Allison Doverspike is a sophomore Honors student studying biology/pre-optometry with a minor in medical ethics. Recently, she delved into an issue close to her for a research project in the Northeast Regional Honors Council’s undergraduate journal, Illuminate. The issue she discusses in her paper is “Coal’s Influence on the Appalachian Region of America.” Doverspike has a connection to this topic as she is from Punxsutawney, PA, a small, rural coal-mining town, where her grandfather operated a successful coal company and where her father currently manages their family’s natural gas company. Doverspike’s family’s history in the coal industry made her work on this research project personal.

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Doverspike divides her topic into three main areas; the first being the impact on the region’s economic and political scenes, the second being coal’s impact on social views in Appalachia, and the third being the environmental risks of coal. The paper she presents covers a large range of categories associated with coal’s significance in Appalachia. Doverspike’s motivation for this paper derives from her connection to the issue, her passion for the environment, and her desire to help make unknown environmental issues known.

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Her paper and research will be in the 2021 edition of Illuminate, which will be released in a few weeks. Doverspike says she hopes that her paper can be used “educationally by others hoping to learn more about the truth behind coal and Appalachia.” If you’d like to read her paper, you can visit, https://www.illuminatenrhc.com/post/coal-s-influence-on-the-appalachian-region-of-america-by-allison-doverspike, and if you see Allison, be sure to congratulate her on her hard work and achievement!

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