Dr. George N. Huppert participated in early hydrological studies at Mammoth Cave National Park in 1975, under the tutelage of the renowned cave geologist, Jim Quinlan. Over the next three decades, George distinguished himself as one of the leading cave management experts in the United States.
Learn MoreThe Dr. George N. Huppert Scholarship Program is open to all those involved in cave and karst management, and may be used to encourage papers as well as attendance. For example, students, people new to cave management, cave and land conservancy members, federal and state employees involved in cave management, and individuals with limited financial resources are all eligible for scholarships. Priority is given to applicants who will be attending the full symposium, and applications for day passes may not be considered appropriate.
Applicants will be ranked as follows:
Student presenting a paper
Student not presenting a paper
Non-student presenting a paper
Non-student not presenting a paper
Scholarship funding for recipients covers lodging or registration costs, or both. Each scholarship recipient is responsible for additional expenses, including transportation and food.
The deadline for submitting scholarship applications for the 2025 NCKMS is August 20. Applicants who submit their requests before the deadline will be notified.
To apply for a scholarship to the upcoming symposium, download and complete the application form and email it to: scholarships@nckms.org. Members of our scholarship committee will review your application and respond after the closing date. Please feel free to send any questions you may have about scholarships to that same address.
Sitting at Nevada's eastern edge of the "Loneliest Road in America," Ely is a remote mountain town where history, art and outdoor adventure thrive. Ely was founded in the 1870s as a stagecoach stop and trading post called Murray Station, but it would become one of the country's major copper mining regions.
The Nevada Northern Railway arrived in 1906. Now, this well preserved short-line railway draws visitors from all over the world to ride on its queens of steam and historic diesel engines.
Nevada's Lovelock Cave is one of the most important classic sites of the Great Basin archaeological record because conditions of the cave are conducive to the preservation of organic and inorganic material.
In 1911 two miners, David Pugh and James Hart, were hired to mine for bat guano from the cave. They removed a layer of guano estimated to be three to six feet deep and weighing about 250 tons. The miners were aware of the artifacts they were disturbing but, unfortunately, only the most interesting specimens were saved. Archaeologists were quickly alerted to the existence of the cave where they found 11 pre-historic duck decoys stored inside two woven baskets.
The cave was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 1984. It was the first major cave in the Great Basin to be excavated.
Registration for the 2025 symposium has been briefly delayed as we try to interpret the impact global tariffs will have on our financial model. A lot of items we purchase for the conference are sourced from international markets (convention bags, merchandise, etc.) We should have this figured out in the next few days and will send an email to past attendees when that system comes online.
Feel free to join our mailing list if you would like to receive occasional updates on our plans.