Hidden Earth Lectures - Calling all conservationists!

caverbabe

New member
Hello fellow cavers!  Yes, I'm already starting to send out the reminders that Hidden Earth lectures are needed to make this YOUR caving conference.  I've taken over from the very capable Emma Porter this year, so I'm sure there are many of you who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting.  This year I hope to remedy that..

In past years I have provided an introduction to cave geology lecture which was a brief introduction for non-specialists about the science of speleology.  There has been a lot of interest in that, so if you can offer to expand on that, I'm sure it would be very well received.  Interest has particularly been expressed regarding using the science to find and explore caves, as well as a lot of interest in how speleothems form. 

Also, any graduate or undergraduate students who have undertaken cave or karst related research, this is a fantastic opportunity to trial out a lecture on your topic before a friendly audience.

So if you or anyone you know would like to offer a short session or two (or three!) where a series of topics on cave science can be presented in a way the general public or average caver could appreciate it would be fantastic. Some ideas to consider are below:

The science of speleothems
Cave minerals
Vadose vs Phreatic
Where does that passage go and why?
Reading the cave by understanding the geology
Regional geology (Mendips, Yorkshire, Wales, Ireland, Derbyshire)
The geology and hydrology of a specific cave system
Cave critters
Cave archaeology
Air, water and the active chemistry of an average cave
Bats - an introduction

The list could go on and on and on!  Here is a chance for you to share your scientific know-how with cavers on a more informal basis than the usual, often intimidating, science lecture.  And who knows?  Maybe you will be the reason the next generation of cavers become scientists!

And don't let the science daunt you - any topics are welcome from the usual expedition and exploration, new technology or technique, historical research into cave exploration, well, you get the idea - if it has anything to do with caves, there will be someone eager to hear what you have to say!

Please feel free to email me or call me to discuss.  My details are below. I'd be happy to email you a lecture form.  The information on the form will be used to summarise your lecture for the HE brochure, enable us to allocate a suitable slot for you, help your Chairperson introduce you on the day and make sure the Technical Team is aware of the equipment you will need to deliver your lecture. Ideally, we could do with the form being sent back to us by mid-August. I will be trialling an online form as well and will update the forum when that has gone live.

And remember, rules are made to be broken, so if two of you would like to work together, or you wish to present more than one topic, I would be keen to look at flexible scheduling that works with the other lectures on offer to ensure we can bring our enthusiasm for cave science to all the cavers of BCA. Feel free to pass this email on to anyone you feel may wish to participate, but may have been reluctant to lecture in the past because they thought maybe they didn't have enough interesting stuff to say.  Trust me, there are cavers hungry for your knowledge!

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to seeing you all at 2015 Hidden Earth!

Paula (caverbabe) Warke
07821 426 107
lectures@hidden-earth.org.uk
 
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