Bio

Advisor and Program

Dr. Nora Haenn
Sociology and Anthropology, NC State University

About

Growing up in rural northeast NC in the Inner Banks, I witnessed my community actively rejecting notions of anthropogenic environmental change while being far more connected with nature than most of the people I encounter day-to-day on a university campus. This dissonance prompted my fascination with how groups who stand at the face of climate vulnerabilities perceive climate change and its impacts. More than one scientist has told me that it is a lost cause to attempt to gain public understanding of climate change in these areas. I am driven by the rift I see between the scientists collecting the data on environmental change and the communities who feel its effects. I believe that change starts through a deep understanding of the cultural contexts in which communities form their relationships with science. I aim to bridge the gap between science and people through engaged and meaningful communication and decision making.

Research Interests

My research examines how climate resilience planning is shaped by internal agency perceptions within state wildlife agencies. Using primarily qualitative methods, I investigate how conservation professionals define climate resilience, what barriers prevent implementation of climate planning, and how institutional values influence adoption and decision-making. By studying conservation practitioners themselves, my work explores how climate planning efforts are realized. I aim to provide suggestions for effective communication strategies to enhance buy-in for agency-wide planning efforts which have the potential for broad impacts within and across state borders.