Amber Saylor Mase

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Russell Labs Room 209   mase@wisc.edu

Research Interests

My research interests encompass a range of social science applications for understanding human behavior in terms of sustainability, particularly regarding responses to climate change. I am interested in and draw on the fields of risk perception and communication, decision-making under uncertainty, and social marketing for behavior change. I am also interested in the role of values, attitudes, and trust in willingness to accept or act on scientific information. My goal is to conduct social science research applied to real-world environmental problems, ideally leading to more sustainable and resilient policies and communities. In my current position as a Postdoctoral Research Associate on the Water Sustainability and Climate (WSC) project, I will focus on evaluating the usefulness of the WSC generated Yaharah 2070 scenarios for promoting long-term thinking and planning for change, including climate change, in the Yahara Watershed, which includes Madison.

Education

I completed my PhD in Natural Resource Social Science at Purdue University in May of 2014, and joined the WSC project in June. My dissertation research focused on understanding Midwestern U.S. farmers’ and advisors’ perspectives of climate change and how this influenced decision-making in terms of adaptation to climate change. I received my M.S. in Natural Resource Social Science, also from Purdue University, in 2010, with a focus on utilizing the principles of social marketing to understand why Purdue University students, faculty, and staff consume bottled water, and developed recommendations for a shift towards the more sustainable alternative of tap water. I completed a B.S. in Development Sociology at Cornell University.

Publications

Mase, A.S. and L.S. Prokopy. 2014. Unrealized potential: A review of perceptions and use of weather and climate information in agricultural decision making. Weather, Climate & Society, 6(1): 47-61.

Mullendore, N., A.S. Mase, K. Mulvaney, R. Perry-Hill, A. Reimer, L. Behbehani, R. Williams, and L.S. Prokopy. 2014. Conserving the eastern hellbender salamander. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 19(2): 166-178.

Reimer, A., A.S. Mase, K. Mulvaney, N. Mullendore, R. Perry-Hill, and L.S. Prokopy. In Press. The impact of information and familiarity on public attitudes toward the eastern
hellbender. Animal Conservation. (Online early)

Prokopy, L.S., T. Haigh, A.S. Mase, J. Angel, C. Hart, C. Knutson, M.C. Lemos, Y. Lo, J. McGuire, L.W. Morton, J. Perron, D.Todey, and M. Widhalm. 2013. Agricultural advisors: A receptive audience for weather and climate information? Weather, Climate & Society, 5(2): 162-167.

Arbuckle, J.G. Jr., L.S. Prokopy, T. Haigh, J. Hobbs, T. Knoot, C. Knutson, A. Loy, A.S. Mase, J. McGuire, L.W. Morton, J. Tyndall, and M. Widhalm. 2013. Climate change beliefs, concerns, and attitudes toward adaptation and mitigation among farmers in the Midwestern United States. Climatic Change, 117(4): 943-950.

Thompson, Aaron W., S. Dumyahn, L.S. Prokopy, S. Amberg, A. Baumgart-Getz, J. Jackson-Tyree, R. Perry-Hill, A. Reimer, K. Robinson, and A.S. Mase. 2013. Comparing Random Sample Q and R Methods for Understanding Natural Resource Attitudes. Field Methods, 25(1): 25-46.

Prokopy, L.S., D. Aldrich, J. Ayres, S. Amberg, A. Molloy, A. Saylor, and A. Thompson. 2012. Context Matters: The Importance of Local Culture in Community Participation. Journal of Extension.

Saylor, A., L.S. Prokopy, and S. Amberg. 2011. What’s Wrong with the Tap?: Examining Perceptions of Tap Water and Bottled Water at Purdue University. Environmental Management, 48(3): 588-601.