KGS in the Media

Burgin flood survivor returns home

Woman displaced 10 months by back-to-back floods refuses to leave neighborhood as geological survey tests dewatering wells

Kentucky geologist creates trail guide to showcase state’s natural arches

Kentucky Geological Survey visits Kentucky River landslide area in Frankfort

More than 500 homes in Franklin County were invaded by the Kentucky River during historic flooding last April. But in some places, homes were also affected by land movement. At that time, it was a difficult task to tell someone they weren't allowed in their own home. But that’s what Autumn Goderwis, the planning director for Franklin County, had to do because of landslides.

UK landslide research expands to Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati

The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) received a $182,961 grant from the U.S. Geological Survey to advance geological understanding and hazard preparedness for Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. The project will produce landslide inventory maps and landslide susceptibility maps for the region that will benefit city planners, local governments and landowners.

CLIMBS Researchers Go Global in Finding Hazard Solutions through NSF’s CLaSH Initiative

Geologic hazards are complicated, connected, and continuous. While extreme precipitation events can cause catastrophic flooding, the intense precipitation can also induce widespread landslide activity. The landslide deposits can block small streams or send pulses of materials into rivers, exacerbating the destructiveness of the flood by changing the nature of the flow and providing larger debris that can impact infrastructure. Similarly, wildfire burns vegetation, making hillslopes more susceptible to landsliding during intense precipitation. The positive feedback between one hazard exacerbating the severity of another hazard is referred to as a hazard cascade. Understanding hazard cascades and their impacts on infrastructure and people is difficult, and exactly the type of challenge addressed through the National Science Foundation’s new CLaSH – Center for Land Surface Hazards (CLaSH). Kentucky researchers are playing a key role.

From student to scientist: tackling flooding in Eastern Kentucky

Growing up in a military family meant frequent moves for Meredith Swallom. But one state eventually stood out... One area where Swallom is making a difference is in flood resilience research. In Eastern Kentucky, where steep terrain, changing land use and intense storms combine with devastating results, flooding is an urgent issue. After the catastrophic July 2022 flooding, Swallom built a detailed flood model to investigate how land changes and land use may have contributed to flooding, focusing her research on Letcher County, Kentucky.

A Silent Killer: Unmasking Radon’s Link to Lung Cancer

Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related death, yet many cases occur in people who have never smoked. One often-overlooked culprit is radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas and the second leading cause of lung cancer. In this episode, Pharmacy Times® was joined by experts from the University of Kentucky. Stacy Stanifer, PhD, APRN, AOCNS, assistant professor, nurse scientist, and oncology clinical nurse specialist; Timothy Mullett, thoracic surgeon; Donna Robinson, geologist at the Kentucky Geological Survey and PhD student; and Jane Malone, national policy director at the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, discuss the challenges of screening for radon-induced lung cancer, the interplay with smoking, and the gaps in current policy and public awareness. They highlight actionable steps listeners can take—from testing their homes to advocating for stronger protections—to help reduce radon-related risks. This conversation shines a light on a silent but preventable threat and underscores the importance of awareness, education, and action.

UK’s Meredith Swallom Wins Top Honors for Flood Research

Meredith Swallom, a 4th year PhD student supported under Project 2 of CLIMBS’ Paleo-Perspectives initiative, won top honors in the Lightning Talk competition at the 2025 John P. Wyatt, M.D. Environment and Health Symposium on April 22nd. Her talk, “Drainages, Dams, and Downpours: What Makes a Flood?”, explored how past and present landscape changes may have shaped the severity of flooding in Eastern Kentucky in July 2022. Swallom specifically examined the North Fork watershed of the Kentucky River, where natural topography and human infrastructure collide in complex ways. Her models incorporate legacy modifications such as mountaintop removal and channel narrowing, and contemporary interventions like bridges and road culverts, interact with extreme precipitation.