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)