The panel, “Geographic Approaches to Understanding Karst: in Memory of George N. Huppert,” was held March 10, 2006, at the Association of American Geographers conference in Chicago. The panel, moderated by Alan Glennon (UC Santa Barbara), was convened to discuss innovations in geographic technology and techniques with respect to karst science. The panelists were John All (Western Kentucky University), Bob Brinkmann (University of South Florida), George Brook (University of Georgia), Percy Dougherty (Kutztown University), and Rhonda Glennon (ESRI).
The session began with the introduction of panelists, followed by Drs. Dougherty and Brook remembering George Huppert—particularly Huppert’s significant contributions to cave management and geographic education. Next, the panelists discussed their research interests: the Glennons discussed karst GIS; Dr. All talked about environmental management and the relevance of geography for human–land interaction studies; Dr. Dougherty discussed applied karst investigation and decision-making by politicians; Dr. Brinkmann discussed the development of a karst research unit at the University of South Florida; and Dr. Brook talked about climate change research using speleothems.
After these statements, the panel began a dialogue that included questions from the audience. There was a discussion on defining karst that segued into applied and pure research questions. The applied items, including hazards, dye tracing, water quality, GIS, and planning, also seemed to be marketable areas for post-graduation employment. The pure questions involved modeling/GIS and using caves to study climate change.
The panel and audience then assessed appropriate venues to publish research for maximum impact. Pros and cons of various publications, including the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, Water Resources Research, and Journal of Hydrology, and online dissemination, were discussed.
Dr. Dougherty talked about karst sessions at previous AAG conferences. Dr. Brinkmann offered to organize karst activities at the 2007 AAG meeting, and proposed a paper session on “Development, Policy, and Planning in Karst Terrain.”
After nearly two hours, the panel concluded with Alan Glennon summarizing the discussion and thanking the participants.
-Rhonda and Alan Glennon
