Welcome to the Cornell Risk Communication Research Group (RCRG). The RCRG consists of faculty, students, staff and collaborators who conduct research in the areas of environmental, health, risk and science communication. Our collaborators include representatives from the Departments of Communication, Entomology, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Veterinary Medicine and others.

 

Laura Rickard (Ph.D. student)

Laura is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the Communication department. Her research interests center on environmental communication and risk perception. She is particularly interested in how pesticide applicators perceive occupational risks, and how local farmers make decisions related to the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques. Prior to coming to Cornell, Laura held a position at the North Country School/Camp Treetops in Lake Placid, NY, where she worked as a farm/garden intern and an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. She also completed a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies from Brown University.

Recent presentations/publications

Richard, L.N., Newman, S., & McComas, K.A. (2009, forthcoming). Exploring risk message and messengers in the National Park system. Paper presented at: Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Rickard, L.N., & Brown, H.C. (2009, forthcoming). Exploring the culture of occupational safety training of volunteer firefighers. Paper presented at: Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Scherer, C.W., Yuang, C., Levitan, L., Rickard, L.N., & Lu, L. (2009, forthcoming). Risk information sufficiency in an emerging information environment. Paper presented at: Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Rickard, L.N. (2009). Damning the dump, banning the burn: Understanding the farmer’s dilemma in agricultural plastics disposal in New York State. Paper presented at: 2009 Conference on Communication & the Environment. Portland, ME.

Rickard, L.N. (2009). Pesticide applicators on the job: Creating greener pastures in scientific citizenship. Paper presented at: International Communication Association (ICA) Annual Meeting. Chicago, Ill.

Rickard, L.N. (2008). Exploring occupational risk communication and workplace culture among Green Industry pesticide applicators in New York State. Paper presented at: Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. Boston, MA. ** Top 5 Poster Award **

Rickard, L.N., & Dantzker, H.C. (2008). Service with a smile: Accidental Risk Communicators (ARCs) and the role of emotional labor. Paper presented at: Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. Boston, MA.

Rickard, L.N. (2007). Accidental carriers: Accidental risk communication and the public. Paper presented at: Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX.

Educational Background

B.A. in Environmental Studies (2004, Brown University)

M.S. in Communication (2008, Cornell University)

Ph.D. in Communicatin (expected 2012, Cornell University)