- i. brief bio
- ii. curriculum vitae
- iii. dispatches from cameroon
Since completion of my doctorate in August 2010 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I am assistant professor in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University. I have also been appoined associate director of the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCOST) Project.
Primarily, my teaching and research focus on public perceptions of controversial science issues and how they influence behaviors and attitudes, especially concerning public policy and politics. My master's thesis explored the effects of news media use and interpersonal discussion on public concern for global warming. An article derived from this broader work is forthcoming in the journal Science Communication. A recent article in the journal Communication Research (co-authored with Kajsa E. Dalrymple, Dominique Brossard, and Dietram A. Scheufele) looked at interpersonal discussion and attitude extremity toward stem cell research during the 2004 election. Other research interests include the social amplification of risk, strategic communication, message campaigns, and science and technology studies.
During the summer and fall of 2009, I traveled to Kansas, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Washington DC to collect data for my dissertation, which will explore the communication and public opinion dynamics surrounding the site selection for the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). My dissertation is part of a larger grant project funded by the National Science Foundation (SES-0820474), on which I have been lead graduate assistant for the past year.
In April of last year, I was awarded an honorable mention in the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program. More recently, I received an award from the UW Graduate School for outstanding peer mentoring. My research has been awarded first place in the 2009 Risk Communication Specialty Group ExxonMobil Student Paper Competition (Society for Risk Analysis) and honorable mention in the 2009 MAPOR Fellows Student Paper Competition (Midwest Association for Pubic Opinion Research).
Prior to enrolling in graduate school, I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon. Living in a place with no mass communication inspired my interest the role it plays in everyday life throughout levels of society.