Bowling Green, Ky. - A large contingent of faculty and students from Western Kentucky University's Department of Geography and Geology are attending the 14th International Congress of Speleology this week in Athens, Greece.

Western has two of the world's leading centers for cave and karst research on its campus -- The Center for Cave and Karst Studies and The Hoffman Institute (both part of Ogden College's Applied Research and Technology Program) -- along with two internationally renown cave and karst scientists, Dr. Chris Groves and Dr. Nick Crawford.

Speleology is the exploration, study and conservation of caves and other underground structures.

"The strong WKU presence at this importance international conference is a measure of the department's teaching and research productivity and its reputation in international cave and karst research circles," said Dr. David Keeling, head of the Department of Geography and Geology. "Moreover, participation by seven students and five faculty and staff from the department in this conference is a great example of student engagement. Collaboration between students and faculty over the past year in the department has resulted in some significant research outcomes that are being presented in Athens."

As well as chairing academic sessions and contributing to the overall development of cave and karst research, WKU faculty and students are making the following research paper presentations during the Aug. 22-27 meeting:

Geoscience graduate student Gina Cesin of Miami, Fla., with co-authors Dr. Nick Crawford and Jeremy Richardson, presents "Urban Storm-Water Management for Cities Built Upon Karst, Bowling Green, Kentucky."

Staff scientist Annie Croft, with co-authors Dr. Nick Crawford and Mark DuPoy (Mammoth Cave National Park), presents "Karst Field Studies Offered by WKU's Center for Cave and Karst Studies and the Mammoth Cave National Park International Center for Science and Learning."

Undergraduate geology student Jeremy Tallent of Albany, with co-authors Dr. Nick Crawford and Pat Kambesis, presents "Improving the Accuracy of Subsurface Cartography using Geophysics and GIS."

Dr. Nick Crawford, with co-author Scott Roach, presents "Use of a Non-Linear Curve-Fitting Program to Separate the Emission Spectra of Multiple Fluorescent Dyes from Spectrofluorophotometer Analysis used in groundwater Dye Tracing."

Geoscience graduate student Brian Sakofsky of Fairport, N.Y., with co-authors K. Ballew and Dr. Nick Crawford, presents "Karst Hydrogeology of Lookout Mountain: A Synclinal Mountain in the Folded Appalachian Mountains of South-Central Tennessee."

Patricia Kambesis, geoscience graduate student and assistant director of the Hoffman Institute, with co-authors Andrea Croskrey (geoscience graduate student from Blakesburg, Iowa) and Dr. Chris Groves, presents "Groundwater Sensitivity Mapping of the Beaver Dam and Campbellsville 30' x 60' Quadrangles."

Dr. Nick Crawford, director of the Center for Cave and Karst Studies, presents "Application of Dye Tracer Techniques in the Preparation of Conceptual Hydrogeologic Models for Contaminated Karst Aquifers."

Staff scientist Annie Croft, with multiple undergraduate and graduate co-authors, presents "Development of Innovative Karst Hydrogeologic Research Techniques for Solving Karst Environmental Problems."

Geoscience graduate student Ben Tobin of Hartford, Conn., with co-author Dr. Steve Kenworthy, presents "A Quantitative Analysis of Relationships between Land-Use and Base-Level Conduit Sedimentation in South-Central, Kentucky."

Library Sciences faculty Deana Groves, with co-authors Dr. Chris Groves and undergraduate geology major Weldon Hawkins of Munfordville, presents "A Century of Linkages and Synergy: WKU and the Mammoth Cave System."

Hoffman Institute Director Dr. Chris Groves, and co-authors Patricia Kambesis and personnel from the Karst Dynamics Laboratory in Guilin, China, presents "Chinese-American Cooperation in Cave Exploration and Survey in Water Resource Development, Da Long Dong, Hunan, China."

Dr. John All, with co-authors Dr. Chris Groves and Patricia Kambesis, presents "Ghost Cave, Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan."

Undergraduate geology major Weldon Hawkins of Munfordville, with co-authors Patricia Kambesis and Dr. Chris Groves, presents "Potential Impacts of Acid Mine Drainage on the Hydrogeologic System of Russell Cave National Monument, Alabama."

Patricia Kambesis, geoscience graduate student and assistant director of the Hoffman Institute, presents "Caves of Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico."

Dr. Nick Crawford also presented a poster titled "Groundwater Basin Delineation by Dye Tracing, Water Table Mapping, and Cave Mapping: Geophysical Techniques in Bowling Green, Ky."

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact David Keeling at (270) 745-4555.