Register today to enjoy early bird pricing!

Early-bird registration ends this Thursday, June 11th, after which registration fees will increase. Secure your spot now at sinkholeconference.com.

If your work touches geohazards, groundwater systems, or infrastructure management, The 18th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst is the definitive event of the year. This October, top geologists, engineers, and environmental scientists are gathering in Albany, NY, to tackle the unique challenges of karst.

Earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs): The conference is currently submitting short courses, field trips and select professional talks for PDH for approval with the New York State Council of Professional Geologists. 

Don't miss out, on June 12th the prices will increase from $500 to $675.

GSA abstract submissions are open! Deadline is August 6th, 2026. Please consider submitting to one of these sessions sponsored by the GSA Karst Division:

New Frontiers in Cave and Karst Science

We encourage submissions in any field of cave and karst science, with special emphasis on novel techniques, interdisciplinary approaches, and contributions from diverse early career researchers (students, postdocs, and faculty).

Biogeochemistry and Astrobiology of Caves and Karst

This session seeks abstracts on cave and karst ecosystems, biogeochemistry, and astrobiology, including but not limited to microbe-mineral interactions, subsurface habitability, subterranean ecosystems, microbial ecology, planetary analog studies, and extraterrestrial cave and karst features.

Karst Hazards and Monitoring

Hazards (e.g., sinkholes, pollution, radon, development) and monitoring approaches (e.g., GIS applications, historical data analyses) in karst landscapes, including technical applications (e.g., LiDAR, 3D scanning, geodatabase development) and management implications (resource management, education, policy, regulation).

Karst Hydrology and Hydrogeology

This session covers fundamental aspects of fluid-rock interactions within karst landscapes, including geologic, hydrogeologic, and hydrologic investigations. Appropriate topics range from dye tracing and aquifer processes to surface-subsurface hydrologic interactions and quantitative modeling.

Karst Sedimentary, Paleoclimate and Historical Records

Cave deposits (sediments, speleothems, tufa, etc.), karst environmental records (sedimentary, carbonate stratigraphy, etc.), and geoarchaeological and historical investigations to interpret past climates, landscapes, extreme events, and land-use histories, and to model or predict future changes.

Scientist in Parks (SIP) program provides opportunities for early-career professionals within the National Parks System. This professional opportunity will start this fall and provides benefits such as living stipend, education award and even healthcare (52-week positions only). There are several positions related to caves and karst linked below:


• Cave and Karst Assistant- El Malpais NM
• Cave and Karst Assistant-Oregon Caves NM
• Interpretive Assistant-Oregon Caves NM
• Natural Resource Management Assistant- Buffalo NR
• Natural Resource Management Assistant- Carlsbad Caverns NP
• Natural Resource Management Assistant- Cumberland Gap NHP

Karst Scientist Blase LaSala

Blase LaSala joined NCKRI this May as its new Karst Scientist. His dissertation research quantifies flow-path development within the Grand Canyon's deep karst aquifer by combining aerial and cave lidar with satellite imagery at high resolution and scale. He also brings over a decade of experience tackling cave and karst problems in public, private, and academic sectors. Drawn to research that supports resource management, education, and outreach, Blase has created cave models currently featured in virtual tours at several National Parks. In his free time he enjoys going on cave survey expeditions and working with bats.  

My name is Derek Detweiler, and I am excited to join the NCKRI team as a Karst Research Technician. I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the Department of Earth, Environment, and Planetary Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Go Vols) as a Geology and Environmental Studies major with a concentration in Geology. My undergraduate research focused on aqueous geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and hydrology by studying geochemical and microbial shifts in the hyporheic zones of Central Texas rivers. I have always had an interest in caves and karst. I am excited to apply what I have learned from my time in Knoxville to the many new concepts that I will be introduced to while at NCKRI and during my graduate studies at New Mexico Tech. I am looking forward to spending time learning about the physiochemical and physicochemical properties of karst systems to help solve and manage real-world environmental challenges with the cave science community.

My name is JP, and I'm excited to have recently joined the NCKRI team as a karst research technician. Last month, I graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas with a Bachelor of Science in earth and environmental geosciences. I will begin my pursuit of a Master of Science in geology this fall at New Mexico Tech. In my undergraduate research, I modeled realistic normal faults to study the subsurface distribution of stress and strain which inform damage zone development and pathways of fluid flow. This research is useful to help us have a better understanding of how and where groundwater flows and is stored so that we can better utilize and protect these resources. I'm excited to learn a lot more about karst landscapes, particularly caves!

Student Graduation

NMT’s commencement took place on Saturday, May 16th. Two graduate students in the NMT Geobiology Group, Evan Bowen and Anika Baloun both graduated with the MS degrees in Geology and Biology. Mackenzie Best (PhD Geobiology, 2025) was awarded the Langmuir Award, a prestigious honor presented annually during commencement that recognizes a student or recent graduate who has published an outstanding scientific research paper. Mackenzie earned the Langmuir Award for her recent publication “Volatilized Ammonia Supports Subterranean Ecosystems with Unusual Nitrogen Isotopic Signatures” that was published in Environmental Science and Technology earlier this year (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c00328).

Astrobiology Science Conference

The Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) took place on May17th-22nd, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. NCKRI Academic Director, Daniel Jones chaired two sessions. Joe Hoberg (PhD Geobiology at NMT) and Zoe Havlëna (former NMT Geobiology PhD) both presented their research.

Natchez Trace Parkway

Andy Armstrong (NCKRI) and Benjamin Miller, (USGS) performed a site visit to Natchez Trace Parkway to assess cave and karst features in advance of a cave and karst management planning effort there. The northernmost 135 miles of the parkway are on karst landscapes stretching from Mississippi, through a corner of Alabama, and north through Tennessee to Nashville. Andy and Ben met with Natural Resources Manager Deanna Boensch and visited many springs, swallow holes, caves, and other karst features in all three states.

National Cave Rescue Commission

National Cave and Karst Management Liaison, Andy Armstrong is an instructor with the National Cave Rescue Commission and attended their national seminar in Mentone, Alabama in May. The NCRC national seminar this year offered Level 1 Team Member, Level 2 Team Leader, Instructor Qualification, and a Bridge Course that introduced new curriculum to recent graduates. The NCRC has recently overhauled its curriculum including major updates including setting rigging bolts and screws for rescue and using commercially available patient packaging systems. Andy worked with the Level 2 class as an evaluator assessing delivery of the new curriculum.