Heather Lazrus
Heather Lazrus is an environmental anthropologist and currently a postgraduate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO. Heather obtained a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Washington in 2009. Using the theories and methods in the anthropological toolkit, she investigates the cultural mechanisms through which all weather and climate risks are perceived, experienced, and addressed. Heather focuses on the interface between extreme weather and climate change and works closely with colleagues from diverse disciplines. Her research contributes to improving the utility of weather forecasts and warnings, reducing social vulnerability to atmospheric and related hazards, and understanding community and cultural adaptations to climate change. Heather has worked extensively in Tuvalu and the United States. Current research projects survey public perceptions of and behavior regarding flash floods (among residents of Boulder, Colorado), hurricanes (among vulnerable populations in Miami, Florida), and drought (among water users in south-central Oklahoma). Her work has been published in several journals including the Annual Review of Anthropology, Global Environmental Change, Weather, Climate, and Society and in edited volumes. She serves on the American Anthropological Association Task Force on Global Climate Change and on the American Meteorological Society Societal Impacts Board.
Workshop Abstracts
Warning Decisions in Extreme Weather Events: Perceptions and Perspectives on Hurricane Forecasts, Warnings, Decisions and Risks
Expert and Public Perceptions of Flash Flood Risk: A Mental Models Approach
Understanding Public Responses to Hurricane Risk Messages
Related Resources from Heather Lazrus
Vulnerability beyond Stereotypes: Context and Agency in Hurricane Risk Communication
With Betty Morrow, Rebecca Morss, and Jeffrey Lazo
Weather, Climate, and Society, April 2012