During the initial meeting with Dr Olivia Jensen, IPUR Lead Scientist (Environment and Climate), my fellow interns and I discussed which areas of research we were most interested in. Through this discussion, I was assigned to write a case study which highlighted the importance of risk communication. As a psychology research intern and political science major at UCLA, Dr Jensen’s idea to research the risk communication within the HPV Vaccine Crisis in Japan piqued my interest. I spent a large part of my time at IPUR researching and writing up this case study and I discovered a new passion of mine that lies in literary research.

Another project I was involved in was centred around the implementation of AI within the Bangladesh maternal health sector. I helped conduct the initial literature review to assess the current environment and capacities within Bangladesh. I helped identify relevant stakeholders to the project and compiled a list of potential interviewee candidates. I later interviewed some of these stakeholders to gain better insight into the current conditions and challenges that exist in maternal health in Bangladesh.

Dr Jensen trusted me to lead many of these interviews and my confidence in my interpersonal skills grew exponentially throughout this project. The IPUR office is made up of a diverse workforce and new ideas are cultivated through the synthesis of various cultures and ways of thinking. I really enjoyed meeting all of my colleagues and fellow interns who hailed from differing backgrounds and could bring different skills and perspectives to each project. I felt very welcomed in the IPUR office and all of the employees were extremely supportive. Dr Jensen was a phenomenal supervisor who encouraged initiative and leadership, while also providing support in areas that were novel to me.

The focus of my university studies is on risk analysis. However, I learned that many of the dangers that arise from risks are not from the risk itself but rather from ineffective risk communication between experts and the public. This was evident in my case study in Japan that highlighted how the overreaction to a risk by the government led to vaccine hesitancy that endangers the Japanese female population to this day.

Risk communication is crucial to the current environment in the world, with climate change, pandemics, financial instability and many other crises threatening global stability. IPUR is a leading institute in risk communication and the work done at the institute holds relevance to every single person, irrespective of political, economic and social identity.