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Communication, culture, and public affairs
In a paper released today by Harvard University , I analyze the career of writer-turned-activist Bill McKibben and his impact over the past 20 years on the climate change debate. Below is a description of the paper from the corresponding web page at the Kennedy School of Government's Shorenstein ...
In a new study at the journal BMC Medical Ethics , my colleague Declan Fahy and I analyze the journalistic and critical reception of Rebecca Skloot's 2010 best-selling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, focusing on the implications for public understanding and engagement on issues related to ...
In a column this week at Time magazine, Michael Grunwald says he's on the side of activists who oppose the XL Tar Sands pipeline and chides the "respectable centrist pundits" who have raised questions about the protesters' strategy. According to Grunwald, writers like the New York Times Andrew ...
Over at The Breakthrough, I have a Public Square post up discussing the need for the environmental movement to broaden and diversify their public outreach, connecting in particular with minority communities. Here's how it starts: At Politico today, there is an important article focusing on ...
For a study I am working on this semester while on sabbatical at Harvard University, I wanted to try to estimate book publishing trends over time related to climate change, renewable energy, sustainable development, and population growth. After consulting with several librarians, my best option ...
For readers in the Boston area, I will be giving a talk at Boston University's College of Communication on Thursday, December 6 The talk is a preview of the research I have been conducting while on sabbatical this semester as a visiting Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School ...
If you live in an American city, chances are this past summer and fall you have experienced the health effects of climate change. As Richard Harris reported at NPR News in September, people who live in cities -- where there are far fewer trees and lots of pavement -- are more vulnerable to the ...
On Sunday at 7pm EST PBS Nova is airing a special on the science of mega-storm Sandy. For readers who work and teach at universities, I encourage you to watch the program or to check it out online, since the program is likely to offer a valuable context for the special role that universities need ...
As New York City struggles to recover from Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg today announced that the city would start rationing gas, as long lines and scarce supplies continue to plague the area, reports the City Room blog at the New York Times. What's happening in New York -- once a reality to only those ...
Perceptions of Promise: Biotechnology, Society and Art is an interdisciplinary project that brings together a group of internationally recognized artists and social commentators to produce a body of original art work and accompanying essays exploring the complex legal, ethical and social issues ...
For American University students, I am offering a slightly revised version of the seminar in Science and Environmental Communication that I have taught the past few years, focusing more specifically on sustainability-related challenges. Information about the course is below. As in past years ...
Over at the Breakthrough, my latest Public Square column takes a look at the good and the bad of Nate Silver's cultural celebrity and oracle status. Here's how the column starts out: If you are a Democrat, you were likely feeling good on Election Day about President Obama’s chances. Many ...
In a new co-authored study with John Besley and Sang Wa Oh at the journal Public Understanding of Science,we expand on our recent work examining how scientists as a group perceive and understand public opinion, the media, and the policy process. In this most recent analysis, we focus specifically ...
This is an exciting opportunity for a senior scientist with the ambition to work with other faculty on cross-disciplinary university initiatives and in the nation's capital at the interface of science, policy, and urban resilience. -- Matt Associate or Full Professor of Environmental Science ...
In my latest column at The Breakthrough, I discuss what Obama can do in tonight's second Presidential debate to reverse momentum, and it starts with defying critics who are calling on Obama to be more confrontational. Here's the start to the column: As President Obama prepares for tomorrow’s ...