Center for Cave and Karst Studies - Western Kentucky University

The Center for Cave and Karst Studies, established in 1978 at Western Kentucky University, was the first center established primarily to deal with karst problems in the U.S. The Center's offices and labs are located within the Department of Geography and Geology in the Environmental Science and Technology Building at Western.

The Department of Geography and Geology consists of 21 professors with specialties in hydrology, physical geography, geology, meteorology, cartography, GIS, human geography, and planning. In addition to Dr. Crawford, and affiliated faculty the Center's personnel includes, a dye tracer laboratory manager, a research hydrologist, an office coordinator, and 14 graduate and undergraduate assistants.

 

 

The objectives of the Center are:

(1) To be a research center dealing with all aspects of cave and karst studies, with an emphasis on solving environmental problems associated with karst;

(2) To provide educational programs concerning cave and karst studies: a) undergraduate and graduate instruction, b) cooperative education program with Mammoth Cave National Park, c) workshops, seminars, and scientific meetings

The Center is involved in virtually all aspects of basic and applied karst research. Although the Center is supported by the University, it is primarily dependent upon external funding provided through grants dealing with groundwater contamination, sinkhole flooding, and sinkhole collapse.

The Center is routinely involved in public service activities by providing consultation and/or field investigation regarding hydrologic problems (groundwater contamination, sinkhole flooding, and sinkhole collapses) for individuals, private firms, and local, state and federal government agencies throughout the U.S. and other countries.

Over the past twenty-six years, the Center has attracted outstanding undergraduate and graduate students from various parts of the United States. Graduate and undergraduate research assistants are actively involved in the research efforts of the Center. Geoscience graduate and undergraduate students, get "hands-on" experience in dealing with karst groundwater problems through the Center's research for government agencies and private businesses. Center research associates have been very successful in obtaining positions with both government and private firms.