My research program examines how people communicate about health, science, and environmental risks. Such communication can take place in many venues- from the front page of the New York Times, to the website of the CDC, to the local public meeting, to the doctor's office. I am particularly interested in how risk communication influences people's attitudes and behaviors, as well as incentives and barriers people face in the context of risk communication. Two concepts that figure prominently in my research are fairness and trust. Whereas I conduct basic research on communication processes, I remain committed to research that can be translated into practice, having retained a measure of idealism in my desire to help make the world a better place. In addition to my work in the Department of Communication, I am also the Societal and Ethical Issues (SEI) Coordinator for the NSF supported National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network.