About me
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*News*
April, 2019 New paper on flood risk mitigation decision-making mechanism published on Environmental Research letters March, 2019 Quoted in a NYT article 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 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 (RISA) 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 coastline. 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 at Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) under the Plan Development Unit. I was involved in the 2017 Master Plan team. Specifically, 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 upon 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 analysis to create this index.
IN THE ACADEMIA
I am currently an assistant professor of Geography at the University of Alabama. I am affiliated with Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research and Alabama Water Institute at UA. 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, perceptions of flood hazards, 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, and Natural Hazards. In the fall, I will teach a seminar course on Environment and Society. In the future, I would love to expand this list by teaching: Research Methods in Social Sciences, Environmental Policy Making and Planning, 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 at Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) under the Plan Development Unit. I was involved in the 2017 Master Plan team. Specifically, 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 upon 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 analysis to create this index.
IN THE ACADEMIA
I am currently an assistant professor of Geography at the University of Alabama. I am affiliated with Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research and Alabama Water Institute at UA. 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, perceptions of flood hazards, 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, and Natural Hazards. In the fall, I will teach a seminar course on Environment and Society. In the future, I would love to expand this list by teaching: Research Methods in Social Sciences, Environmental Policy Making and Planning, Human Dimension of Global Environmental Change, Application of GIS in Environmental Studies.
Journal Articles
Shao, W., Feng, K., and Lin, N. 2019 "Predicting support for flood mitigation based on flood insurance purchase behavior" Environmental Research Letters (Impact factor: 4.541) DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab195a
Shao, W., Keim, B., Xian, S., and O'Connor, R. 2019 "Flood hazards and perceptions – a comparative study of two Cities in Alabama" Journal of Hydrology (Impact factor: 3.727) 569, 546-555.
Shao, W., Jackson, N., Ha, H., and N., Winemiller, T. (in press) “Community vulnerability to floods and hurricanes in the U.S. Gulf Coast.” Disasters (Impact factor: 1.596)
Shao, W., Gardezi, M., and Xian, S. 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 (Impact factor:2.799), DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2018.1426436
Shao, W. 2017 “Weather, climate, politics or God? – determinants of American public opinions toward global warming” Environmental Politics (Impact Factor: 2.695). DOI: 10.1080/09644016.2016.1223190
Shao, W., Xian, S., Lin, N., and Small, M. 2017 c “A sequential model relating risk exposure, perception and public support for coastal flood adaptation measures” Water Research (Impact actor: 7.051). DOI.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.05.072
Shao, W., Xian, S., Lin, N., Kunreuther, H., Jackson, N., and Goidel, K. 2017 b “Understanding the effects of past flood events, perceived and estimated flood risks on individuals' voluntary flood insurance purchase behaviors.” Water Research (Impact Factor: 7.051). DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2016.11.021
Shao, W., Xian, S., Keim, B. D., Goidel, K., and Lin, N. 2017 a “Understanding perceptions of changing hurricane strength along the U.S. Gulf Coast” International Journal of Climatology (Impact Factor: 3.609). DOI:10.1002/joc.4805
Xu, Y., Liu, Y., Chen, T., Shao, W., and Fu, Z. 2017 "A longitudinal analysis of environment and risk of obesity in the U.S." Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection （Impact Factor: 0.77), 5, 204-220.
Shao, W., Garand, J.C., Keim, B. D., and Hamilton, L.C. 2016 “Science, scientists, and local weather: understanding mass attitudes toward global warming,” Social Science Quarterly (Impact Factor: 0.849). DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12317
Shao, W. and Goidel, K. 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 (Impact Factor: 2.518). DOI:10.1111/risa.12571.
Ha, H., Rogerson, P., Olson, J., Han, D., Bian, L., and Shao, W. 2016 "Analysis of Pollution Hazard Intensity: A Spatial Epidemiology Case Study of Soil Pb Contamination,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Impact Factor: 2.101). 13 (9), 915; DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13090915
Shao, W., 2016, “Are actual weather and perceived weather the same?” Journal of Risk Research (Impact Factor: 1.340). 1-21.
Shao, W., Keim, B. D., Garand, J.C., and Hamilton, L.C., 2014, “Weather, climate, and the economy: explaining risk perceptions of global warming, 2001-2010,” Weather, Climate, and Society (Impact Factor: 2.594). 6, 119-134.
Book Chapter
Shao, W. 2017. "Understanding Chinese environmental risk perceptions from 1995 - 2015," in Tang, Z. (ed.), China’s Urbanization and Socioeconomic Impact, 125-144. Springer Nature.
Public Writing
Wanyun Shao, December 7, 2018 "Can 2018's extreme weather persuade skeptics that the climate is changing?" The Washington Post
Wanyun Shao, August 23, 2018."A year after Hurricane Harvey, some Texans are using outdated flood risk maps to rebuild." The Conversation
Wanyun Shao and Siyuan Xian, September 9, 2017. " The irrational way people calculate hurricane risks." Vox
Wanyun Shao and Siyuan Xian, August 30, 2017. "After Harvey, many Texans will think differently about hurricane risks." The Conversation
Wanyun Shao, June 1, 2017. "Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord cedes global leadership to China." The Conversation
Professional Membership
American Association of Geographers
Society for Risk Analysis
American Geophysical Union
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