Assistant Professor Peter Howe Named Recipient of NSF Career Award
Peter Howe, Assistant Professor in USU's Department of Environment & Society, has been named recipient of the NSF Career Award.
Human-Environment Geography professor Peter Howe has been awarded a National Science Foundation Career Award for a study on climate adaptation and decision making that will span the next five years. Howe joined the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources Department of Environment & Society in 2013.
“I’m honored to receive support for this exciting new project that will combine national-scale research with education and outreach here in Utah,” Howe said. “And, I am excited to be partnering with Mark Lee Koven, assistant professor in the School of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education, and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art’s Mobile Art Truck on participatory public outreach activities that integrate science, art and geographic education here in Utah.”
Howe’s research focuses on the interaction of human perception and cognition and natural hazards. The award will enable Howe to collect survey data on public perceptions, attitudes and behaviors relevant to climate adaptation at the national level, and he will use this information to build spatial models and visualization tools to map how the public is responding to climate challenges across the country.
“Adapting to our changing climate involves decisions by individuals and stakeholders across the country at the local level, and we will be developing new tools to understand and map how people perceive and respond to this changing landscape of climate risks,” Howe said.
Dean Chris Luecke indicated that Howe is very deserving of this award.
“Peter’s research has changed the way we understand and interpret at both national and local levels,” Luecke said. “His results have forced us to rethink our understanding of the impact of climate change on the everyday lives of all of us.”
Prior to joining USU, Howe worked as a postdoctoral associate with the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He received his doctorate in geography from Pennsylvania State University in 2012. He also holds a master’s in geography from Pennsylvania State, and a bachelor’s in political science and bachelor’s in geography from Arizona State University.
Related Links:
S.J. & Jesse E. Quinney College of Natural Resources
Utah State University Department of Environment & Society
Contact: Peter Howe, 435-797-9457, peter.howe@usu.edu
Public Information Officer: Traci Hillyard, 435-797-2452, traci.hillyard@usu.edu
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