Matthew LaPlante

Matthew LaPlante is an Associate Professor of Journalistic Writing at Utah State University's Department of Journalism and Communication, holding a PhD in Climate Science (2024) and MS in Education. His interdisciplinary research bridges climate science, extreme weather prediction, and science communication methodologies.

Research interests focus on:

• Climate variability and extreme weather forecasting
• Science communication frameworks
• Environmental risk communication
• Online pedagogy and asynchronous learning
• Interdisciplinary research methodologies

His publication record demonstrates strong integration of climate science (60%) and communication studies (40%). Recent works emphasize predictive modeling of climate extremes, science journalism pedagogy, and hydrological risk communication. Climate-focused articles primarily examine atmospheric patterns influencing wildfires (35%), drought mechanisms (25%), and precipitation modeling (20%), while communication studies explore pedagogical innovations (50%) and risk messaging (50%).

LaPlante has received numerous prestigious awards including the Kavli Award for Science Journalism (2015), American Society of Journalists and Authors Award (2020), and Nautilus Book Award (2017). He teaches courses in feature writing, science communication, and crisis reporting, and previously served as adjunct faculty at Baylor Law School.