In addition to her research, Dr. Jenny Apriesnig serves as the Collegiate DECA advisor on campus.
The 2022-23 Michigan Tech College of Business (COB) Research Award has been presented to Jenny Apriesnig, natural resource economist and assistant professor of economics.
Apriesnig’s research evaluates natural resource allocation issues of regional economies, i.e., how firms and consumers respond to changes in the availability of natural resources or natural resource policy. She was selected as the award recipient by her COB colleagues.
Applications of Apriesnig’s work—utilizing her regional modeling expertise—include three recent economic impact studies: of Eagle Mine’s closure outside of Marquette, Michigan; of Michigan Tech’s externally sponsored research expenditures; and of air service changes at Houghton County Memorial Airport.
“I find working with Tech colleagues on fast-paced projects impacting the local economy to be highly energizing.”
Jenny Apriesnig with TechMBA® graduates at Spring Commencement 2023
Jenny Apriesnig, assistant professor of economics, Michigan Tech
“I’ve learned a great deal about the local economy while developing relationships with area stakeholders,” says Apriesnig.
Her scholarly work includes developing methods for evaluating natural systems and human choice together. In 2022, she published “The Consequences of Misrepresenting Feedbacks in Coupled Human and Environmental Models” in Ecological Economics. Apriesnig developed a model that enabled the research team to quantify the combined economic and ecological impacts of an Asian carp invasion of Lake Erie.
Pursuing funded research is an area of growth for Apriesnig. “I have several larger proposals in the works with colleagues both on and off campus,” she said. “If funded, these projects will allow me to further develop my coupled economic models and analyze questions about Great Lakes-produced fish and energy transitions in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.” These projects will also engage student research.
“Beyond advancing my own research, I really enjoy collaborating with and learning from people across campus and seeing what research interests students.”
Jenny Apriesnig, assistant professor of economics, Michigan Tech College of Business
The Baseline Summit hosted by the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, invited Apriesnig as an expert in developing modeling frameworks that bring together human choice and the aquatic food webs of Lake Erie. She joined fellow researchers from the region to discuss the current conditions of the Great Lakes so that gaps in knowledge can be identified and used to inform relevant research.
The Climate Governance Variability in the Great Lakes research network included Apriesnig in their annual spring meeting held in Duluth, Minnesota, where she connected with experts from across the region working on climate governance issues.
As society strives to address the Grand Challenges of the future, understanding the use, allocation, and conservation of natural resources across the globe will be ever more important. Apriesnig’s research in natural resource economics provides the necessary tools to understand human decisions around natural resources and their impacts.
The COB Research Award is one of three presented annually by the College of Business and is in addition to a teaching award and an award recognizing service.
