Media

Creative activities presented

• Paintings, “Breath of Light” and “Quilt of Resilience,” exhibited at the 34th Exhibit of Women in the Arts, Med Center Health Sciences Complex, March 13–14, 2026.

• Painting, “Geometry of Joy,” exhibited at the 2026 Abound Credit Union Celebration of the Arts Exhibition, Kentucky Museum, February 28–April 17, 2026.

• Oil Painting titled “Tectonic Hypothesis of Human Evolution,” selected (via international competition among geologists) for “Geo sapiens, the fusion of Geology and Art” Exhibition, Two Wall Gallery, Vashon Island, Washington., 2009.

WNKY News 40 Weather Report: New Madrid Seismic Zone

Selected News and Media Coverage 

• 'WNKY News 40 Weather Report: New Madrid Seismic Zone, October 2024. https://www.wnky.com/wnky-news-40-weather-report-new-madrid-seismic-zone/   
• WKU Associate Professor conducts research using images from space' June 3, 2022. https://www.wku.edu/news/articles/index.php?view=article&articleid=10599 
• Women of Western: 3 female professors on what led them to WKU, March 30, 2021 Available at: https://wkuherald.com/10375/news/women-of-western-3-female-professors-on-what-led-them-to-wku/ 
• WKU faculty members' research published in 'Geology', June 30, 2020 Available at  https://www.wku.edu/news/articles/index.php?view=article&articleid=8908 
• abc13 WBKO News, ‘WKU's Geography and Geology departments receive large donation’, November 29, 2018 Available at https://www.wbko.com/content/news/WKUs-Geography-and-Geology-departments-receive-large-donation-501552751.html  
• BG Daily News, ‘WKU receives $2 million donation from petroleum engineering company’, December 7, 2018. Available at https://www.bgdailynews.com/news/wku-receives-million-donation-from-petroleum-engineering-company/article_a045b58a-ec5c-5a4e-ac93-637f72e29a7f.html 
• WKU receives $2 million donation from petroleum engineering company, December 7, 2018.
• Available at https://www.bgdailynews.com/news/wku-receives-million-donation-from-petroleum-engineering-company/article_a045b58a-ec5c-5a4e-ac93-637f72e29a7f.html
• Petroleum Experts donate MOVE software worth $2.18 million to WKU Department of Geography and Geology, 2018. Available at http://alumni.wku.edu/s/808/landing.aspx?sid=808&gid=1&pgid=4435
• Ogden College June Newsletter. Women in Science Award, 2017. Available at http://www.wku.edu/ogden/documents/2017_documents/2017_spring_newsletter.pdf
• WKU News, June 7. Summer filled with research, internships, study abroad for Gatton Academy students. Available at https://wkunews.wordpress.com/2016/06/07/gatton-summer-2016/
• WKU News, December 11, 2015. WKU Faculty, Staff Honored for Grant Activities. Available at: https://wkunews.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/osp-awards-2015/
• WKU News and Ogden News, August 28, 2014: WKU Faculty member receives grant to support research in East Africa. Available at: http://wkunews.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/research-gani-acs-prf/
• WKU Office Of Research News, August 26, 2014. WKU geology faculty receives ACS-PRF grant to support research. Available at:

• WKU News and Ogden News, May 8, 2014: WKU Geology Faculty member to lecture at Blue Mind conference. Available at: http://wkunews.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/gani-bluemind/

• WKU Herald Magazine, 2014: Geography department receives software grant, April 7, 2014. Available at: http://wkuherald.com/news/article_0e85d8da-bea1-11e3-82f9 0017a43b2370.html  
• WKU News, 2012: WKU geoscientists publish research http://wkunews.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/geoscience-research/
• New Wave, Tulane University 2012: Early humans loved living near water, too.
• MS-NBC, 2011: Humans originated alongside rivers, evidence suggests, December 20, online at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45738738/ns/technology_and_science-science/.
• Science News Daily, 2011: Couple finds evidence indicating earliest humans lived by rivers and streams, December 26, online at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22332329/.
• Yahoo News, 2011: Humans originated alongside rivers, evidence suggests, December 20, online at: http://news.yahoo.com/humans-originated-near-rivers-evidence-suggests-162603256.html.
• Discovery Channel series “Atlas 4D” : a documentary on East African Rift, which is partly based on our Geotimes paper (Gani and Gani 2008) that explains our Tectonic Hypothesis of Human Evolution (aired in June 2010).
• Geo sapiens, Geology and Art Exhibition, November, 2009: First international competition on fusion of geology and art among geologists exhibited our dual painting (Oil on Canvas) titled "Tectonic Hypothesis of Human Evolution". Link
• Verlag Theater der Zeit: Interview with Frank Raddatz, a theater director from Berlin who is writing a play and making documentary about sustainable development in cities affected by climate,September 17, 2009 .
•  University of New Orleans Official Magazine, Fall 2009 Issue, mentioned our dual painting (Oil on Canvas) cited "Tectonic Hypothesis of Human Evolution" that was selected through a worldwide competition among geologists under Faculty Focus section. Link
•  Continuum Magazine, Summer 2008, University of Utah: “Evolution and Uplift" U of U geologists find harmony and insight in both personal and professional discovery. Link
•  Salt Lake Tribune, 2008: Theory of evolution gets geologic update, in print (January 14, 2008). Link
•  FOX News: Geology May Have Created Perfect 'Cradle of Humanity', December 20, 2007. Link
•  Innovation Report, Germany, 2007: Evolution tied to Earth movement, December 19. Link
•  Live Science: Mountains of Evidence Suggest Human Evolution Had Rocky Start, December 19, 2007. Link
•  Daily India: Tectonics created “Wall of Africa” allowed humanity to emerge, December 19, 2007. Link
•  NPR: National Public Radio, December 19, 2007: Tectonic causes  of human evolution, In NPR central news from Washington DC.
•  MSNBC: Study: Human evolution had rocky start, December 19, 2007. link
•  Discovery Channel: Geologists: Ethiopian Plateau Spurred Human Evolution, September 18, 2007. Link
•  MIT, Science Journalism: 3 million years ago the Ethiopian plateau rose. So did genus Homo. Coincidence?, September 18, 2007. Link
•  New Scientist: Climate change drove humans out of Africa, September 8, 2007, page 17.
•  Anthropology Net: The Formation of Ethiopian Plateau and Human Evolution, September 1, 2007. Link
•  Science Daily: Ethiopian Plateau Formation Coincided With Climate Change That May Have Spurred Human Evolution, August 28, 2007. Link

Interviews with public media

• WKU News Channel 12 with Ian Roundtree on recent earthquake near the Turkey-Syria border, February 8, 2023.
• ‘Environmental Geology course teaching method’ interviewed with Peter Offiong, Acquisitions Editor with Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, October 28, 2022.
• Interviewed with Alex Johnson for zippia.com, the career expert site, “Experts weigh on current job market trends, April 2, 2021.
• WKU Herald Magazine: Interviewed with Debra Murray for WKU Herald, Women History Month, March 2021.
• WKU Herald Magazine: Interviewed with Laurel Deppen for WKU Herald, Western Kentucky University, September, on the state of women in the STEM fields. March 27, 2019.
• Bowling Green Daily News: interviewed with Aaron Mudd, Education Reporter, on my $2.8M MOVE software donation grant from Petroleum Experts.
• Science Friday: interviewed with Christopher Intagliata, senior producer on my research in Ethiopia and in Kentucky geology work, 2017.
• WKYU-PBS TV: interview with Barbara Deeb on recent Nepal Earthquake, May 6, 2015. This Interview was aired on May 9th and 10th, 2015.
• Kendall Hunt Publishing Company: Interviewed with Kerry Hollifield, Acquisitions Editor, Higher Education Division for “The Earth (GEOL 111) and The Earth Lab (GEOL 113) courses and teaching strategies and publishing textbook, 2015.
• Interviewed with Mary Caperton Morton of EARTH magazine, American Geophysical Institute on ‘the role of climate in early human evolution’ December 31st, 2014.
• Interviewed with Anna Lawson for College Heights Herald, Western Kentucky University, September 2014 on ACS-PRF grant.
• Interviewed with Sean Kimble, Acquisitions Manager, Great River Technologies, August, 2014: “Our Dynamic Planet (GEOL 103), The Earth (GEOL 111) and The Earth Lab (GEOL 113) courses and approach to teaching”
• Interviewed with J. Nicholas for 4th annual Blue Mind Summit, Cornwall, United Kingdom, January 2014: “human evolution relative to aquatic/riverine systems”.
• Interviewed with Mackenzie for WKU Herald Magazine, Western Kentucky University, March 2014: “MOVE software grant.”
• Interviewed with "Earth Magazine" to get perspective on the research (by Henry Wichura et al's recent paper in Geology titled, "Evidence for middle Miocene uplift of the East African Plateau") and how it plays into our research (June, 2010).
• Verlag Theater der Zeit:  September 17, 2009: Interview with Frank Raddatz, a theater director from Berlin who is writing a play and making documentary about sustainable development in cities affected by climate.
• Interviewed for the Driftwood newspaper in the "Faculty Focus" series, April 21, 2009 (volume 50, issue 24).
• Discovery Channel, 2007: Geologists: Ethiopian Plateau Spurred Human Evolution, online September 18, 2007.
• Continuum Magazine, Summer 2008, University of Utah: “Evolution and Uplift" U of U geologists find harmony and insight in both personal and professional discovery. 

Invited Talks

• Presented FLY Capstone project to WKU Provost, Deans, and Department Chairs, and Colleagues, May 7, 2024.
• Invited Speaker, KY AIPG DEI Series, University of Kentucky and KY-AIPG, June 28, 2021 
• Invited Speaker, BRADD (Barren River Development District) Regional Hazard Mitigation, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 2016.
• Guest Lecture in Geoscience Research and Literacy (GEOS 500) course, Department of Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University, 2015. 
• From Blue Nile to Blue Mind, water runs deep, 4th annual Blue Mind Summit, Cornwall, United Kingdom, June 11, 2014. (This is a prestigious conference where only a few selected experts around the world are invited to speak on importance of water on science, art, and humanities).
•  Blue Nile incision, Ethiopian Plateau, and Hominin Evolution. Luncheon Lecture Series, New Orleans Geological Society, December 2009.
•  Blue Nile incision, Ethiopian Plateau Uplift, and Hominin Evolution, Distinguished Lecture Series, Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, March 2008.
•  The Gorge of the Nile, Ethiopia: Remote Sensing and Digital Elevation Models Data Integration, Geological Survey of Ethiopia, December 2003.