Education
PhD, Economics: University of New Mexico
MA, Economics: University of New Mexico
BA, Economics and Finance: University of Southern Indiana
Biography
At CMU, Kara Walter, PhD, will primarily teach economics and CISB (statistics/quantitative decision) courses. She believes that the best way to engage students in the classroom is to stay focused on topics that they can use in their careers and life, particularly at the introductory level and in the classes that students tend to dislike. Walter believes there are so many fascinating topics to study in economics, and she brings that enthusiasm to the classroom to help her students stay engaged. She has taught a variety of courses before coming to CMU, including both principles of economics, econometrics and environmental economics.
Walter is an applied microeconomist and her research focuses on applying demand theory to environmental and resource goods. She is particularly interested in heterogeneity (i.e. difference) of demand and the impact of external shocks to demand. Much of her research uses econometric methods to explore environmental and resource economics topics in New Mexico and the Mountain West. However, she expects her work going forward will focus both on large-scale environmental and resource topics as well as local issues and policy changes or impacts. Walters is also interested in developing an interdisciplinary research agenda that incorporates hard sciences in order to answer some of the most important environmental questions of the day.
Outside of economics, she enjoys reading, traveling and learning about random topics.
Kara Walter's Curriculum Vitae