P. “Farmer Participation in Riparian Buffer Zone Projects,” No. 1, Science and Society Series, Cacapon Institute: Highview, West Virginia, 2001, (pdf).

Maille, P., and R. Maille, “A Primer on Ecotourism,” Appalachian Journal [newspaper insert], Vol. 5, Issue 2, 1999 (html).

Maille, P.,  Agroforestry” a 500-word definition in Encyclopedia of the Environment,  Eds. R.A. Eblen, W.R. Eblen.  Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.

Maille, P., “Low-Tech Leaf Mulch Experiment in Madagascar: Negative Effects of Tamarindus indica on Corn” in TRI News, Vol. 10, No. 2, 1991.

 

Conference Presentations

Maille, P., and A. Collins, “Farmers as Producers of Clean Water: Getting Incentive Payments Right.” Paper accepted for presentation at the Virginia / West Virginia Water Research Symposium, November 26-30th in Blacksburg, VA, 2007.

Collins, A., P. Maille, and N. Gillies, “Inducing Farmer Participation in a Watershed Level Program to Improve Water Quality,” Paper accepted for presentation at the Virginia / West Virginia Water Research Symposium,  November 26-30th in Blacksburg, VA, 2007.

Collins, A., and P. Maille, “Converting Conservation from a Threat into an Opportunity:  A Demonstration of a Performance-Based Payment Approach.”   USDA-CSREES National Water Conference, Research, Extension and Education for Water Quality and Quantity. Savannah, GA 2007.

Maille, P., and A. Collins, “Converting Conservation from a Threat into an Opportunity:  A Demonstration of a Performance-Based Payment Approach.”  The Ninth Biennial Conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics on Ecological Economics and Human Well-Being. New Delhi, India, 2006.

 

Other Work Experience

 

Entrepreneur, Thorn Run Inn:  Model ecotourism as co-owner operator of a six-guestroom, twenty-acre country bed and breakfast inn.

Education/Outreach Coordinator, Cacapon Institute:  Develop and deliver water-quality and watershed conservation sessions to K-12 students, write proposals, and participate in strategic planning. 

Forestry Program Specialist, Peace Corps/Washington DC:  Deliver technical and financial assistance to Peace Corps environment sector projects primarily in Africa. 

Intern-forester, World Wildlife Fund, Madagascar:  Evaluated the potential for improved natural resource management surrounding the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, a WWF integrated conservation and development project. 

Research Assistant, Penn State:  Conducted sequential extractions on sludge from nine water treatment plants, and analyzed products for heavy metals using a flame atomic absorption instrument.  

Peace Corps Volunteer, Senegal:  Established and maintained a small-scale nursery and supported tree planting in four villages.

 

Consulting Assignments

 

Technical Writer

USDA Forest Service, US Forest Service: Annotated “Internet Directory for Non-Industrial Forestland Owners”.

USDA Forest Service, US Forest Service: Assembled bibliography on non-timber forest products in Africa.

Education and Training

Training Coordinator, Lightstone Foundation: Helped to plan and then directed four one-week “Community Stewardship Academies”.

Environmental Education Instructor, The Mountain Institute:  Co-led groups of ten to twelve 5 th or 8th graders on five-day backcountry camping trips.

In-Service Trainer in agroforestry extension, environmental education, Peace Corps/Kenya, Benin, Togo

Pre-Service Technical Trainer in forestry, environmental education, Peace Corps/Senegal (x2), Mali, Kenya

Forestry

Team Leader, Development Alternatives, Inc.:  Led a team of four Cameroonian experts in conducting agronomy, sociology, and forest management studies for a community forestry project.  Proposal submitted to ITTO. 

 

(Full CV)

                                                                              Research Statement

 

I am interested in applied researching relating to enhanced resource conservation and human development, and specifically those strategies that boost welfare on the part of primary resource users.  Payments for environmental services are a good example of this approach.  My working hypothesis is that such strategies can more cost effectively conserve these resources, while providing important welfare benefits to people who are oftentimes quite poor.  My current research focuses on the ability of a package of economic incentives to induce farmers in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia to cost-effectively reduce nonpoint source pollution.  As such, it is a blend of simple watershed modeling, incentive design, and household level economic analysis.    

 

Teaching Statement

 

My approach to teaching is based on my experience as a student (which according to my mother is vast), as a trainer for the Peace Corps, and as a watershed conservation educator.  Looking at my student experience, I try to keep in mind those qualities that were demonstrated by the excellent teachers with whom I have studied.  Beyond thorough preparation and understanding of the material, they showed an ability to sense and respond to the mood in a class, a respect for students, and an ability to set high expectations.  As a trainer with the Peace Corps I learned it is important to acknowledge the experience that students bring to their learning, and to provide access to concepts from alternative perspectives.  With regard to the latter, economics is well-suited in that every problem has a graphical, mathematical, and intuitional representation.  They all have to agree, and each can serve as an entry point to a solution.  Finally, as a watershed conservation educator, I learned that the best education is fun and meaningful.  Thus, I inject humor into just about any learning activity, and I capitalize on the fact that economics bears on the well-being of everyone including each student and the people they care for.

 

 

This page updated: August 6, 2007

o:p>