Since 2014, WKU has been involved in teaching and research in Iceland in cooperation with partners to help facilitate further collaboration. On May 29, the Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies (CHNGES) at WKU signed an agreement with the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN) to become the first international member of the Network. 

Drs. Leslie North and Jason Polk of the Department of Geography and Geology and Ms. Heather Thomas from WKU Housing and Residence Life recently led a group of 15 students on a journey around Iceland! This Faculty-Led Study abroad course focused on how the land of fire and ice experiences climate change and the diverse responses and resiliencies to these changes. 

WKU CHNGES faculty and student representatives gather with new partners from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Institute of Geological Sciences and Institute of Geography.

James Graham, wearing the Tobii Pro 2 Mobile Eye-Tracking Glasses, completed his research at Thingvellir National Park and Solheim Glacier. Top right: Allison Quiroga filters a water sample of a glacier river. Bottom left: Icelandic Myrdalsjokull icecap seen in the distance beyond a field of lupins. Bottom right: Allison Quiroga and Rachel Kaiser run water chemistry tests atop Solheim Glacier.

Two students, both undergraduate and graduate level, of the WKU Geography and Geology Department recently attended the Water Professionals Conference of the Kentucky/Tennessee section in Lexington, Kentucky where they represented the newly found student chapter of Western Kentucky University Water Professionals (WKUWP) in collaboration with the WKU Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies (CHNGES), Bowling Green Municipal Utilities (BGMU), and WKU HydroAnalytical Lab.

WKU Department of Geography and Geology faculty members Dr. Leslie North and Dr. Jason Polk spent part of summer 2013 exploring show caves and geoparks in eight countries in western Europe in an effort to research the managerial structure and education opportunities of the facilities.

At the end of May, a group of faculty from WKU’s Department of Geography and Geologyand Honors College, in association with the Office of International Programs, visited Belize for a marathon week of meetings with several entities within the country to initiate multiple projects that will provide student and faculty teaching, research and engagement opportunities, as well as develop collaborations and capacity building within the region in the areas of climate change, water resources, karst geoscience, environmental education and sustainability.

WKU’s Ogden College of Science and Engineering prides itself on providing hands-on, real-world experiences for students through courses taught by faculty members who are experts in their fields.

WKU Department of Geography and Geology staff member and graduate student Jonathan (Joneo) Oglesby returned to Niger, West Africa, this month to continue his thesis research with the Songhai people.

During the past year, sinkhole collapses headlined newspapers around the globe. From Kentucky to Guatemala, these catastrophic events attracted much attention and provided an opportunity for researchers to continue studying the causes, impacts, and remediation of sinkholes. 

Representatives of WKU, the University of Akureyri (UNAK) and the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN) signed an academic and research agreement Monday in simultaneous ceremonies in Iceland and in Bowling Green. 

Following the signing of a formal cooperative agreement on March 23 in Akureyri, Iceland, between WKU, the University of Akureyri (UNAK), and the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN), the delegation participated in several joint meetings with Icelandic officials during the remainder of their visit. 

WKU and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) formally signed a cooperative agreement Monday (April 27) in Belmopan, Belize, that brings to fruition many years of collaboration. 

WKU’s Department Geography and Geology, City of Bowling Green have partnered on karst groundwater awareness campaign since 2011

Oglesby conducting water literacy research in Africa

A group of students and faculty from WKU recently returned from a study abroad program in Iceland led by Dr. Bernie Strenecky, WKU Scholar in Residence, and Dr. Jason Polk and Dr. Leslie North of the Department of Geography and Geology.

WKU student Tara Sorrels on top of Svinafellsjokull glacier tongue, which the Climate Change Challenge Study Abroad Group explored prior to the start of her internship and research endeavors in Iceland.

205 awards totaling nearly $21.5 million received in fiscal year 2015

Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director of the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN), will be visiting WKU the week of Feb. 15 and engaging in a variety of activities to further strengthen collaborations between WKU and the IACN.

Eleven WKU students and four faculty members have returned from the first Semester At Sea™ Enrichment Voyage addressing the theme “Waters of the Caribbean.”