{"id":57446,"date":"2018-03-19T14:26:37","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T19:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=57446"},"modified":"2018-03-19T14:26:37","modified_gmt":"2018-03-19T19:26:37","slug":"environmental-economist-named-new-director-uwm-center-water-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/environmental-economist-named-new-director-uwm-center-water-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental economist named new director of the UWM Center for Water Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILWAUKEE _ Tracy Boyer has been named the new Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair in Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In this position she also directs the Center for Water Policy in the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences.<\/p>\n

Boyer is an economist, specializing in environmental and natural resources.\u00a0Her work examines how human behavior affects the use of water resources through markets, pricing and institutions. She also researches tradeoffs that exist between conservation and development.<\/p>\n

This position and the center itself were the results of a $2.6 million gift given in 2011 from Lynde Uihlein and the Brico Fund.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Boyer\u2019s\u00a0background in working with governmental and local organizations, and her experience with a range of multi-disciplinary issues, make her an excellent choice to\u00a0fulfill the center\u2019s mission of\u00a0providing\u00a0science-based, sustainable water policies in Wisconsin,\u201d said Val Klump, dean of UWM\u2019s School of Freshwater Sciences.<\/p>\n

Boyer comes to UWM from Oklahoma State University, where she was a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Economics since 2003. Her work has focused on valuing water and water-based recreation, soil and water conservation, and adaptation to climate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnvironmental economics looks at ways to value the environment, such as water resources, that aren\u2019t typically valued in the market,\u201d she said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have, for example, a market price for enjoying a day at the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boyer was also co-lead researcher on a $20 million interdisciplinary grant from the National Science Foundation to help natural resource managers adapt ecological and human systems to accommodate climate variability, and to educate Oklahomans about the expected consequences.<\/p>\n

At UWM, she plans to work with faculty and researchers across the state and region to provide information to the public and decision-makers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe role of the center is to anticipate what the issues will be,\u201d she said. \u201cThen we\u2019re able to do the research so that it\u2019s ready when policy is being made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Topics she sees as immediately of interest include:<\/p>\n