Cathy Kunkel

Cathy is helping to develop Aurora Lights' Scholar-Activist Alliance, which seeks to engage students in research that is relevant and timely for community organizations working in the Appalachian coalfields.  As part of this effort, she is working on putting together workshops and doing outreach to graduate and policy students for the Appalachian Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (APIEL), a conference designed to unite activists, attorneys, students, scientists and concerned citizens working for environmental justice throughout Appalachia.  Cathy holds bachelor's and master's degrees in physics and studied energy policy at UC Berkeley before moving to West Virginia to work as the Sustainable Energy Program Coordinator for Coal River Mountain Watch.  In her nonexistent spare time, she enjoys backpacking, photography, and playing her violin.