Rachael Shwom

Rachael is a third year doctoral student in the Department of Sociology with a graduate specialization in Environmental Science and Policy at Michigan State University . This fall she was a science and technology policy fellow at the National Academies working with the Committee on Human Dimensions of Global Change where she worked with a panel to advise the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on one of their climate science programs. For the past two years she has been graduate research assistant currently working on a mail and web survey with Dr. Thomas Dietz and Dr. Amy Dan on climate change attitudes and policy preferences and the effects of deliberation. Additionally, she is an Environmental Science and Policy Fellow.

Rachael has her B.A. in English and Textual Studies from Syracuse University . While at Syracuse , she also took over 70 credits in biology, chemistry and geology and conducted research on Nitrogen mineralization rates of Serengeti soil. She went on to earn her Masters of Environmental Management at Duke University 's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences where her concentration was in resource economics and policy. Her Masters Project analyzed climate change scientists' testimonies before congress and evaluated them based on risk communication principles. Her work experiences have also influenced her research interests. For the three years previous to coming to MSU, Rachael was a program manager at the Consortium for Energy Efficiency in Boston where she facilitated multi-stakeholder committees to nationally coordinate local and regional programs promoting energy-efficient services and technologies to businesses. She has also interned with the National Center for Environmental Decision-Making Research (NCEDR) in Knoxville Tennessee updating a resource management plan for the Great Smokey Mountains National Park , and at the National Council on Science and the Environment in Washington , D.C. (NCSE) tracking federal funding of environmental research.

Rachael's research interests center around the role of environmental values and agency in institutional/organizational change particularly in reference to corporate environmentalism. Additionally she is interested in the impacts of globalization on the environment. Specifically she is interested in how the new global order affects energy resource management, public participation in global resource policy-making, and the design, conduct and communication of environmental science.