2008 Rocky Mountain Speleoseminar

THE 2008 ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPELEOSEMINAR

October 25, 2008

University of Colorado at Boulder

Math 100 Auditorium

SEMINAR PROGRAM

Nearly two decades had passed since the first Rocky Mountain SpeleoSeminar was held at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In the fall of 1989, Dr. Louise Hose organized the first of what she hoped was a continuing series of seminars on caves and caving in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. Patterned after the successful annual Winter Technical Meeting of the National Speleological Society’s Southwestern Region, the seminars provided an opportunity for regional cave scientists and cavers to present short programs on their recent scientific studies. In addition, the seminars offered recreational cavers inspiring programs on geologic, biological and computer sciences, as well as original underground exploration. Dr. Hose hoped that such programs might inspire cavers to participate in ongoing scientific studies and to undertake such studies on their own.

Two additional seminars followed the 1989 edition. In 1990 and 1992, the Colorado Springs campus hosted Rocky Mountain SpeleoSeminars featuring a wide variety of scientific programs and high attendance. Unfortunately, with Dr. Hose’s departure from the university and subsequent move to Missouri, the seminars fell into a long hiatus.

The 2008 edition had two university sponsors, Dr. Norman Pace and Dr. Fred Luiszer, and a new location, at the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. Following Dr. Hose’s original philosophy, the Seminar featured programs from both skilled scientists as well as talented amateurs. The 2008 edition featured only a handful of presenters from the earlier editions, though many of the presenters have offered well-received papers and programs at other scientific conferences.

The 2008 Seminar included talks on cave exploration, geology, biology and microbiology, as well as the computer sciences.

Dr. Hazel Barton, a former post-doc with Dr. Norman Pace at the University of Colorado, presented the Seminar’s keynote address on caves and microbiology. The Saturday evening program was an adaptation of similar talks by Dr. Barton at other universities nationally. Dr. Barton is currently a Department of Biological Sciences professor at the University of Northern Kentucky. She has appeared in the MacGillivray-Freeman’s 2001 large format documentary, Journey Into Amazing Caves, as well as cave documentaries on Animal Planet and The History Channel. Dr. Barton has been profiled in numerous media, including BBC Radio, CBS television, Plum TV, and Forbes Magazine.

Thanks to the generous sponsors for the 2008 SpeleoSeminar – their support allowed the seminar to be presented at no cost to participants.

Join us in 2011 for our next SpeleoSeminar!

OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Dr. Hazel A. Barton, University of Northern Kentucky

7:30 p.m. Math 100 Auditorium

http://www.cavescience.com/

THANKS TO THE 2008 SPELEOSEMINAR SPONSORS

Cave of the Winds

Glenwood Caverns

Roche Colorado

The Colorado Grotto, NSS

The Pace Lab - University of Colorado