Patricia Kambesis

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Patricia Kambesis (born November 7, 1952)[1][2] is an American caver, cartographer and educator.

Kambesis is a professor at Western Kentucky University, instructing students the fields of geography and geographic information systems (GIS).[3] Kambesis coauthored the book Deep Secrets: The Discovers & Exploration of Lechuguilla Cave, which was first published in 1999.[4] She has also authored, coauthored or otherwise contributed to numerous papers and articles on karst related subjects.[5] Her work has been published by the National Speleological Society,[6] Cave Research Foundation, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,[7] International Congress of Speleology,[8][9][10] and Geological Society of America,[11] among others.

Kambesis is a fellow of the National Speleological Society and Cave Research Foundation.[12]

Biography[edit]

Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, Kambesis attained a Bachelor's of Science in biology from the University of Illinois followed by a Bachelor's of Science in geology from Southern Illinois University.[13] She would go on to earn a Masters of Science from Western Kentucky University and a Doctorate from Mississippi State University.[14]

In 1974, Kambesis first became involved in the exploration and mapping of caves.[15] Since then, she has received a number of honors from the National Speleological Society's Cartographic Salon, a competition held at the society's annual convention dedicated to highlighting achievements in cave cartography.[16] As of 2020, these honors include two Best of Salon Medals, eight Blue Ribbon Merit Awards and fifteen Green Ribbon Honorable Mentions.[17][18][19][20][21][22] Starting in 1995, Kambesis often served as a judge for the Cartographic Salon.[17] In 2017, Kambesis attended the International Congress of Speleology in Australia along with other staff and students from Western Kentucky University. At the event's Cartographic Salon, Kambesis received a First Place prize & Best of Show award for her map of Barrel Cave in Jackson County, Alabama.[23]

Kambesis has been active in both national and international caving circles. She was one of the first people to enter the "Chandelier Ballroom" in Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico.[15] Her involvement in the exploration and mapping of Lechuguilla were subsequently recorded along with the recollections of other cavers in the book Deep Secrets: The Discovers & Exploration of Lechuguilla Cave.[24] When a sinkhole opened up beneath the National Corvette Museum in 2014, resulting in damage to eight cars, Kambesis was one of the cavers involved in exploring and mapping the sinkhole.[10][25] Kambesis has also been involved in exploration and surveying of caves in and around Mammoth Cave National Park through work with the Cave Research Foundation.[15][26]

Outside of the mainland United States, Kambesis has worked on cave projects in China, Greece, Nigeria, Laos, Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico and beyond.[7][14][15][27] She has served as a Committee Chair of the National Speleological Society's International Exploration Committee and is the Cave Research Foundation's International Projects Chairperson.[28][29] Additionally, Kambesis has held the position of chief cartographer for the China Caves Project, a collaborative program jointly run by the Cave Research Foundation, Hoffman Environmental Research Institute, Karst Institute of China, and Guizhou Normal University.[15][30]

Awards and honors[edit]

  • Exploration Award, Cave Diving Section - National Speleological Society (2015)[13]
  • PhD. Research Fellowship - Cave Research Foundation (2011)[13]
  • National Speleological Society Research Award (2004)[13]
  • Master of Science Research Fellowship – Cave Research Foundation (2003)[13]
  • Cave Research Foundation Fellowship (1993)[13]
  • Lew Bicking Award for Cave Exploration, National Speleological Society (1993)[13]
  • Bureau of Land Management Volunteer Recognition (1989)[13]
  • National Speleological Society Fellowship (1985)[12]

Cave Cartography Awards[edit]

  • International Congress of Speleology Cartography Salon - First Place & Best of Show
    • Barrel Cave, Jackson County, Alabama (2017)[31]
  • National Speleological Society Cartographic Salon - Best of Salon Medal
    • Wu Dong, Duyin County, China (1994)[17]
    • Snowflower Pit, Alabama (1990)[17]
  • National Speleological Society Cartographic Salon - Blue Ribbon Merit Award
    • Hickey Pot, Warren County, Tennessee (2013)[19]
    • Wayback Cave, White County, Tennessee (2009)[22]
    • Bull Cave System, Blount County, Tennessee (2001)[17]
    • Wayback Cave, White County, Tennessee (1997)[17]
    • Hickey Pot, Tennessee (1997)[17]
    • Shoung Long Dong, China (1993)[17]
    • Chui Feng Dong, Guizhou Province, China (1992)[17]
    • Caves and Karst of the Zhijin River Gorge, Guizhou Province, China (1992)[17]

Published works[edit]

Books[edit]

  • Reames, Stephen; Fish, Lawrence; Burger, Paul; Kambesis, Patricia; et al. (1999). Deep Secrets : The Discovery & Exploration of Lechuguilla Cave. St. Louis, MO: Cave Books. ISBN 0-939748-18-5. OCLC 40881629.

Selected articles and papers[edit]

  • Caves and Karst of the Judas-Aguada Coastal Plain, Caguanes National Park, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba (2018)[32]
  • Exploring the Mechanisms and Consequences of Cave Roof Collapses Using the National Corvette Museum Sinkhole Case Study (2017)[10]
  • The Making of a Connection: Exploration/Survey in Whigpistle Cave System (2013)[26][33]
  • Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, U.S.A. (2012)[34]
  • Tham Khoun Xe - The Great Cave on the Xe Bang Fai River (2009)[35]
  • The Importance of Cave Exploration to Scientific Research (2007)[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  2. ^ "LC|no2016141496". viaf.org. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  3. ^ "Faculty and Staff in the Department of Geography and Geology". Western Kentucky University. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  4. ^ "ONLINE STORE: HISTORY". National Speleological Society. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  5. ^ "Patricia Kambesis | Western Kentucky University - Academia.edu". wku.academia.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  6. ^ a b Patricia, Kambesis (April 2007). "The Importance of Cave Exploration to Scientific Research". Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 69: 46 – via ResearchGate.
  7. ^ a b Kambesis, Patricia (2011). "Exploring for Solutions to the Water Challenges on the East Mountain Plateau in Yunnan Province" (PDF). Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. China Environment Series. 11: 154.
  8. ^ Kambesis, Patricia (2017). "Exploration of the Caves of Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico" (PDF). International Congress of Speleology. 2 (Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Speleology, Sydney 2017): 44.
  9. ^ Kambesis, Patricia (2017). "Origin of Enigmatic Caves of the Far Western United States" (PDF). International Congress of Speleology. 2: 45.
  10. ^ a b c Kambesis, Patricia (2017). "Exploring the Mechanisms and Consequences of Cave Roof Collapses Using the National Corvette Museum Sinkhole Case Study" (PDF). International Congress of Speleology. 2: 310.
  11. ^ Kambesis, Patricia (2015). "5. Morphometric analysis of cave patterns using fractal indices". Morphometric analysis of cave patterns using fractal indices. Geological Society of America Special Papers. Vol. 516. pp. 67–86. doi:10.1130/2016.2516(06). ISBN 978-0-8137-2516-1. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  12. ^ a b "NSS Fellows Awardees". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h "FACULTY". wkuchnges. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  14. ^ a b "Cave Survey and Cartography". wkukarstfieldstudies. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Patricia Kambesis". extraordinarywls.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  16. ^ "Cartographic Salon". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dasher, George (2008-01-03). "NSS CARTOGRAPHIC SALON" (PDF). National Speleological Society. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  18. ^ "Cart 2019 Winners". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  19. ^ a b "Cart 2013 Winners". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  20. ^ "Cart 2011 Winners". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  21. ^ "Cart 2010 Winners". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  22. ^ a b "Cart 2009 Winners". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  23. ^ "WKU Geography & Geology Faculty, Staff & Students Participate in International Program". Media Relations. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  24. ^ Patricia, Kambesis (1999). Deep Secrets: The Discovers & Exploration of Lechuguilla Cave. Cave Books. ISBN 9780939748181.
  25. ^ "WKU professors appear in sinkhole documentary, assist with educational exhibit". WKU News Blog. 2015-03-06. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  26. ^ a b Kambesis, Patricia; Despain, Joel; Groves, Chris (February 15, 2013). The Making of a Connection: Exploration/Survey in Whigpistle Cave System. Mammoth Cave Research Symposia.
  27. ^ "Geogram: The Annual Newsletter of the Department of Geography and Geology at Western Kentucky University" (PDF). Western Kentucky University: Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences. 2008. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  28. ^ "NSS International Exploration Grants". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  29. ^ "CRF Officers". www.cave-research.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  30. ^ Campion, Ged; Harrison, Tony (August 2014). "China Caves" (PDF). Cave and Karst Science. 41 (2). Retrieved 2021-03-24 – via British Cave Research Association.
  31. ^ "WKU Geography & Geology Faculty, Staff & Students Participate in International Program". Media Relations. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  32. ^ Kambesis, Patricia (January 2018). "Caves and Karst of the Judas-Aguada Coastal Plain, Caguanes National Park, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba". Caves of Sancti Spiritus, Matanzas and Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
  33. ^ Kambesis, Patricia; Despain, Joel; Groves, Chris (2013-02-15). "The Making of a Connection: Exploration/Survey in Whigpistle Cave System". Mammoth Cave Research Symposia.
  34. ^ "Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, U.S.A | Patricia Kambesis - Academia.edu". www.academia.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  35. ^ "NSS News" (PDF). NSS NEWS Archive. National Speleological Society. July 2009. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
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