2026 Keynote

Ángel A. Garcia

Assistant Professor, Department of Geology and Environmental Science, James Madison University

Ángel García is a geologist whose research bridges earth science, culture, and community. His work spans ethnogeology, cave and karst science, and place-based education, exploring how the tools and experiences we gather along the way, even unexpected ones, shape how we understand the world beneath our feet. In his talks, Ángel will draw on his own journey to academia alongside his research in geoscience education, Caribbean geology and ecology, and speleothems as paleoclimate archives in Virginia, weaving it all together through a central question: how can place-based science help us build bridges between Western geoscience and the communities who have long called these landscapes home?

Ethnogeology, Sense of Place, and Place Theory as a Framework for Advancing Multidisciplinary Research in Cave and Karst Science

Ángel García, James Madison University

Keynote Presentation on Friday, April 3rd at 1:30-2:30 pm, Tate 105

Ethnogeology is the study of geology through a place-based epistemology rooted location and sense of place. Often, it draws traditional knowledge systems and incorporates methodologies from field ethnography (anthropology), place theory (cultural geography and environmental psychology), and field geology to examine how diverse cultures understand, interpret, and interact with Earth systems. Ethnogeological research typically centers on specific communities and their unique environmental perspectives, tapping into the deep knowledge held by local community members and the ways they engage with their surrounding landscapes. This integrative approach could provide a comprehensive understanding of geological settings, strengthen environmentally grounded local practices, and support the development of more inclusive and culturally relevant geoscience pedagogy and research. In this talk, we explore how ethnogeology functions as a theoretical and methodological framework in studies of paleoclimate, geomorphology, community-based research, and both formal and informal education related to cave and karst science. Furthermore, we discuss how ethnogeology offers a lens through which to examine multiple dimensions of the relationship between karst geology and society.

Advancing Cave and Karst Science via Multidisciplinary Research with Undergraduate Students and Community Collaborators

Ángel García, James Madison University

Department Seminar on Thursday April 2nd at 4:00-5:00 pm, Tate B20

Cave and karst science, as a rapidly developing subdiscipline, provides a theoretical framework for examining the intersections between society and the geosciences. In particular, caves function as unique natural laboratories that preserve diverse archives, including hydrological, paleoclimatic, and anthropogenic records. This talk examines how multidisciplinary approaches deepen our understanding of karst systems while fostering collaborative research environments, drawing on past and ongoing projects in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Brazil, and the Shenandoah Valley in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These efforts integrate LiDAR‑SLAM–based cave mapping, collaborations in archaeological investigation, paleoclimate reconstruction, and geochemical analyses of speleothems, and actively engage undergraduate students and community partners as co‑researchers.

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