Today we welcomed Dr. Alex Hunt back into the studio to discuss the forthcoming Southern Plains Conference 2020, with the theme “Representing, Modeling, and Imagining Water on the Southern Plains.” Dr. Hunt heads up the Center for the Study of the American West (CSAW) at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. The conference will take place on campus on February 20th and 21st at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.
For more information about how to register and attend, click here. To find out more, call Dr. Hunt at (806) 651-2457 or send him an email at ahunt@wtamu.edu. To hear our full interview, click the link below:
MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: The conference theme, which changes every two years, brings attention to how experts, including scientists, measure and understand the Ogallala Aquifer, and then how they help the general public see and understand it in turn. Confirmed speakers include: Merri Lisa Trigilio, geoscientist and filmmaker of the one-hour documentary Written on Water; Julene Bair, author of The Ogallala Road; and Kenna Lang Archer, environmental historian and co-author of Ogallala: Water for a Dry Land. West Texas A&M University faculty presenting at the conference include environmental engineer Nathan Howell, agricultural scientist Lal Almas, and environmental historian Byron Pearson. The program also includes professionals and practitioners from the region.
The conference will begin on the afternoon of Thursday, February 20, with a panel discussion on the conference theme featuring a slate of cross-disciplinary perspectives. Thursday evening will feature a screening of Written on Water followed by a Q&A featuring Merri Lisa Trigilio. Friday will be a full day of panels and keynote speakers, with lunch provided. On Saturday morning, WTAMU’s School of Engineering will present a learning activity for K-12 students, free at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.
Sponsors for the conference include WTAMU’s School of Engineering and College of Agriculture, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the Texas Panhandle Audubon Society, and the Dixon Water Foundation.
