We would like to invite you to a workshop on “Future Directions in Karst Research” to be held in San Antonio, Texas from May 3 through 5, 2007.  Registration details are available through links below.  There will be no registration fee for the meeting, but a reservation fee of $50 is required which will be refunded following participation in and while at the workshop.

The workshop goals are designed to bring together biologists, biogeochemists, microbial ecologists, hydrogeologists, and geomorphologists and others who have an interest in advancing all aspects of karst science.  The workshop will in part assess the current state of knowledge, but its primary function will be to identify gaps in that knowledge, which will be described in the workshop report.  The workshop discussions will include questions from disciplines outside of karst science (e.g. paleoclimate, microbiology) that can be addressed in karst areas.  The workshop is not intended to be a meeting at which only recent scientific findings are discussed; instead, the successful workshop will lead to identification of the critical science questions to be investigated over the coming decade.  Discussions will be organized around seven breakout groups and may include the following topics depending on participant's interests.

           Geomicrobiology

·        Ecosystem function

·        Biodiversity

·        Surface-subsurface linkages

·        Hydrological modeling

·        Geochemistry: Flow paths, epikarst, human impact, contaminant transport and more

·        Biological evolution in karst—lineages and ages

·        Paleoclimatology: dating methods, environmental reconstructions, evalution of proxies

·        Paleokarst and reservoirs

·        Land Use in Karst Areas:  sinkholes, subsidence, flooding
Contaminants: NAPLs, metals, agricultural waste, pharmaceuticals

The KWI mission (www.karstwaters.org) is to improve the fundamental understanding of karst water systems through sound scientific research and the education of professionals and the public.  Institute activities include the sponsorship of conferences and workshops and occasional publication of scientific works.  KWI supports these activities by acting as a coordinating agency for funding and personnel.  For more information, please contact a member of the Organizing Committee:

·        Jon Martin (University of Florida, jbmartin@ufl.edu)

·        Annette Summers-Engle (Louisiana State University, aengel@geol.lsu.edu)

·        Will White (Penn State, wbw2@mri.psu.edu)
Diana Northup (University of New Mexico, dnorthup@unm.edu)