Background Summary

     Wayne joins ITS-Davis as a lifelong technological optimist and tinkerer.  He built his first alternative-fuel vehicle at age 14, a battery-electric Honda CRX.  Many science fairs later, Wayne returned to his alternative-fuel roots with conversion of two diesels to waste-cooking-oil fuel.  Wayne's diverse experience in environmental science, economics, and public policy provides a valuable context for designing interdisciplinary research that will both enhance scientific understanding and benefit society.

     Wayne's research at Brown University was designed to inform the debate over climate change and tradeable carbon emission credits.  He combined geographic information system (GIS) data for the Tongass National Forest (Tongass) with forest inventory data in order to estimate and map total carbon stock in the ecosystems of the Tongass.  He found the Tongass held 2.8 +/- 0.5 Pg C, or 8% of the total carbon in forests of the conterminous USA, and cumulative net carbon loss from the Tongass due to management of the forest for the period 1900 to 1995 was 6.4 – 17.2 Tg carbon.  Wayne also projected future carbon flux under several management regimes and found the economic value of carbon sequestration if all timber harvesting in the Tongass were halted from 1995 to 2095, assuming $20/Mg carbon in a CER market, would be $4 to $7 million/y (1995 US dollars).  This value is significant to policy makers and multiple-use managers because it is equivalent to total annual US Forest Service timber sale revenues in the Tongass.  The research was the first quantification of carbon stock and flux for the large-magnitude Tongass, which was significant for national and global carbon budgets.  In addition, the novel method of combining GIS with forest inventory data produced a spatially explicit model that can be adapted to other forests and enables accurate modeling of diverse management alternatives.

     Wayne has also worked as an environmental economics consultant in litigation support, calculating valuation of non-market commodities associated with environmental degradation.  Most recently, Wayne worked as legislative aide and Chief of Staff for an Alaska Senator, as staff for the Natural Resources Committee and on topics including the following: oil and gas tax legislation; the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline contract negotiations; policy development and analysis; identity theft; workers’ compensation; public employees retirement systems; juvenile justice; and Medicaid.

          “There’s a way to do it better… find it!” ~Thomas A. Edison

Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways Research Interests

     As a graduate student at ITS-Davis, Wayne has worked on technology evaluation, including documentation of advanced internal combustion engine vehicle technologies and performance. Working with other graduate students, Wayne has also written papers on the potential for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) alternatives and on folk quantification of transportation energy (i.e., how consumers perceive energy use in their vehicle purchase and driving decisions).

     His thesis and dissertation research, however, involves dynamic modeling of investment and production decisions in energy industries.  His current case study is the Alaska oil industry.  These methods Wayne is developing can be used to quantify factors relevant for industry investment decisions, simulate the impact of public policies on industry behavior and vitality, and many more research questions.

     Wayne hopes to develop expertise in understanding how to bring beneficial new energy technology into widespread use, and in coordinating public policy with technological innovation to realize social benefit.  He also has a continuing interested in building on existing GIS data to enhance our understanding of spatial relationships relevant to energy supply decisions, from resource inventory to transmission infrastructure to locating facilities.

     While working toward his Masters degree in Transportation Technology and Policy (TTP), Wayne has also been studying Agricultural and Resource Economics (ARE) and expects to earn both Masters degrees in July, 2008.  Wayne has also accepted admission to the UC Davis Graduate School of Management for the fall of 2008 and will work toward an MBA degree while completing dissertation for the PhD degree in TTP.

Education

UC Davis, PhD in Transportation Technology and Policy, expected July, 2011

UC Davis, Masters of Business Administration, expected June, 2010

UC Davis, Masters in Transportation Technology and Policy, expected July, 2008

UC Davis, Masters in Agricultural and Resource Economics, expected July, 2008

Brown University, 2001, Sc.B. Environmental Science, A.B. Economics

Whitman College, 1999

National Outdoor Leadership School, 1997

Geothe German Language Institute, 1996

Publications and Presentations

Leighty, W.W., S.P. Hamburg, J. Caouette.  Effects of forest management on carbon sequestration in Southeastern Alaska, Ecosystems.  Ecosystems (2006) 9: 1051-1065.

Leighty, W.W., C. Yang, J. Ogden. Advanced ICE Vehicles: an assessment of the technologies for next generation vehicles.  Advanced Energy Pathways (AEP) Project, Task 4.1 Technology Assessments of Vehicle Fuels and Technologies, Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program, California Energy Commission, DRAFT July, 2007.

Lin, C.-Y. Cynthia, W.W. Leighty. “Government Leasing Policy and the Multi-Stage Investment Timing Game in Offshore Petroleum Production.” International Association for Energy Economics, North American Conference, Houston, Texas, 16-19 September, 2007.

Silvis, J., W.W. Leighty, A. Karner (2007) “Folk Quantification of Transportation Energy: an initial investigation of perceptions of automobile energy use,” Research Report, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California at Davis, forthcoming.

Leighty, W.W. “Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.” Presented to: Sustainable Transportation Energy Program Seminar, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California at Davis, in Davis, California, 13 February, 2007.

Leighty, W.W. “Government Leasing Policy and the Multi-Stage Investment Timing Game in Offshore Petroleum Production.” Presented to: the 2007 International Association for Energy Economics, North American Conference, in Houston, Texas, 16-19 September, 2007.

Leight, W.W. "Modeling of Production Decisions in Energy Markets: an Alaska Oil Case Study."  Presented to: Sustainable Transportation Energy Program Seminar, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California at Davis, 4 March, 2008.

Awards and Achievements

Eno Transportation Foundation, Leadership Development Conference, Washington, DC, May 19-22 (2008)

Chevron Graduate Fellowship, UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (2007)

Outstanding Student of the Year, UC Davis Sustainable Transportation Center, honorable mention (2007)

Graduate Automotive Technology Education Fellowship, University of California, Davis (2007)

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, Honorable Mention (2006)

Graduate Automotive Technology Education Fellowship, University of California, Davis (2006)

Magna Cum Laude, Brown University (2001)

Academic Departmental Honors in Environmental Science, Brown University (2001)

Royce Fellowship and induction into the Society of Royce Fellows, Brown University (2000)

Faculty Scholar, Brown University (2000)

Sigma Xi and Omicron Delta Epsilon, member (2001)

Susan Colver Rosenberger Prize for Environmental Studies, Brown University (2001)

Experience

Chief of Staff and Legislative Aide, Alaska State Senator Gretchen Guess, 2003 - 2006.  Policy development and analysis, Natural Resources and State Affairs committees, the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline, identity theft, workers’ compensation, public employees retirement systems, juvenile justice, natural resource permitting, Medicaid, communications including quarterly newsletters and press, and database management.

Operations and Trip Development Coordinator, Alaska Discovery, 2003.  Development of wilderness expeditions in Alaska, daily operations.

General Manager, Auk Ta Shaa Discovery, 2002 – 2003.  Raft, canoe, and kayak guide company with seasonal staff of 15 serving 9,000 clients.

Research Analyst, Industrial Economics, Inc., 2001 – 2002.  Environmental economics consulting.  Excel modeling, litigation support, value of information modeling, and revealed preference and stated preference survey methods.

Researcher, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Forestry Sciences Lab, 2000.  Research to estimate the total carbon pool in the Tongass National Forest and project carbon flux under potential management policy.  Primary author of “Effects of forest management on carbon sequestration in Southeastern Alaska,” Ecosystems (2006).

Teaching Assistant and Course Development, Environmental Issues, Brown University, 1999 - 2000.  Teaching Assistant, revised course reader, developed section activities and homework, led weekly sections, wrote paper topics, graded papers and exams.

Lead Guide & Guide, Auk Ta Shaa Discovery & Alaska Discovery, 1996 - 2000, 2004.  Whitewater rafting, canoeing, and sea kayaking in Southeast Alaska.