Published: Dec. 18, 2008

Animals Left at Shelters. Leslie Irvine, associate professor of sociology, can discuss the growing numbers of Americans giving their dogs and cats to animal shelters because of the recession. She also can discuss animals being abandoned at foreclosed properties. Irvine, an expert on human-animal relationships, can be reached by cell phone at 720-938-5163 or by e-mail at leslie.irvine@colorado.edu.

Happiness and Experiences. Leaf Van Boven, associate professor of psychology, can discuss why life experiences generally make people from various walks of life happier than material possessions. He also has studied people's predictions of how they would feel, think and behave in stressful situations. He is best reached during the holidays by e-mail at vanboven@colorado.edu. His office number is 303-735-5238.

Boom and Bust in the American West. Patty Limerick, professor of history and director of the Center of the American West, can discuss what Colorado and the West were like during the Great Depression. Limerick also can discuss lessons the region's history of boom and bust provide for the present and future. In 2002, the center brought together a distinguished group of economists, historians, demographers, geographers and others to talk about the region's past and future. The results of that discussion, published in a report titled "Boom and Bust in the American West" co-authored by Limerick, are posted in their entirety at www.centerwest.org/publications/pdf/boombust.pdf. Limerick is best reached by e-mail at patricia.limerick@colorado.edu or by calling Peter Caughey at 303-492-4007.

The Great Depression. Thomas Zeiler, professor of history, can discuss what the United States was like during the Great Depression, including its causes, the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal. Zeiler is best reached by e-mail at thomas.zeiler@colorado.edu or by leaving phone messages at 303-364-9181 or 303-492-2353.

Domestic and International Finance. Keith Maskus, professor of economics and associate dean for social sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, is an expert on domestic and international finance. His current research focuses on changes in the structure of comparative advantage in international trade, dynamics of Asian trade patterns, the protection of intellectual property rights and multilateral trade policy. He is best reached by e-mail at keith.maskus@colorado.edu. His office number is 303-492-8571.

Regulation and Banking. Jules Gordon Kaplan is a senior instructor of economics who specializes in regulation and banking. He has worked for the Colorado governor's office estimating revenues and the fiscal impact of tax policy as well as for the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C. His research includes work with the telecommunications industry and Colorado fiscal policies. Kaplan is best reached by e-mail at kaplan@colorado.edu. His office number is at 303-492-2651.

Credit Crisis. Sanjai Bhagat, professor of finance in the Leeds School of Business, can address the credit crisis brought on by the subprime mortgage industry, corporate lawsuits and business valuation. His teaching interests include corporate finance and governance, entrepreneurial finance and executive compensation reform. He can be reached at 303-492-7821or Sanjai.Bhagat@colorado.edu.

Consumer Spending in Recessionary Times. Sue Jung Grant, an assistant professor of marketing, can discuss consumer spending in recessionary times, the psychology of financial decision making and goals and motivation. She can be reached at 303-492-5616 or Susan.Jung.Grant@Colorado.EDU.

Consumer Shopping Behavior. Donald Lichtenstein, professor of marketing, is an expert on consumer response to price and promotions, perceptions of reference price advertising, consumer price-quality perceptions, consumer perception of sales promotion techniques, consumer marketplace attributions, customer-company identification, consumer relationships with companion animals and purchase behavior, and consumer response to corporate social responsibility. He can be reached at 303-492-8206 or Donald.Lichtenstein@colorado.edu.

Financial Decision Making. Pete McGraw is an assistant professor of marketing and co-director of the Judgment, Emotion, Decision and Tuition Lab at CU-Boulder. His areas of expertise include, consumer financial decision making; consumer psychology; judgment, emotions, and decision making; morally-motivated judgment and choice; structure and measurement of affect. He can be reached at 303-735-3661 or Peter.McGraw@Colorado.EDU.

Derivative Securities and Risk Management. Nathalie Moyen is an associate professor of finance in the Leeds School of Business. Her research interests include capital structure, corporate investments and issues related to risk management. She can also discuss derivative securities, and how swaps, options and forwards are used in risk management as well as how corporations adjust operations and financing through up and down business cycles. She can be reached at 303-735-4931 or Nathalie.Moyen@Colorado.EDU.

Securities Valuation. Michael Stutzer is a professor of finance at the Leeds School of Business. His research interests include continuing development of a unified approach to investment; securities valuation; and valuation model parameter estimation, based on the statistical theory of large deviations. Teaching interests include financial theory and fixed-income securities analysis. He can be reached at michael.stutzer@colorado.edu or 303-492-4348.

Real Estate Markets. Tom Thibodeau is the Global Real Estate Capital Market Chair in the Real Estate Center at the Leeds School of Business. Thibodeau's research interests include measuring and modeling variations in real estate prices, identifying real estate submarket boundaries and real estate investment. He can also address concepts and issues related to capital markets, the rating agencies and the subprime mortgage industry. He can be reached at tom.thibodeau@colorado.edu or 303-735-4021.

Economic Sociology. Jennifer Lynn Bair is an assistant professor of sociology whose research focuses on political economy, economic sociology, comparative and global sociology, sex and gender -- including women workers in global industries. She is best reached by e-mail at jennifer.bair@colorado.edu. Her office number is 303-735-2389.

Economic Development. David Brown is an associate professor of political science whose primary research and teaching interests are in the areas of comparative politics, economic development and Latin American politics. Brown is the recipient of a National Science Foundation grant to study the impact that funding of non-governmental organizations has on local politics in the Brazilian Amazon region. Brown can be reached at dsbrown@colorado.edu. His office number is 303-492-4783 and his cell number is 303-881-1364.

Changing Media. Paul Voakes, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, can discuss the rapid decline in the mainstream media workforce and the implications for journalism school enrollments and journalism education more broadly. Voakes can be reached by e-mail at paul.voakes@colorado.edu. His office number is 303-492-4364.

Economics of Journalism. Janice Peck, associate professor of journalism, can comment on the fast-changing economic forces that have caused such a sudden downturn in the news business. Peck can be reached by e-mail at Janice.peck@colorado.edu . Her office number is 303-492-2047.

Blogging, New Forms of Media. Tom Yulsman, associate professor head of the News-Editorial sequence in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, can discuss the impact of blogging and other new forms of journalism on the traditional news business. Yulsman can be reached by e-mail at tom.yulsman@colorado.edu. His office number is 303-492-3009.

Changing Technology. Rick Stevens, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication can discuss the technological changes that have created economic turmoil in the news business. Stevens can be reached by e-mail at rick.stevens@colorado.edu. His office number is 303-492-0817.

Implications for Journalism Ethics and Coverage of Public Affairs. Michael McDevitt, associate professor of journalism and mass communication, can discuss the implications of the economic downturn for ethical and responsible journalism, including the traditional watchdog role of the press, investigative journalism, and coverage of local communities. He can be reached by e-mail at michael.mcdevitt@colorado.edu. His office number is 303-735-0460.