Participation Type
Discussion
Session Title
Session 2.16 Natural Sciences and Activism
Presentation #1 Title
Academia/Activism: A Dialogue
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The relationship between academia and activism has been a primary concern of the work of the Appalachian Studies Association since its founding. This roundtable will examine this tension through a dialogue with academic researchers, community activists, and legal advocates. Participants will explore how academic research in applied and social sciences can further grassroots and policy change in the region. What are the barriers, challenges and incentives to cultivating this kind of research? How can researchers and institutions partner with organizers to examine urgent regional issues? What political and academic pressures inhibit this kind of work? Roundtable participants will include Dr. Alice Jones, Professor of Geography and Geology at Eastern Kentucky University; environmental lawyer Mary Cromer of the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center; coalfields activist and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth member Elizabeth Sanders; and Dr. Sarah Carmichael, Assistant Professor of Geology at Appalachian State University. The session will encourage participation from all attendees to create a robust dialogue on the issue.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Mary Cromer is the staff environmental attorney at the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center in Whitesburg, KY. Mary received her JD from Washington & Lee University School of Law. Prior to joining ACLC, Mary clerked for the Honorable Glen Conrad of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia and worked as an Associate Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Dr. Sarah Carmichael is an Assistant Professor of Geology at Appalachian State University. She is a geochemist whose research involves water-rock reactions and mineralization in sedimentary and volcanic rocks in both ancient and modern environments, as well as microbially mediated reactions at the earth's surface. In addition, she co-teaches a class on the social, geologic, and environmental history of the Appalachian coalfields, addressing the underlying geologic, economic and social causes of environmental issues associated with coal mining and natural gas extraction.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Elizabeth Sanders is an activist and community organizer raised in eastern Kentucky. She is committed to building stronger and healthier communities so young people in the region have the option to stay and make good lives in the places they call home. She is a member of the STAY (Stay Together Appalachian Youth) Network and provides leadership and service through WMMT 88.7 FM, Central Appalachian Prisoner Support Network, and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Dr. Alice Jones, Professor of Geography & Geology, is the director of the Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute (www.eri.eku.edu), where she coordinates the Institute's interdisciplinary and multi-institutional research and outreach approach to understanding eastern Kentucky's ecosystems. Her research interests include environmental planning, urban and regional sustainability, and citizen participation in environmental policymaking.
Academia/Activism: A Dialogue
Corbly Hall 117
The relationship between academia and activism has been a primary concern of the work of the Appalachian Studies Association since its founding. This roundtable will examine this tension through a dialogue with academic researchers, community activists, and legal advocates. Participants will explore how academic research in applied and social sciences can further grassroots and policy change in the region. What are the barriers, challenges and incentives to cultivating this kind of research? How can researchers and institutions partner with organizers to examine urgent regional issues? What political and academic pressures inhibit this kind of work? Roundtable participants will include Dr. Alice Jones, Professor of Geography and Geology at Eastern Kentucky University; environmental lawyer Mary Cromer of the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center; coalfields activist and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth member Elizabeth Sanders; and Dr. Sarah Carmichael, Assistant Professor of Geology at Appalachian State University. The session will encourage participation from all attendees to create a robust dialogue on the issue.
