About me
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*News*
October, 2018 Accepting applications for Ph.D August, 2018 Joined the Department of Geography at the University of Alabama as an assistant professor June, 2018 Visited the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University and gave a seminar talk entitled "Understanding Human Judgment on Environmental Hazards and Risks in a Geographic Context." August, 2017 Awarded Early-Career Research Fellowship by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program. |
PURSUING GRADUATE DEGREES IN THE U.S.
GREAT EXPERIENCE AT LSU
In 2006, I came to the U.S. for graduate degrees. I first started in the master program in planning at the University of Wyoming. In 2008, I started in the PhD program at the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State University (LSU). I was fortunate to be a research assistant for the multidisciplinary Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, a Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments team which is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For the first two years, I interviewed state officials, environmental NGO staff, and scientists regarding plans and policies to address Louisiana's disappearing coast. For my dissertation, I merged weather and climate data from the US Historical Climate Network with two series of survey data from 2001-10. Under the supervision of Dr. Barry D. Keim (Louisiana State Climatologist) and Dr. James C. Garand (Distinguished Professor of Political Science), I examined how geography represented by local weather and climate along with socio-political background influenced American public risk perceptions of global warming. I found the summer temperature trend of the last decade significantly affects one's perceptions of global warming. Specifically, individuals living in communities that have witnessed rising summer temperatures in the last 10 years are more likely to believe in anthropogenic global warming and show heightened risk perceptions of this issue. In addition, my research confirms previous studies' finding on the politicization of global warming in the American public discourse.
WORKING IN THE U.S.
IN THE STATE GOVERNMENT
After receiving my Ph.D in Geography from LSU, I went on to work for Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). While there, I was part of a team to construct a comprehensive index to depict varying levels of community resilience to climate hazards across the coastal Louisiana. My colleagues and I compiled data from numerous sources including the U.S. Census, USGS, FEMA, and some state agencies. Drawing on from the literature, our resilience index was built on three aspects: social vulnerability, physical exposure, and adaptive capacity. In the process, we applied statistical analyses and geospatial tools to create this index.
IN THE ACADEMIA
I am currently an assistant professor of Geography at the University of Alabama. I am also an Early-Career Research Fellow of National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program.
My research to date is focused on understanding human judgments on environmental hazards and risks within a geographic context. Specifically, I have examined the relationship between religion and attitudes towards climate change, the comparison between local officials' assessment and residents' perceptions of climate change, perceptions of local weather, voluntary flood insurance purchase behaviors, public support for flood mitigation policies, community perceptions of hurricane-related risks, Chinese environmental risk perceptions, and environmental hazards and public health.
In addition to pushing forward my research agenda on human-environment interactions, I greatly enjoy teaching geography in the classroom. As a geographer, I feel deeply frustrated with the notion that geography is all about remembering places' names and locations. In actuality, what we study cannot be more relevant to the real world. It is our obligation to correct this common misconception and show students the cool side of geography. I have taught a list of geography courses including: People, Place, and Environment, Geography of World Regions, Human Geography, Introduction to Geography, Geography of Louisiana, and Natural Hazards. In the future, I would love to expand this list by teaching: Research Methods in Social Sciences, Human Dimension of Global Environmental Change, Application of GIS in Environmental Studies.
IN THE STATE GOVERNMENT
After receiving my Ph.D in Geography from LSU, I went on to work for Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). While there, I was part of a team to construct a comprehensive index to depict varying levels of community resilience to climate hazards across the coastal Louisiana. My colleagues and I compiled data from numerous sources including the U.S. Census, USGS, FEMA, and some state agencies. Drawing on from the literature, our resilience index was built on three aspects: social vulnerability, physical exposure, and adaptive capacity. In the process, we applied statistical analyses and geospatial tools to create this index.
IN THE ACADEMIA
I am currently an assistant professor of Geography at the University of Alabama. I am also an Early-Career Research Fellow of National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program.
My research to date is focused on understanding human judgments on environmental hazards and risks within a geographic context. Specifically, I have examined the relationship between religion and attitudes towards climate change, the comparison between local officials' assessment and residents' perceptions of climate change, perceptions of local weather, voluntary flood insurance purchase behaviors, public support for flood mitigation policies, community perceptions of hurricane-related risks, Chinese environmental risk perceptions, and environmental hazards and public health.
In addition to pushing forward my research agenda on human-environment interactions, I greatly enjoy teaching geography in the classroom. As a geographer, I feel deeply frustrated with the notion that geography is all about remembering places' names and locations. In actuality, what we study cannot be more relevant to the real world. It is our obligation to correct this common misconception and show students the cool side of geography. I have taught a list of geography courses including: People, Place, and Environment, Geography of World Regions, Human Geography, Introduction to Geography, Geography of Louisiana, and Natural Hazards. In the future, I would love to expand this list by teaching: Research Methods in Social Sciences, Human Dimension of Global Environmental Change, Application of GIS in Environmental Studies.
Scholarly Publications
1. Wanyun Shao, Maaz Gardezi, and Siyuan Xian. 2018 "Examining the effects of objective hurricane risks and community resilience on risk perceptions of hurricanes at the county level in the U.S. Gulf Coast: An innovative approach" Annals of the American Association of Geographers DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2018.1426436
2. Wanyun Shao, Siyuan Xian, Ning Lin, and Mitchell Small. 2017 “A sequential model to link contextual risk, perception and public support for flood adaptation policy" Water Research. DOI.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.05.072
3. Wanyun Shao, Siyuan Xian, Ning Lin, Howard Kunreuther, Nida Jackson, and Kirby Goidel. 2017 “Understanding the effects of past flood events, perceived and estimated flood risks on individuals' voluntary flood insurance purchase behaviors.” Water Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2016.11.021
4. Wanyun Shao. 2017 “Weather, climate, politics or God? – determinants of American public opinions toward global warming” Environmental Politics. DOI: 10.1080/09644016.2016.1223190
5. Wanyun Shao, Siyuan Xian, Barry D. Keim, Kirby Goidel, and Ning Lin. 2017 “Understanding perceptions of changing hurricane strength along the U.S. Gulf Coast” International Journal of Climatology. DOI:10.1002/joc.4805
6. Yanqing Xu, Yanhong Liu, Tian Chen, Wanyun Shao, and Zhongliang Fu. 2017 "A longitudinal analysis of environment and risk of obesity in the US" Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 5, 204-220.
7. Wanyun Shao, James C. Garand, Barry D. Keim, and Lawrence C. Hamilton. 2016 “Science, scientists, and local weather: understanding mass attitudes toward global warming” Social Science Quarterly. DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12317
8. Wanyun Shao and Kirby Goidel. 2016, “Seeing is believing? - An examination of perceptions of local weather conditions and climate change among residents in the U.S. Gulf Coast” Risk Analysis, DOI:10.1111/risa.12571.
9. Wanyun Shao. 2016, “Are actual weather and perceived weather the same?” Journal of Risk Research 19 (6), 722-742.
10. Hoehun Ha, Peter A. Rogerson, James R. Olson, Daikwon Han, Ling Bian, and Wanyun Shao. 2016, "Analysis of pollution hazard intensity: A spatial epidemiology case study of soil Pb contamination." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 13 (9), 915; DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13090915
11. Wanyun Shao, Barry D. Keim, James C. Garand, and Lawrence C. Hamilton. 2014, “Weather, climate, and the economy: explaining risk perceptions of global warming, 2001-2010,” Weather, Climate, and Society, 6, 119-134.
Book Chapter
12. Wanyun Shao, 2017. "Understanding Chinese environmental risk perceptions from 1995 - 2015," in Tang, Z. (ed.), China’s Urbanization and Socioeconomic Impact, 125-144. Singapore: Springer Nature
Other Publications
Wanyun Shao, August 23, 2018."A year after Hurricane Harvey, some Texans are using outdated flood risk maps to rebuild." The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/a-year-after-hurricane-harvey-some-texans-are-using-outdated-flood-risk-maps-to-rebuild-99178
Wanyun Shao and Siyuan Xian, September 9, 2017. " The irrational way people calculate hurricane risks." Vox: https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/9/9/16280928/irrational-way-people-calculate-storm-risks-psychology-hurricane
Wanyun Shao and Siyuan Xian, August 30, 2017. "After Harvey, many Texans will think differently about hurricane risks." The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/after-harvey-many-texans-will-think-differently-about-hurricane-risks-83262
Wanyun Shao, June 1, 2017. "Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord cedes global leadership to China." The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/trumps-decision-to-withdraw-from-the-paris-accord-cedes-global-leadership-to-china-76279
Professional Membership
American Association of Geographers
Society for Risk Analysis
Midwest Political Science Association
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