Hoffman Institute Director To Discuss China Work At Environmental Conference In California

November 27, 2007

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University’s efforts to improve environmental health in China will be featured next week at a conference on “China’s Environment -- What Do We Know And How Do We Know It?” at the University of California at Berkeley.

Dr. Chris Groves, who directs the Hoffman Environmental Research Institute within WKU’s Applied Research Technology Program, will serve as an invited panelist at the Dec. 7-8 conference with a presentation on water resource challenges in southwest China’s karst region.

“This conference provides a great opportunity to educate China environmental experts from around the U.S. and China about the severe water supply problems in China’s rural southwest,” said Groves, who points out that because there is typically sufficient rainfall in the area, few people outside of the region realize the difficulties in water access due to the area’s karst topography.

Like southcentral Kentucky, much of the water is underground in caves. In contrast, though, the southwest Chinese region is an area of widespread poverty, in part because “during the winter dry season, many people must walk long distances to carry whatever water they and their families need,” Groves said.

Such education is a key part of the Hoffman Institute’s China Environmental Health Project, which, with the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the ENVIRON Foundation, is working to raise awareness of and improve environmental health in China. Major USAID support was made possible through the efforts of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The Berkeley conference brings together invited speakers from the U.S., China and Europe with a goal “to generate fresh and unexpected questions, connections, insights and recommendations” regarding China’s environment -- not just focusing on air and water, but also on the role of journalism, politics and economics.

Geography and Geology department head Dr. David Keeling commented that “WKU’s Hoffman Institute is playing a key role in the university’s efforts to internationalize its reach through conferences such as this one in Berkeley. Dr. Groves’ China research has engaged students and faculty researchers from around the world and is a wonderful example of the type of global cooperation and knowledge sharing that is desperately needed in order to address humanity's most pressing problems.”

The conference will be webcast live, and more information can be found at http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/2007.12.07w.html
               
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For information, contact Chris Groves at (270) 745-5974.