THE HYDROGEOLOGICAL LEGACY OF KEN BRADBURY (Invited Presentation)

Ken Bradbury, who retired as the Director of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) and as the State Geologist of Wisconsin in 2022, attributed his early interest in water to exploring a creek and pond on the Indiana dairy farm where he spent his childhood. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and his M.S degree from Indiana University, Ken came to the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1979 to pursue a Ph.D. with the recently-arrived Mary Anderson. He completed his degree in 1982 and began his career at the WGNHS, where he spent the next 40 years. His influence on the field of hydrogeology, particularly on the field of Wisconsin hydrogeology, is enormous. Ken’s research projects were located in virtually every corner of the state and his research interests cover most topics in hydrogeology; a partial list includes regional groundwater modeling, groundwater flow in porous and fractured media, aquitard hydrogeology, virus transport in groundwater, groundwater/surface water interaction, and groundwater recharge. He has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles, reports, and conference proceedings.

An equally important part of Ken’s career was his dedication to educating and mentoring people. Many of his research projects involved graduate and undergraduate students and most of them have gone on to distinguished academic, government, and private sector careers in hydrogeology. In recognition of his work in inspiring so many current and future hydrogeologists, Ken will be presented with the inaugural GSA Hydrogeology Division’s Schwartz Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Education. In this talk, I will highlight the connections between Ken’s career as a researcher and his role as a mentor, educator, and friend to generations of hydrogeologists.