Emily Laidlaw
Summer 2006 WAS*IS
WAS*IS Webmaster

I am an associate scientist for the Societal Impacts Program (SIP) within the Institute for the Study of Society and Environment (ISSE) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. I manage SIP's information resources, including the Extreme Weather Sourcebook, the Societal Aspects of Weather page, and the SIP and WAS*IS Web pages, among other resources. I also manage, design and help edit SIP's Weather and Society Watch newsletter. My current research involves projects on the value of weather forecasts to U.S. economic sectors, as well as a project in conjunction with the National Weather Service examining disaster loss data collection and reporting.

I have a master’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in science/technical writing and editing from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Rochester. As you might guess from my degree combination, I believe there is a strong need for science-trained communicators who can bridge the gap between atmospheric and social science research and the policy makers, media members, and general citizens that research was intended to serve.