Alexandra Benitez

Alexandra Benitez Gonzalez is a Puerto Rican environmental social scientist and Ph.D. student in Science Communication at Michigan State University (MSU). Her academic and personal journey—from working with agricultural communities in western Puerto Rico to leading community-based research in the Great Lakes—reflects a deep commitment to environmental justice and inclusive science communication.

While earning her B.S. in Environmental Science at the University of Puerto Rico, Alexandra worked on public health initiatives, including pesticide safety training for agricultural workers and interviews with pregnant women during the Zika outbreak. And worked as a part-time high school teacher offering electives such as public speaking and drama. These early experiences sparked her passion for developing communication strategies that resonate with non-scientific, Spanish-speaking, and historically marginalized audiences.

In 2020, she moved to Michigan to pursue a Master’s in Fisheries and Wildlife, where she partnered with Michigan Sea Grant on a project exploring how people perceive health risks from harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Erie, Detroit, and inland lakes. Grounded in the Social Amplification of Risk Framework and the Theory of Planned Behavior, her work emphasized community-engaged methods—attending local events, visiting libraries, and having a dialogue with diverse community members. Her work included a two-phase study: first, conducting interviews with vulnerable lake users, and then testing two health advisory fact sheets—one emotionally framed, one cognitively framed—to measure their impact on public risk perception. The findings revealed that emotional messaging (co-created content) was more effective in raising awareness, underscoring the need for accessible, tailored, and culturally sensitive communication tools.

The project revealed a critical gap between scientific information and public understanding, especially among vulnerable communities. This insight led Alexandra to pursue a Ph.D. focused on helping scientists communicate more effectively and equitably.

Today, her work centers on amplifying underrepresented voices in science and designing strategies that help scientists and communities engage with environmental issues that directly affect public health and everyday life.