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Laura N. Rickard
Assistant Professor

108B Marshall Hall
1 Forestry Dr.
Syracuse, New York 13210

Phone: (315) 470-6908/470-6636
Email: lrickard@esf.edu

Education

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

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

• Ph.D., 2012, Cornell University (Communication)

Research Interests

Whether focusing on how audiences seek information, perceive risk, communicate about scientific issues, or attribute responsibility, Dr. Laura Rickard's work has broad application to organizational risk and environmental management. Drawing from sociology, social psychology, and natural resource management, her research—like the fields of communication and environmental studies—is highly interdisciplinary. She has utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods, such as surveys, participant observation, and interviews, to explore complex, applied communication questions, often with policy implications. Her current research focuses on attribution of responsibility for public safety in national parks, communicating about the intersection of ecological, human, and animal health in natural areas, and strategic communication about global climate change. 

Publications

• Rickard, L. N., McComas, K. A., Clarke, C. E., Stedman, R. C., & Decker, D. J. (in press). Exploring risk attenuation and crisis communication after a plague death in Grand Canyon.  Journal of Risk Research.

• Rickard, L., McComas, K., & Newman, S. (2011). Visitor proficiency profiling at a national park. Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, 5(1), 62-82.

• Rickard, L. N., Scherer, C. W., & Newman, S. B. (2011). Exploring attribution of responsibility for visitor safety in a U.S. national park. Health, Risk & Society, 13(6), 527-545.

• Rickard, L. N. (2011). In backyards, on front lawns: Examining informal risk communication and communicators. Public Understanding of Science, 20(5), 642-657.

• Yuan, Y. C., Rickard, L. N., Xia, L., & Scherer, C. (2011). The interplay between interpersonal and electronic resources in expertise seeking among co-located and distributed employees. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(3), 535-549.