john e. ross professor
department of life sciences communication
college of agricultural & life sciences
university of wisconsin-madison

affiliate appointments
advanced materials industrial consortium, center for european studies, digital studies cluster, eye research institute, robert f. and jean e. holtz center for science and technology studies


education
b.a., johannes gutenberg-
universität mainz
publizistik (nebenfächer:
politikwissenschaft, betriebswirtschaftslehre)

m.a., university of
wisconsin-madison
journalism & mass communication

ph.d., university of
wisconsin-madison
mass communications
(ph.d. minor in political science)
 

 
dietram a. scheufele


(Summer 2012: DAAD Visiting Professor at the Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany)

short bio

Dietram A. Scheufele holds the John E. Ross Chair in Science Communication at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is Co-PI of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University. He has published over 130 peer-refereed articles, book chapters and monographs dealing with public opinion on emerging technologies and the social effects of mass communication. His most recent work focuses on the role that social media and other emerging modes of communication play in our society.

He currently co-chairs the National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists, a joint committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Bar Association, and is a former member of the Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group to the U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Scheufele has been a tenured faculty member at Cornell University and a Shorenstein fellow at Harvard University. His consulting experience includes work for PBS, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and other corporate and public sector clients in China, Malaysia, the U.A.E., and the U.S.

 

research

Scheufele has published extensively in the areas of public opinion, political communication, and public attitudes toward emerging technologies, including nanotechnology, stem cell research, (nuclear) energy, and GMOs.

His work has been supported by multi-year grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy and other funding agencies, and is cited widely across disciplines.

His article on Framing as a theory of media effects, for instance, is identified by Thomson Reuters Web of Science as the most frequently cited article in Journal of Communication since 1999 and by Microsoft Academic Search as one of the 10 most cited articles ever in the communication discipline.

 

academic honors

Scheufele is one of only two mass communication scholars to have won both early career awards in the discipline, the Young Scholar Award for outstanding early career research from the International Communication Association, and the Hillier Krieghbaum Under-40 Award for outstanding achievement in teaching, research and public service from the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication.

Scheufele's scholarship and teaching has also been recognized with the Robert M. Worcester Award and the Naomi C. Turner Prize from the World Association for Public Opinion Research, the Pound Research Award from the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, the Young Faculty Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, and various other research and teaching awards. He is also a past fellow of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD).

 

academic service

Scheufele is a member of the editorial boards of Communication Methods and Measures, Communication Research, Communication Studies, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Mass Communication & Society, Political Communication, and Studies in Communication | Media.

He is past President of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research, and has served on committees and advisory boards for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Political Science Association, the International Communication Association, the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication, and numerous other organizations.

 

  

contact information

Department of
Life Sciences Communication
University of Wisconsin–Madison
309 Hiram Smith Hall (map)
1545 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1215

(v) +1.608.262.1614
(f) +1.608.265.3042
E-mail: scheufele at wisc.edu

Google Plus: +dietram
Facebook: facebook.com/dietram
Twitter: @dietram

 

office hours

During the academic year, click here to schedule an appointment through Google Calendar.

 

what's new

(Click here for current C.V.)

may 21-22, 2012: National Academy of Sciences Sackler Colloquium on "The Science of Science Communication"

april 12, 2012: Discussion with WPR's Joy Cardin about our new results relating to misperceptions and polarization in U.S politics

april 10, 2012: New online column in The Scientist with Andrew R. Binder and Dominique Brossard, cautioning against the use of public meetings and consensus conferences for policy making

april 8, 2012: New article in New Media and Society with Michael Cacciatore and colleagues comparing media coverage of emerging technologies across traditional and online news environments

march 20, 2012: Talk on science-public disconnects at the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences Arts & Letters Council meeting.

february 28, 2012: Online-first version of new article with Shirley Ho and Elizbeth A. Corley in Public Understanding of Science, exploring the influence of mass and interpersonal communication on risk perceptions

february 19, 2012: Online-first version of new article in Nano Today on "what Google searches really tell us about emerging technologies," lead-authored by Xuan Liang and Ashley A. Anderson

january 18, 2012: Online-first version of new article in Science and Public Policy with Youngjae Kim and ELizabeth Corley, clustering U.S. nanoscientists based on their regulatory policy stances

january 9, 2012: New article with Kang Namkoong and Timothy Fung in Mass Communication & Society, explaining the role that emotional reponses toward candidates play in mobilizing voters

december 28, 2011: New article in Research Evaluation with Jan Youtie et al. on the links between scientists' views on the social implications of nanotechnology and the academic areas in which they publish

december 4, 2011: Online draft of forthcoming Communication Yearbook chapter with Matthew C. Nisbet on Social media, contextualized news, and the future of political journalism

november 28, 2011: CSPO lunchtime talk on the political dynamics surrounding emerging technologies in the U.S., co-sponsored by the School of Politics and Global Studies and the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, Arizona State University

november 15, 2011: New article in Communication Research with Anthony Dudo et al., on TV's influences on public attitudes toward science in modern media environments

november 4, 2011: New study on scientists' willingness to engage with media and the public available as open-access download at Journal of Nanoparticle Research

october 21, 2011: Talk on "The nanotech consumer" at Rutgers conference on Understanding Consumer Acceptance of Food Nanotechnology

october 19, 2011: Online first version of new article with Michael Xenos and colleagues on the motivations for online learning about science

september 25, 2011: Talk on "Emerging Technologies after 9/11" for Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts & Letters

(Click here for the Vimeo version.)

september 10, 2011: Online first version of new article with Ashley Anderson and colleagues on trust in scientists as sources of information about emerging technologies.

july 28, 2011: Online draft of new chapter with Shanto Iyengar on "New directions for framing research" for forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Political Communication Theories.

july 27, 2011: New article with Eunkyung Kim and Jeong Yeob Han in Mass Communication & Society on differentially stronger mobilization effects of discussion among citizens who are willing to express divergent opinions.

july 25, 2011: New column for DAAD Länderprofile comparing the academic systems in Germany and the U.S.

july 23, 2011: Online-first version of new article with Pete Ladwig et al. in Science and Public Policy, examining the problems connected to using self-reported familiarity as a proxy measure of scientific literacy.

july 21, 2011: New article with Sei-Hill Kim et al. in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly on the impact of news media on informed issue evaluations among voters.

june 16, 2011: New article in Science Communication with Shirley Ho and Elizabeth Corley comparing the factors influencing public and experts' attitudes toward nanotechnology.

june 10, 2011: New article in Nanotoxicology with David Berube et al. on expert assessments of nano particles and how to classify them for regulatory purposes.

may 19, 2011: New article with Michael Cacciatore and Elizabeth Corley in Public Understanding of Science on how mental associations with new technologies shape risk perceptions and attitudes among lay audiences.

may 13, 2011: New article in Mass Communication & Society with Shirley Ho et al. on the consequences of media bias perceptions.

april 18, 2011: Online-first version of new article with Amy Bree Becker in SSQ on what shapes attitudes toward gay marriage among different age groups.

march 4, 2011: Panelist at Civility & Democracy in America Conference, organized by WSU's Foley Institute for Public Policy & Public Service.

feruary 23, 2011: New article in Risk Analysis with Andy Binder et al. on (interpersonal) amplification of risk perceptions.

february 1, 2011: Working paper for Harvard's Shorenstein Center Paper Series on the sense and nonsense of public meetings as tools for science policy making.

january 20, 2011: Op-Ed in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on pretested political rhetoric and America's fear of political complexity.

january 12, 2011: Online-first version of new article in Communication Research with Andrew R. Binder on the methodological challenges of tapping risk and benefits perceptions in surveys.

 

recent publications
and columns

Kim, Y., Corley, E. A., & Scheufele, D. A. (2012). Classifying US nano-scientists: Of cautious innovators, regulators, and technology optimists. Science and Public Policy, 39(1), 30-38. doi: 10.3152/030234212x13113405157822

Liang, X., Anderson, A. A., Scheufele, D. A., Brossard, D., Xenos, M. A. (2012). Information snapshots: What Google searches really tell us about emerging technologies. Nano Today, 7, 72-75. doi: 10.1016/j.nantod.2012.01.001

Namkoong, K., Fung, T. K. F., & Scheufele, D. A. (2012). The politics of emotion: News media attention, emotional responses, and participation during the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. Mass Communication and Society, 15(1), 25-45. doi: 10.1080/15205436.2011.563894

Youtie, J., Carley, S., Shapira, P., Corley, E. A., & Scheufele, D. A. (2011). Perceptions and actions: Relationships of views on risk with citation actions of nanotechnology scientists. Research Evaluation, 20(5), 377-388. doi: 10.3152/095820211x13176484436014

Scheufele, D. A. (2011). Perspective: Public attitudes toward nanotechnology. In Susanna Hornig Priest (Ed.), Nanotechnology: Public perception and risk communication (pp. 71-78). New York: Taylor and Francis.

Xenos, M. A., Becker, A. B., Anderson, A. A., Brossard, D., Scheufele, D. A. (2011). Stimulating upstream engagement: An experimental study of nanotechnology information seeking. Social Science Quarterly, 92(5), 1191-1214. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2011.00814.x

Dudo, A. D., Brossard, D., Shanahan, J. E., Scheufele, D. A., Morgan, M., & Signorelli, N. (2011). Science on television in the 21st century: Recent trends in portrayals and their contributions to public attitudes toward science. Communication Research, 38(6), 754-777. doi: 10.1177/0093650210384988

Kim, E., Scheufele, D. A., & Han, J. Y. (2011). Structure or predisposition? Exploring the interaction effect of discussion orientation and discussion heterogeneity on political participation. Mass Communication & Society, 14(4), 502-526. doi: 10.1080/15205436.2010.51346

Kim, S.-H., Scheufele, D. A., Shanahan, J., & Choi, D.-H. (2011). Deliberation in spite of controversy? News media and the public’s evaluation of a controversial issue in South Korea. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 88(2), 320-336.

Ho, S. S., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. (2011). Value predispositions, mass media, and attitudes toward nanotechnology: The interplay of public and experts. Science Communication, 33(2), 167-200. doi: 10.1177/1075547010380386

Berube, D., Cummings, C., Cacciatore, M., Scheufele, D. A., & Kalin, J. (2011). Characteristics and classification of nanoparticles: Expert Delphi survey. Nanotoxicology, 5(2), 236-243. doi: 10.3109/17435390.2010.521633

Cacciatore, M. A., Scheufele, D. A., & Corley, E. A. (2011). From enabling technology to applications: The evolution of risk perceptions about nanotechnology. Public Understanding of Science, 20(3), 385-404. doi: 10.1177/0963662509347815

Becker, A. B., & Scheufele, D. A. (2011). New voters, new outlook? Predispositions, social networks, and the changing politics of gay civil rights. Social Science Quarterly, 92(2), 324-345. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2011.00771.x

Binder, A. R., Scheufele, D. A., Brossard, D., & Gunther, A. C. (2011). Interpersonal amplification of risk? Citizen discussions and their impact on perceptions of risks and benefits of a biological research facility. Risk Analysis, 31(2), 324-334. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2010.01516.x

Dudo, A. D., Dunwoody, S., & Scheufele, D. A. (2011). The emergence of nano news: Tracking thematic trends and changes in U.S. newspaper coverage of nanotechnology. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 88(1), 55-75.

Scheufele, D. A. (2011). Modern citizenship or policy dead end? Evaluating the need for public participation in science policy making, and why public meetings may not be the answer. Paper #R-34, Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy Research Paper Series. Harvard University. Cambridge, MA.

Scheufele, D. A. (2011, January 20). Our nation's fear of political complexity,Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Dudo, A., Choi, D.-H., & Scheufele, D. A. (2011). Food nanotechnology in the news. Coverage patterns and thematic emphases during the last decade. Appetite, 56(1), 78-89. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.11.143

 

select talks and interviews

Wisconsin Public Television, University Place - Public Perceptions if Nanotechnology

The National Academies, Space Studies Board – The "science" of communicating science and technology

Wisconsin Public Radio: The Joy Cardin Show – Trends in social media and communication technology (Listen to an MP3 recording here).

Materials Today podcast with James Williams - February 15, 2010.
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