My name is Castle Williamsberg (formerly Williams) and I received a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Georgia. My research interests lie at the intersection of risk communication, societal impacts, and meteorology. Specifically, my research examines how meteorologists communicate weather information and hazards to members of the public. I completed my Ph.D.  in Summer 2020. However, I also hold an M.S. degree in geography and B.S. degrees in atmospheric sciences, geography, and psychology from the University of Georgia. 

My dissertation explored the role that visual design plays in keeping a weather-related message ‘consistent.’ In other words, my dissertation asked: if all weather sources use the same forecast, but entirely different visual designs, does this change the consistency of the message? To explore this provocative question, I proposed the first empirical examination of ‘message consistency’ in the weather enterprise and seeks to evaluate the importance of having a ‘consistent’ visual design when communicating weather-related risk, uncertainty, and probabilistic information. This research project is being funded by NOAA’s Office of Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ) through their Joint Technology Transfer Initiative (JTTI).

In 2015, I was the recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. This three year research fellowship was awarded to him to explore the communication challenges that accompany conveying the risks of children being forgotten in hot cars to parents and caregivers. Not only that, but during his tenure, he also participated in the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Internship Program (GRIP) where he worked alongside social and physical scientists at NWS Headquarters on the Hazard Simplification Project. This unique opportunity provided experience and insight on navigating the researcher/practitioner partnership. This partnership, while challenging to balance at times, was extremely influential on Castle’s research interests and continues to drive his passion for tackling operational problems in the weather community. For examples of my Research Statement, Personal Statement, and tips/tricks when applying for the GRFP, please see this link. 

My broad research interests include Risk Communication, Societal Impacts, and Weather Communication. My goal is to continue bridging the gap between the social sciences and atmospheric science field in order to more effectively communicate weather-related risks to the public.