Communication and Media Faculty

Adam M. Rainear (Ph.D., University of Connecticut, 2019) is an Associate Professor of Media and Culture and the Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Communication & Media, at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He presently serves on the shared governance team as the Co-Chair of Graduate Council. His research utilizes technology – such as social media, robotics, and artificial intelligence - to understand how individuals access information and communicate about risks such as weather, climate, and environmental hazards. He is the co-editor of Evolving Journalism Research Methods: Applications, Trends, Analyses, published in the Routledge Research in Journalism Series. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for Weather, Climate, and Society, in addition to being a member of the editorial board for Communication Studies and the Journal of International Crisis & Risk Communication Research. He teaches courses in media campaigns & literacy, digital production, and First Year Experience, in addition to having founded the Emerging Technology Living Learning Community.

Selected Publications

Rainear, A.M. (2026). Forecasting different disasters. In Juran, L & Paul, B. (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Disaster Mitigation & Preparedness. Routledge. 

Rourke, B. L., Houston, B. J., Rainear, A., & Czajkowski, J. (2026). Communicating to motivate preparedness: Enhancing earthquake resilience in low-frequency, high-risk zones. Crisis and Risk Communication, 2(1), 17–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/29986907.2025.2607354

Pantazes, T., & Rainear, A. M. (2026). A Chronicle Inside Higher Ed: Framing Artificial Intelligence Coverage in Two Major Higher Education Publications. In Luttrell, R., & Bowman, N.D. (Eds.), Provoking Generative AI Futures: Merging Theory and Praxis. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003487623

Roemmele C.R., & Rainear, A.M. (2025). The Science and Media Connection: Developing a Product-based Course for Connecting Physical and Social Science Students. Journal of College Science Teaching, 1-7. DOI: 10.1080/0047231X.2025.2520789

Boyle, M.P., & Rainear, A.M. (Eds.). (2025). Evolving Journalism Research Methods: Applications, Trends, Analyses (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032621548

Rainear, A.M., & Lachlan, K.A. (2023). The Station Scientist: Examining the Impact of Race and Sex of Broadcast Meteorologists on Credibility, Trust, and Information Retention. Frontiers in Communication. DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2022.1052277

Rainear, A.M. & Christensen, J.L. (2022). Examining Pre-Existing Environmental Beliefs: Using a PSA to Investigate the Role of Self-Efficacy and Response Efficacy on Behavioral Intentions. Communication Studies. 73:2, 151-170, DOI: 10.1080/10510974.2022.2026426

Rainear, A.M., Jin, X., Edwards, A., Edwards, C., & Spence, P.R. (2021). A Robot, Meteorologist, and Amateur Forecaster Walk into a Bar: A Qualitative Exploration of a Weather Forecast Delivered via Social Robot. Communication Studies. 72:6, 1129-1145. DOI: 10.1080/10510974.2021.2011361

Rainear, A. M., Lachlan, K., & Xu, Z. (2021). Storms of a feather tweet together: An exploratory study examining Houston-area emergency management communication on Twitter in Hurricane Harvey. Journal of Emergency Management (Weston, Mass.), 20(1), 53-60. DOI: 10.5055/jem.0685

Spence, P.R., Edwards, C., Edwards, A., Rainear, A.M., & Jin, X. (2021). “They’re Always Wrong Anyway”: Exploring Differences of Credibility, Attraction, and Behavioral Intentions in Professional, Amateur, and Robotic-delivered Weather Forecasts. Communication Quarterly. 69:1, 67-86.

Rainear, A.M., & Lin, C.A. (2021). Communication Factors Influencing Flood-Risk Mitigation, Motivation, and Intention Among College Students. Weather, Climate, and Society. 13(1), 125-135. DOI: 10.1175/WCAS-D-20-0016.1

Xu, Z., Lachlan, K.A., Ellis, L., & Rainear, A.M. (2019). Understanding Public Opinion in Different Disaster Stages: A Case Study of Hurricane Irma. Internet Research. Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 695-709. DOI: 10.1108/INTR-12-2018-0517

Rainear, A.M., Lachlan, K.A., Oeldorf-Hirsch, A., & DeVoss, C.L. (2018). Tweeting in the Face of Uncertainty: Examining Content of State Emergency Management During Hurricane Joaquin. Communication Research Reports. 35:4, 325-334, DOI:10.1080/08824096.2018.1503945

Rainear, A.M., Lachlan, K.A., & Lin, C.A. (2017). What's in a #Name? An Experimental Study Examining Perceived Credibility and Impact of Winter Storm Names. Weather, Climate, & Society, 9(4), 815-822. DOI: 10.1175/WCAS-D-16-0037.1

Rainear, A.M., & Christensen, J.L. (2017). Protection Motivation Theory as an Explanatory Framework for Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions. Communication Research Reports, 34:3, 239-248. DOI: 10.1080/08824096.2017.1286472

Spence, P.R., Lachlan, K.A., & Rainear, A.M. (2016). Social media and crisis research: Data collection and directions. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 667–672. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.045

Courses Taught

First-Year Experience (Exploratory Studies), FYE 100
Public Speaking, SPK 208
Introduction to Video Production, MDC 217
Media Writing for Broadcast and Public Relations, MDC 252
Media Literacy, MDC 253
Media and Culture, MDC 254
The Science & Media Connection, MDC/COM/ESS 365/565
Media Campaigns, MDC 423
Strategic Media Content, COM 561
First-Year Experience (Exploratory Studies), FYE 100

Recent Media Coverage

Featured in "This El Niño is shocking. But is it a 'super' event? USA Today, August 22, 2026.
Featured in "Sesame Street Has A New Extreme Weather Episode. Here's What Climate Experts Think" Time. August 5, 2026.
Featured in “‘Deadliest in generations’: The Texas floods are the latest in a disturbing pattern”  Yale Climate Connections. August 27, 2025.
Featured in “How Does a Wildfire Get Its Name? It’s Up to Local Responders” Bloomberg. January 25, 2025.
Featured on “Recap of the University of Akron NEXT Conference” and “Strategies for Teaching in Large Lecture Settings” ODLI on Air. January 2022 & January 2024.
Featured in “Heat waves are becoming more common, should we change their definition?” (Page A1) The Press of Atlantic City. August 29, 2021.
Featured in “Plan to protect NJ from rising seas calls for massive flood gates and home raising.” (Page A1) The Press of Atlantic City. August 20, 2021.
Featured in “24 weather advisories to be discontinued by the National Weather Service.” The Press of Atlantic City. March 15, 2021.
Research featured in “Heat wave ‘Hugo?’ New coalition seeks to name hot weather like hurricanes.” The Washington Post, Capital Weather Gang. August 6, 2020.
Featured in “A storm with a name makes people more aware of danger - Is this correct” de Volkskrant (Dutch-language). February 28, 2020.
Featured on “Hurricane Messaging” Something in the Air Podcast. October 15, 2019.
Quoted in “Farmers' Almanac calls for 'Polar coaster' winter. Will it happen?” (Page A1) The Press of Atlantic City. August 30, 2019.

Professional Memberships

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Central States Communication Association (CSCA)
National Communication Association (NCA) 
International Communication Association (ICA)
American Meteorological Society (AMS)