5-7-08

Media Release

OSU-Cascades Researcher Receives Fulbright to Study Impact of Science on Policies

BEND, Ore. – Oregon State University-Cascades Campus researcher Julie Elston will travel to Europe as part of a Fulbright fellowship in June.

Elston is an assistant professor of international business at the OSU-Cascades campus. Her award is for the 2008 Fulbright German Studies Seminar “Science and Society: The Impact of Science on Policy Formation.”

Elston received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington and specializes in comparative international businesses.

She will travel to Brussels and Berlin to study the impact of science on policy formation in the European Union and plans to compare her research with similar issues in the United States.

Elston recently published a paper titled “Tax Solutions to External Costs of Obesity,” which suggests that a tax approach might be effective in helping to reduce obesity in the United States. With obesity becoming a global problem, Elston said she believes it may be helpful to understand whether the EU is considering market mechanisms as one approach to reducing obesity.

Elston said she also plans to look at EU policy and tax approaches to market opportunities resulting from climate change.

“This is an area where I would like to extend my own research, and I welcome the opportunity to learn more about the EU response to climate change, and their policy initiatives to reduce consumption of potentially dangerous or non-sustainable goods,” Elston said.

She pointed out that OSU’s College of Business has developed a focus on issues of sustainability and entrepreneurship. “The opportunity to learn from the EU expertise and perspective with green and sustainable technologies will greatly enhance this effort,” she said.

The Fulbright Scholar Program sends about 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year to lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of professional fields. The prestigious program has been supported for more than 50 years by the United States Department of State.

About the OSU College of Business: The college prepares profession-ready graduates with expertise in entrepreneurship and sustainable business practices. It is home to the Austin Family Business Program – a national leader in working with family businesses – as well as the nation’s largest residential entrepreneurship initiative, the Austin Entrepreneurship Program