Margaret Orr

Margaret Orr

Margaret Orr

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Climate Change Communication, Misinformation/Debunking, Climate Literacy, Research-to-Practice

Margaret is a doctoral candidate in the GMU Department of Communication, where she focuses on climate change communication and is involved with the Center for Climate Change Communication (4C). 

Margaret received a B.S. in Meteorology & Climatology with a minor in French from the University of Delaware in 2018, and an M.S. in Geography from the University of Georgia in 2020, where her research focused on climate change psychology. She is very involved in the American Meteorological Society and is the incoming chair for the newly-formed Board of Student Affairs.

Outside of her professional life, Margaret is an ice dancer and also enjoys ballet, ballroom, and tap dance, reading, and being outdoors in any setting from the beach to the mountains. 

Selected Publications

Maibach, E. W., Uppalapati, S. S., Orr, M., & Thaker, J. (2023). Harnessing the Power of Communication and Behavior Science to Enhance Society’s Response to Climate Change. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-031621-114417

Cook J, Ecker UKH, Trecek-King M, Schade G, Jeffers-Tracy K, et al. 2022. The Cranky Uncle game—Combining humor and gamification to build student resilience against climate misinformation. Environ. Educ. Res. 0(0):1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2085671

Orr, M.; Stewart, A.; Grundstein, A. Investigating Connections between Need for Cognitive Closure and Climate Change Concern in College Students. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 5619.

Orr, M., Veron, D. E., & Rogers, M. J. (2021). Communicating about Climate Change through AMS Student Chapter Activities. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 102(2), 157-162. doi:10.1175/bams-d-18-0245.1

Courses Taught

COMM101 - Fundamentals of Communication

COMM200 - Communication Theory

COMM433 - Environmental Communication

COMM400 - Research Methods in Communication

Education

B.S. Meteorology & Climatology, Minor in French: University of Delaware

M.S. Geography: University of Georgia

Recent Presentations

M. Orr. (2023, January 12). Rules of Engagement: Moderating and Debunking Misinformation about Climate Change on Social Media. Presented at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society, Denver, CO.

In the Media

Pattrn (The Weather Channel) (March 30, 2023)