Robert Prestley

Assoc Scientist III

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Bio

Robert Prestley (he/him/his) is an Associate Scientist III in the Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology Lab (MMM) at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO. He received his Master's degree in Communication from the University of Kentucky in 2019, and his B.S. in meteorology from The Pennsylvania State University in 2017.

His research explores the roles of authoritative sources of weather information, such as the National Weather Service, broadcast meteorologists, and emergency managers, in the information and communication system during weather disasters. In particular, he focuses on how authoritative sources use imagery, especially on social media networks, to engage at-risk members of the public and promote protective action taking when hazardous weather strikes.

Robert is also a member of the leadership group for the True Colors Employee Resource Group, which supports LGBTQ+ staff at UCAR/NCAR.

Publications

Prestley, R., Olson, M. K., Vos, S. C., & Sutton, J. (2020). Machines, monsters, and coffin corners: Broadcast meteorologists’ use of figurative and intense language during Hurricane Harvey. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 101(8), E1329-E1339. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0205.1.

Sutton, J., Renshaw, S. L., Vos, S. C., Olson, M. K., Prestley, R., Gibson, C. B., & Butts, C. T. (2019). Getting the word out, rain or shine: The impact of message features and hazard context on message passing online. Weather, Climate, & Society, 11, 763-776. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-19-0021.1.

Olson, M. K., Sutton, J., Vos, S. C., Prestley, R., Renshaw, S. L., & Butts, C. T. (2019). Build community before the storm: The National Weather Service’s social media engagement. Journal of Contingencies & Crisis Management, 27(4), 359-373. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12267.

Publications and Presentations (5)
Title	Source	Date
Information dissemination, diffusion, and response during Hurricane Harvey: Analysis of evolving forecast and warning imagery posted online	Natural Hazards Review	2024-08-01
Contextualizing disaster phases using social media data: Hurricane risk visualizations during the forecast and warning phase of Hurricane Irma	Weather, Climate, and Society	2023-10-01
Machines, monsters, and coffin corners: Broadcast meteorologistsâ€™ use of figurative and intense language during Hurricane Harvey	Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society	2020-08-01
Build community before the storm: The National Weather Service's social media engagement	Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management	2019-12-01
Getting the word out, rain or shine: The impact of message features and hazard context on message passing online	Weather, Climate, and Society	2019-10-01

Curriculum Vitae

Prestley_CV_20230709.docx

Education

Degree	School Name	Country	Field of Study
BS	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	United States of America	Meteorology
MA	University of Kentucky	United States of America	Communications

Links

Personal portfolio: robertprestley.weebly.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-prestley/

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Mv9SjcUAAAAJ&hl=en

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