Catherine J Bruns

I am a PhD candidate in Communication Studies at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UMN), where I study media discourses of water scarcity. I am currently a research assistant for the Center for OLDest Ice EXploration (COLDEX) and serve on the UMN Water Council, the Open Rivers Graduate Student Committee, the International Environmental Communication Association Board of Directors, and the United States Global Leadership Coalition Minnesota State Advisory Council.

I graduated cum laude from Concordia College in 2015 with a BA in Political Science and Communication Studies-Theatre Arts and a Mandarin Chinese minor. In 2017, I graduated from James Madison University with an MA in Environmental Communication and Advocacy, where my research focus came to rest on water crises related to agriculture, ice, and potable water. At JMU, I also served as Graduate Teaching Assistant to the School of Communication Studies and Graduate Forensics Coach to the JMU Speech Team. Post graduation, I was adjunct faculty in the School of Communication Studies while working a full-time professional position at a community arts nonprofit and held a one-year Lecturer position in 2018 before leaving to pursue my doctorate.

At UMN, I have taught both in-person and asynchronous classes, including a capstone environmental communication study abroad course to Costa Rica. I have also served on the Twin Cities Sustainability Committee and am a former participant in the Resilient Communities Project initiative through the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs.