Ashley Cate Email & Phone Number

I'm currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at UW-Madison, where I also completed my MS in 2021. My research focuses on the expansion and adoption of broadband across rural communities and how broadband use is associated with trust in and risk perceptions of technologies. I have a particular interest in the integration of broadband and technology use in agriculture. Additionally, I am interested in how current state- and federal-level broadband expansion programs are benefiting rural and agricultural communities.Before attending graduate school, I held numerous internships and job positions within animal agriculture, specifically relating to dairy research and agricultural communications. I grew up in a dairy farming family in New Hampshire, and showing my dairy heifers in 4-H opened my eyes to the reality that much of the general public is eager to know more about where their food comes from and how it is made. I plan to use my knowledge and expertise gained from my working experience and education to understand and improve agricultural relations with the general public.