WKU Geography Students Head
West On Summer Field Trip

May 13, 2003

Bowling Green, Ky. - Eight students and two faculty members from Western Kentucky University’s Department of Geography and Geology left Monday for a three-week field trip to Denver and the Mountain West.

The summer field course experience is designed to introduce students to the physical and cultural landscapes of the American West. Participating are students majoring in geography, physical education, political science and English.

"Our summer field courses, whether overseas with the Australia Program last summer or in North America this summer, are designed to introduce students to the diversity and complexity of the natural and cultural environments," said Dr. David Keeling, Head of the Geography and Geology Department.

"Students participating in our field programs learn about human impacts on the physical and cultural landscape directly, and they focus on how science can shape environmental management practices."

Students making the trip are Cody Holbrook, a sophomore from Brentwood, Tenn.; Nicole Langley, a Bowling Green senior; Wendy Warren, a Bowling Green freshman; C. Aaron Hawkins, an Elizabethtown sophomore; Travis Keeling, a Lewisburg junior; Alana Orr, a Cave City freshman; Waverly Harris, a sophomore from Columbia, Tenn.; and Laurie Myjak, a Bowling Green senior. Faculty members are Scott Dobler and Debbie Kreitzer.

On this trip to the American West, students will study the impacts of water resource policies, urban growth boundaries, national park management and human alteration of the biosphere, Dr. Keeling said.

For more information about the department's summer courses, contact Dr. Keeling at david.keeling@wku.edu or (270) 745-4555.

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-WKU-