BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — A Western Kentucky University professor has been selected as a finalist for a prestigious award in China.
The Daily News (http://bit.ly/L4f99w) in Bowling Green reports Chris Groves, who teaches geography and geology at WKU, is a finalist for the 2012 People’s Republic of China Friendship Award. The honor is the highest given to foreign experts who work in the country.
Groves said the nomination cites his work in an area of China that has several caves — just like south-central Kentucky where Mammoth Cave is located. Groves said his main project in southern China deals with water resources.
“Here, (water supply is) not too much of a problem, but in China, people have very limited access to water,” he said.
He said he is helping Chinese people find and map water sources in caves so residents can drill wells and collect the water.
Groves said his childhood interest in caves turned into a passion that has led him to study caves in China 26 times in 17 years.
He is also part of a research team learning how cave formation is affecting cargo dioxide levels and climate change.
He says he jumped at the chance to travel to China in 1995.
“I was just dying to go there for a long time,” Groves said. He has returned several times since then and will embark on yet another trip later this year.
However, the trip will be short because he has responsibilities as a WKU faculty member.
“I just have to go when I can,” he said, noting that he enjoys each trip. “The landscapes are fantastic. The people and culture are great.”
Groves said it is “satisfying” to be nominated for the award. “It’s something they take very seriously there,” he said.
The award will be given to about 50 people on Oct. 8.
If he wins, Groves will be honored on Oct. 1 during a celebration of National Day, which marks the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
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Information from: Daily News, http://www.bgdailynews.com
