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Scherer, Clifford Wayne
Cornell Faculty Member
Positions
- Associate Professor, Communication (COMM), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
Research and extension activities in the past 10 years have focused on the development of strategies for the communication of complex scientific, technical and risk information to lay audiences, policy-makers and elected officials. Particular attention has been focused on developing models for presenting complex health and environmental risk information to non-scientists, and how that information is utilized, processed and integrated into decision-making. Recent work has concentrated on understanding how communities, groups and individuals get, process, exchange, and utilize complex scientific information in decision-making around environmental and health issues.
More than 100 state, national and international workshops have been presented to extension educators, policy makers, elected officials, scientists, community leaders, health professionals, journalists and others during the past several years on topics including communicating risk communication, bio-terrorism, water quality risks, food safety, environmental decision-making, communication planning and strategy development and community participation. Sponsoring organizations have included the NY State Department of Health, The Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, Society for Risk Analysis and others.
Teaching includes Communciation 1300 Visual Communication, Comm 4860 Risk Communication and (alternate years) Comm 6860 Risk Communication.
Have been a member of a number of state and national committees including Human Health Advisory Committee, 2004-Present, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA) , Oceans and Human Health National Advisory Panel, Food and Drug Administration, Food Safety Advisory Committtee (2002-4), and Ag Biotech Implementation Task Force subcommittee on Communication Strategies, USDA, (2000-3).
Research Areas
- Affiliations
- Extension
- Research
- Publications
- Teaching
- Service
- Background
- Other
- View All
Affiliations
other Cornell affiliations
Extension
has primary specialization area
Research
research overview
- Risk communication, visualization of science for public communication.
research activities
area(s) of concentration/expertise
keywords
- Risk
- communication
- environment
- health
- science
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Exploring attribution of responsibility for visitor safety in a U.S.. Health, Risk & Society.. 13:527-545. 2011
- The interplay between interpersonal and electronic resources in knowledge seeking among co-located and distributed employees. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 62:535-549. 2011
- The importance of human dimensions research in managing harmful algal blooms. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 8:75-83. 2010
- Evaluating a conservation investment designed to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Conservation Letters. 1:136-145. 2008
- A Social Network Contagion Theory of Risk Perception. International Journal of Risk Analysis. 23:261-267. 2003
- Exploring motivations for consumer Web use and their implications for e-commerce. The Journal of Consumer Marketing. 20:90-108. 2003
- Technology in organizational learning: Using high tech for high touch. Educational Technology & Society. 5. 2002
- Community involvement and risk perception at personal and societal levels. Health, Risk & Society. 3:281-292. 2001
- Community Network Linkages During a Health Controversy. Journal of Public Health Management Practice. 6:21-29. 2000
- Communication, Risk Behavior, and Perceptions of Threat and Efficacy: A Test of a Reciprocal Model. Journal of Applied Communication Research. 27:377-395. 1999
- Promoting informed decision-making: The role of message structure. Risk: Health, Safety & Environment. 10:209-220. 1999
- Providing balanced risk information in surveys used as citizen participation mechanisms. Society and Natural Resources. 12:107-119. 1999
- The College Tradition of “Drink ‘til You Drop: The Relationship between Students’ Social Networks and Engaging in Risky Behaviors. Journal of Health Communication. 11:313-334. 1999
- Reassessing public meetings as public participation in risk management decisions. Risk: Health, Safety & Environment. 9:347-360. 1998
- A Paradigm Shift? Indigenous Media and Development in the Southeast Asian Context. Asian Journal of Communication. 3:1-29. 1993
- Communicating Food Safety: Ethical Issues in Risk Communication. Agriculture and Human Values. 9:17-26. 1992
- Consumer perceptions and attitudes towards bovine somatotropin. Northeastern Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. 21:10-20. 1992
- Agent Satisfaction with Extension Publications: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Applied Communications. 72:37-43. 1990
- Communicating Water Quality Risk, Special Issue on Groundwater. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 45:198-201. 1990
- Conceptual Traditional and New Media Training Needs: A Study of County Extension Agent Perceptions. ACE Quarterly. 71. 1989
- The New Communication Technology and the Knowledge Gap: The Case of the VCR. Journal of Communication. 39:94-103. 1989
- Study Finds Member Support for Quarterly Policy Changes. ACE Quarterly. 71:3-7. 1988
- Video Cassette Recorders: An Educational Opportunity? Evidence from the Field. ACE Quarterly. 71:12-27. 1988
- Media Credibility as Perceived by Central Iowa Farmers. ACE Quarterly, Research Review. 69:47-48. 1986
- Research and the New Communication Technologies: Forecast and Possibilities. ACE Quarterly. 69:16-24. 1986
- Understanding Visual Literacy: A Study of Comprehension of Pictorial Messages Among Farmers. ACE Quarterly, Research Review. 69:31. 1986
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article
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book
- Tough Choices about Red Tide: Protecting Our Health, The Environment, And The Economy 2008
- Summary Report: Army Family Advocacy Program 1996
- Army Family Advocacy Program: Materials Evaluation, Final Report 1995
- Public Issues Education: Supporting Information Exchange, Team Learning, and Capacity Building to Address Shared Concerns 1995
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booksection
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chapter
- Food Safety: Communicating Risk. Encyclopedia of Riral America: The Land and People. 396-399. 2009
- Food Safety and Risk Communication. Encyclopedia of Rural America: The Land and People. 1997
- Effective Communication in a Crisis. The Communicator's Handbook. 1996
- Making Communication Equitable. The Communicator's Handbook. 1996
- Attaining a State of Informed Judgments Toward a Dialectical Discourse on Risk. Communication Yearbook. 278-299. 1995
- Attaining a State of Informed Judgments Toward a Dialectical Discourse on Risk. Yearbook of Communication. 1995
- Patterns of Family Communication and Health Outcomes. Relational Communication and Health Outcomes. 1995
- Bridging Theory and Praxis: Reexamining Public Health Communication. Communication Yearbook. 312-345. 1992
- The Role of the Press in the Dynamics of Social Movements. Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change. 71-96. 1986
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conference paper
- Building a Rationale for Interactive Risk Communication. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service Workshop. 1995
- Communicating Scientific Risk to the Public. Proceedings from National Food Safety Conference. 1994
- Developing a Communication Strategy: Using Communication to Build Support for Public Policy. Proceedings of Impacts of the New York Canal System on Fish and Wildlife. American Wildlife Research Foundation. 1994
- Communication, Scientific Risk and Public Decision-Making. Proceedings from the National Extension Compost Utilization Conference. 1993
- Food Industry Concerns and Consumer Fears: Differing Perceptions of Risk. Sixth Regional Meeting on Practical Biosecurity for Poultry, Reducing Risks. 1991
- A Framework for Initiating Interactive Risk Communication. National Risk Communication Conference. 1990
- Issues in Planning and Designing Risk Communication. National Risk Communication Conference. 1990
- Rationale for Interactive Risk Communication. National Risk Communication Conference. 1990
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document part
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report
- Strategic Plan (FY2009-FY2014) 2008
- Communication, Scientific Information and Risk Management-A Case Study 1999
- Communicating Water Quality Risk Issues to the Public 1992
- The Proposed Van Buren Landfill: A study of public concern and opinion 1992
- Making Rational Media Decisions 1991
- The Public’s Interest in Extension Programs 1989
- Extension Professionals: A Study of Communication Perceptions and Needs 1988
- Extension Users: Oneida County Study 1988
- International Study of ACE Members 1988
- Extension and Computers: A Survey of Extension Professionals: A Data Book 1986
- Computerization of County Records 1985
- Computers and Agriculture: A Survey of Iowa Farmers, 1983: A Data Book 1983
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review
- Operating a Dairy Farm - Getting Information: Dealing with Low Milk Prices, Getting Rid of Used Bale Wrap, Computers, Phones, Magazines, Salesmen, Cows, Websites... 2009
- Winning When You Have Lost: Cutting Your Losses with Host Community Benefits 1993
Teaching
teaching overview
- I am currently teaching two undergraduate courses, Visual Communication and Risk Communication and a graduate course in risk communciation. The visual communciation course has 225 students enrolled. This course continues to be a challenge to keep the course lectures interesting and at the same time challenging. The course demands continual updates to present new visual examples, film clips and analysis of visual "events" from television and the web. The learning objectives for students in this course are twofold: (1) To better understand the theoretical basis for visual communication, and (2) to develop a strong foundation for engaging in the production of visual materials in future careers. The undergraudate risk communication course (Comm 4860) seeks to blend theory of risk communciation with a practical application, while the graduate course (Comm 6860)concentrates on theoretical issues of risk communication.
teaching activities
- COMM-1300: Visual Communication - Spring 2013
- COMM-6860: Risk Communication - Spring 2013
- COMM-7970: Graduate Independent Study - Spring 2013
- COMM-7980: Communication Teaching Laboratory - Spring 2013
- COMM-7990: Graduate Research - Spring 2013
- COMM-8900: Master's-Level Thesis Research - Spring 2013
- COMM-9900: Doctoral-Level Dissertation Research - Spring 2013
- COMM-4860: Risk Communication - Fall 2012
- COMM-7970: Graduate Independent Study - Fall 2012
- COMM-7980: Communication Teaching Laboratory - Fall 2012
- COMM-7990: Graduate Research - Fall 2012
- COMM-9900: Doctoral-Level Dissertation Research - Fall 2012
- COMM-1300: Visual Communication - Spring 2012
- COMM-7970: Graduate Independent Study - Spring 2012
- COMM-7980: Communication Teaching Laboratory - Spring 2012
- COMM-7990: Graduate Research - Spring 2012
- COMM-8900: Master's-Level Thesis Research - Spring 2012
- COMM-9900: Doctoral-Level Dissertation Research - Spring 2012
- COMM-4860: Risk Communication - Fall 2011
- COMM-7970: Graduate Independent Study - Fall 2011
- COMM-7980: Communication Teaching Laboratory - Fall 2011
- COMM-7990: Graduate Research - Fall 2011
- COMM-9900: Doctoral-Level Dissertation Research - Fall 2011
Service
outreach overview
- I currently have no formal extension appointment, but continue to give workshops and presentations in New York and elsewhere as requested.
- I currently have two projects underway. (1) Work with extension educators in New York State on risk communication issues. This generally results in a workshop related to the work they do--pesticide application, crisis communication, etc. (2) A Hatch-Smith-Level sponsored research/extension project which will result in a better understanding of how interpersonal and web based technologies function in the technology transfer process. and (3) I continue to work at the national level to encourage greater involvement of social science in research and decision-making. I currently serve as a member of the Oceans and Human Health Initiative Advisory Panel, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
service to the profession
- New York State Water Resources Institute, Advisory Committee Committee Member 2004 - 2008
- Advisory Council, Communication Interest Group, Society for Risk Analysis Committee Member 1999 - 2006
- Environmental Risk Analysis Program Advisory Committee Committee Member 1999 - 2006
- Advisory Council, Communication Interest Group, Society for Risk Analysis Chairperson 2004 - 2005
- Cornell University, Office of Research, Consumer-Agricultural Interface working group Member 2001 - 2002
- Environmental Toxicology Outreach Advisory Committee, Center for the Environment Committee Member 1999 - 2002
- Subcommittee on Social Science, Experiment Station Committee of Planning (ESCOP), U.S. Department of Agriculture Committee Member 1996 - 1998
- Resources for the Future. Communication Strategies, Project on Crop Protection in the Food System: Better Management, Better Communication Task Force Head 1991 - 1993
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Media Training Group, Extension Service Advisory to USDA 1990 - 1991
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Risk Communication Planning Committee, USDA, Extension Service Committee Member 1989 - 1991
reviewer or editor for
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin 1977
- M.S. in Advertising/Radio-Television, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 1969
- B.S. in Agricultural Science and Journalism, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 1964
awards and honors
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- Risk
- communication
- environment
- health
- science
name prefix
- Professor