ENGAGING STUDENTS IN KARST GEOLOGY IN THE MAMMOTH CAVE REGION THROUGH THE WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY KARST FIELD STUDIES PROGRAM

Since 1980, a thirst for cave and karst knowledge and the awe of Mammoth Cave have drawn students, professionals, and cave and karst lovers from around the world to Kentucky to experience the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Karst Field Studies (KFS) program. The KFS program was developed by Dr. Nicholas Crawford of the Department of Geography and Geology at WKU. Instead of offering large courses, often times with less academic focus as was the case for many field programs at the time, Dr. Crawford wished to emphasize academic quality over quantity. In the KFS model, small classes of no more than 20 students are given intense, all-day instruction from world-renowned karst experts for one week, with a focus on the development of fieldwork skills and experiences. Dr. Art Palmer was among the initiating group of five experts selected to offer a course through the KFS program in its inaugural year in 1980. Since then, the Palmers have offered a karst geology course on a near annual basis, concluding their 38^th year with the program in June 2018. Their Karst Geology course has, since its inaugural year, been the fastest-filling course of the program and been filled with the most diverse student population; the promise of unparalleled experiences and the undoubted star power of the incredible instructional team that is Art and Peg Palmer has drawn in hundreds of students from all over the United States and internationally to learn about and study the Mammoth Cave region.