Kassi Burnett, a doctoral student in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, was raised by a family of coal miners and steel mill workers in St. Clairsville in rural Ohio. That upbringing stirred her interest in environmental humanities and ecocriticism, the interdisciplinary study of literature and the environment.

Seeking shared knowledge and conversation with scholars from around the globe, Burnett attended the Trans-Atlantic Summer Institute on “Transforming Environments in Europe and North America: Narratives, Histories, Cultures,” at the University of Minnesota in June.

“In my hometown, people are more likely to smoke, less likely to know about pollution and environmental hazards and far less likely to live as long other Americans,” Burnett said.

Seeing firsthand the impacts these differences have had on my family members has really pushed me to think about the narratives we tell about our environment and how we can, should and do interact with it.”

At the June 18-29, 2018, institute, experts from across North America and Europe addressed global environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, toxic pollution and resource depletion, as well as discussed the cultures that characterize these problems. Burnett interacted with scholars and received guidance for framing and developing her environmental humanities dissertation.

“I think one of the greatest takeaways from the institute was learning what brings people together in the environmental humanities,” says Burnett. “Even though we all come from different angles, we share concerns about the environment and its beings.”

Following the completion of her doctorate, Burnett plans to pursue a career in academia and ecocriticism. She received funding from Ohio State's Office of Energy and Environment for her trip.

This article was originally published by the Office of Energy and Environment as part of a series featuring the many students who receive OEE travel funding.