NJAES Faculty Expertise Database

My primary research and scholarly objectives are related to understanding how individuals, communities and organizations respond to perceived environmental health risks. My research focuses on the relationships between perceptions of risks, attributions of responsibility and blame for those risks, psychological distress that may result from perceived risks, and related coping behaviors. Specifically, my recent research has examined these relationships in communities that are located near hazardous waste landfills, near sources of 60 HZ electric and magnetic fields such as electric transmission lines and substations, and communities where Lyme Disease is endemic. My scholarly work has also dealt with more general issues regarding perceived risks and risk communication especially research on effective strategies for communicating with the public about risk magnitudes.