Bowling Green, Ky. - Several faculty members and students from Western Kentucky University will present their research next week at the 117th annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

About 6,200 geoscientists are expected to attend the Oct. 16-19 meeting in Salt Lake City.

WKU presentations include the following:

Dr. Nick Crawford, director of the Center for Cave and Karst Studies, “The Flux of Water and Both Non-Point Source and Point Source Contaminants During Storm Events in Free-Flow Karst Aquifers.” The research looks at water flow during heavy rains in some wells and streams in the Mammoth Cave and Bowling Green area.

Brandy L. Woodcock of Bowling Green, “Lava Tube Flow: Constraints on Maximum Sustained Eruption Rates for Major Martian Volcanic Edifices.” Woodcock and a researcher at the University of Notre Dame are examining data from recent space missions to study volcanoes on Mars.

Chelsea Duffy Campbell of Louisville, along with Sreedevi Dawadi, chemistry research assistant; Dr. Cathleen Webb, chemistry department head; and Dr. David Hartman, chemistry faculty member, “Limestone-Based Material for Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water.” Researchers at WKU and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology are continuing their research on removing arsenic from drinking water in the community of Keystone, S.D.

Dr. Webb, Campbell, Dawadi, Dr. Hartman, Lindsey Clark of Louisville and Ashley Dockery of Morgantown, “Occurrence and Distribution of Mercury in Mammoth Cave National Park.” This study on the atmospheric deposition and the mobility of mercury in surface and ground water at Mammoth Cave will continue through 2008.

Dr. Andrew Wulff, geography and geology faculty member, “Age and Petrogenesis of Lavas from the Casitas Shield, Descabezado Grande-Cerro Azul Volcanic Complex, Chilean Andes.” Dr. Wulff is continuing his research into the lava flows in the Andes Mountains.

Faculty members Dr. Frederick Siewers and Dr. Wulff, geography and geology; Dr. Michael Carini, Dr. Richard Gelderman, Dr. Charles McGruder, physics and astronomy; Dr. Julia Roberts, gifted studies; Dr. Rico Tyler, curriculum and instruction, “Deep Time and Rates of Change in the Middle Grades Classroom: An Effort to Increase Student Understanding Through Professional Development Workshops for Teachers.” The WKU group has developed a series of science education workshops for K-12 teachers.

Dr. Wulff and Dr. Richard Deal (now of Carlton University), “Geology and Culture of Hawaii: A Multidisciplinary Study Abroad Experience.” Dr. Wulff and Dr. Deal will report on a recent Study Abroad course.

Ashley Nicole Williams of Leitchfield, “Interpreting Trace-Metal and Stable Isotopic Results from a Holocene Stalagmite from Buckeye Creek Cave, West Virginia.” Williams along with students from three other universities are studying the age of samples taken in this cave.

Daniel S. Hawkins of Hanson, “Database of Volcano Symmetry Using SRTM Imagery.” Hawkins, along with two researchers at the University of Arkansas, are using shuttle radar topography data to create a database of volcanoes worldwide.

“In partnership with the Department of Geography and Geology’s research centers -- the Center for Cave and Karst Studies, Hoffman Institute and Kentucky Climate Center -- faculty and students are engaged in research that addresses some of society’s most challenging problems, ranging from global climate change to appropriate use of advanced technology for measuring long-term changes in the earth’s geology,” said Dr. David Keeling, department head. “As part of WKU’s Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), geoscience students learn to apply geophysical techniques in their research, they learn valuable skills as they prepare for careers, and they learn to become engaged citizens in their communities.”

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.