Cave & Karst Field Data Collection & Visualization
Unless otherwise noted, all courses are based out of Hamilton Valley Field Station, located on the border of Mammoth Cave National Park near Bowling Green, Kentucky. See Logistics page for more information.
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June 14-19, 2026
This hands-on field-based course is designed for two audiences: (1) workshop participants who want practical training , and (2) students taking the course for academic credit through a separate 3-credit independent study agreement co-designed with the instructor. The week follows a repeatable workflow—morning instruction and planning, afternoon field data collection, and evening lab time for data reduction and visualization.
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Participants learn how to collect and organize common karst field datasets (survey data, feature inventories, GPS points/tracks, photo documentation) and turn them into clear, visual products. Field exercises integrate surface and subsurface context through cave/surface tie points and basic cave radio-location concepts, introduce surface LiDAR derivatives for karst interpretation, and include an underground photogrammetry module to build and communicate 3D visualizations. Field sessions take place in caves both inside and outside of Mammoth Cave National Park.
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NOTE: each course has a different registration page, so you MUST access the registration portal through this course page to register for the Cave Survey & Cartography Course.
Instructor: Dr. Pat Kambesis
Dr. Pat Kambesis received her Master's degree from Western Kentucky University. Her thesis focused on the agricultural contaminant source and transport in caves and karst in the upper Midwest of the USA. She received her Ph.D. from Mississippi State University Department of Geoscience through research that focused on the study of coastal karst and caves in the Caribbean and northeastern Yucatan Peninsula and on developing methods for morphometric analysis of caves and karst features. She has extensive national and international experience at documenting cave and karst and producing maps and other visualizations of that data. Her current research includes developing methods to better quantify and visualize cave and karst environments, morphometric characterization of hypogene caves and karst in the Western US, and the role and modelling of condensation corrosion in cave development . She currently teaches at Western Kentucky University in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences.
CONTACT: pat.kambesis@wku.edu