Kentucky Geological Survey's annual seminar features USGS director

On May 25, the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) will host its 62nd annual seminar at the Jacobs Science Building, Room 121, on the University of Kentucky campus. The seminar is typically the largest annual gathering of geologists in Kentucky. This year’s theme is "Of Hills and Hazards" and the seminar will explore Kentucky geological hazards. Presentations will cover a wide range of topics including post-flood landslide reconnaissance, ongoing seismic hazards research, Google Earth for geohazards, geologic controls on radon and other hazard-related issues and research. 

The keynote presentation will be delivered by David Applegate, 18th director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Before his appointment, Applegate was USGS associate director for natural hazards, leading the survey’s geological hazards response programs and coordinating USGS’s long-term planning and disaster response activities. His seminar talk, “Geohazards and Geological Surveys: Bringing Science to Bear When and Where It Matters Most,” will address USGS’s roles and responsibilities across a wide range of natural hazards.  

Applegate will highlight how USGS is focused on reducing risk and helping communities become more resilient, particularly marginalized groups that are disproportionately impacted by hazard events. He will finish with a discussion on how USGS is working to bridge the gap between the science they produce and end users through stakeholder engagement, participatory research and improved access to data and decision support tools. 

The annual seminar will also be a special event for KGS Director William Haneberg, Ph.D. He will present “Geohazards in the Anthropocene: A Risk Assessment, Climate, and Environmental Justice Perspective,” which will be one of his last presentations as KGS director and Kentucky’s 13th state geologist. The Anthropocene is the current geologic epoch, during which human activities have substantially affected Earth’s geology and environment.  

According to Haneberg, “one of the most significant aspects of geohazards and risks in the Anthropocene is that humans now have the ability to increase the likelihood or severity of events previously considered completely natural.”

Haneberg says he is hopeful that this year’s seminar will increase awareness and engagement of students, community members, scholars and researchers interested in learning how human activities impact Kentucky’s geological hazards. 

The seminar will also include a poster session, time for discussion and networking, and a complimentary lunch. On-campus parking will be free for seminar attendees. 

The seminar is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Check-in will be from 8-9 a.m. Opening remarks will start at 9 a.m. Lunch is provided from noon-1 p.m. The seminar will conclude at 4 p.m. Parking is at Parking Structure No. 2, 301 Hilltop Ave., Lexington, Kentucky 40506. 

More information is available here and an agenda will be posted once finalized: www.uky.edu/KGS/news/kgs-annual-seminar-2023.php.