Maria Perez
West Virginia University, WV·Social Science
Karst landscapes, where water dissolves rock into caves, sinkholes and underground aquifers, supply about 40% of the drinking water used in the United States, yet much of what happens in them is out of sight. In Puerto Rico, where 37% of the land is karst, much of the exploration, study and protection of these landscapes has been done by cave explorers, volunteers and other people outside traditional scientific institutions.
- Fields
Social Science
Earth & Environmental Science
- Topics
karst
caves
sinkholes
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Apr 2027
What they work on
- Reconstruct the past and present role of volunteer-based organizations and non-traditional actors in exploring and conserving Puerto Rico's coastal karst, using archival records, interviews and focus groups.
- Map the spatial and social networks behind karst science and conservation, including cave explorers, scientists and conservation practitioners, through ethnographic field visits and network analysis.
- Apply the Ecologies of Participation framework from Science and Technology Studies to define who takes part, in what, and how, and share findings in Spanish and English via ArcGIS StoryMaps.
More about the research
Coastal and island karst also faces pressure from climate variability and development.
Why it matters
Karst aquifers are a major drinking-water source, especially in Puerto Rico. Showing how volunteers, cave explorers and scientists together produce knowledge about these hidden landscapes could help communities living on or near karst, and conservation groups, organize protection of caves and groundwater. The work also adds to the history of geology, archaeology and related fields that study these environments.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Emily York
James Madison University, VA·Education Research
Test whether a collaborative model for developing Science and Technology Studies (STS) teaching modules helps integrate humanities and STEM perspectives in undergraduate courses at four universities.
Jennifer Mosley
University of Chicago, IL·Social Science
Examine how algorithms that check fidelity to evidence-based practices shape child welfare workers' decisions, by interviewing workers and observing their daily work in partner agencies.
Alyssa Paredes
University of Michigan, MI·Social Science
Identify the factors that lead farmers to adopt or reject agricultural biotechnologies, especially genetically modified agriculture, using interviews and observation among farmers, agricultural workers and scientists.
The school
West Virginia University: 15 labs on PI Pages, $259M a year on research, 201 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.