WKU Geoscientist Appointed To Board Of U.N. Karst Program

November 05, 2008

Bowling Green, Ky. - Dr. Chris Groves, geography professor and director of Western Kentucky University’s Hoffman Environmental Research Institute, was appointed this week to the Governing Board of the International Research Center for Caves and Karst (IRCK), recently established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  

In December, Dr. Groves will attend the IRCK opening ceremony and the Governing Board’s first assembly in Guilin, China. The invitation to this position from the IRCK and UNESCO scientific leadership cited Dr. Groves’ “outstanding achievements … in geosciences and … contributions to international scientific organizations.” The appointment will run for six years, through 2014.

The IRCK was established in October 2007 at the 34th Session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, France. The principal goals of the IRCK are to promote international cooperation in advanced scientific research on karst dynamics, monitoring and modeling, and to use this information to develop strategies for the sustainable development of karst regions. It has been estimated that more than a billion people rely on karst aquifers for drinking water, and many of these are in developing countries. 

Dr. Groves has been active in the international karst scientific community for many years, having participated since 1995 in three scientific programs under the auspices of UNESCO’s International Geoscience Program and the International Union of Geological Sciences. He has one remaining year of a five-year appointment as Project Leader of the most recent of these, “Global Study of Karst Aquifers and Water Resources.”

“Dr. Groves has been a leader for many years in expanding WKU’s international reach and promoting applied research that benefits millions of people potentially,” said Dr. David Keeling, head of WKU’s Department of Geography and Geology. “This UNESCO appointment is well-deserved recognition of Chris’ commitment to karst research and of his focus on meaningful sustainable development here in Kentucky and across the planet.”
               
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For information, contact Chris Groves at (270) 745-5974.