Creative Writing major Greg Dille has been awarded a CHaSS summer mentorship grant to examine how fiction responds to controversial land use policies associated with natural resource removal. “I worked in the oil and gas industry after graduating high school in 2005 until 2022,” says Greg, “and after witnessing years of environmental destruction in the name of natural resource removal, I decided to end my career in the energy industry and pursue my passion for reading and writing.” In addition to conducting site visits in both West Virginia and Utah, Greg will write a piece of fiction that responds to the environmental impacts of natural resource removal on small, rural communities. “It’s a great project,” says Assistant Professor Amber Caron, Greg’s summer research mentor, “and I’m thrilled to be working with him on this."
