A famous deep sea explorer will visit Bowling Green Tuesday night as Western Kentucky University launches its inaugural presidential speaker series.
Robert Ballard is best known for finding the Titanic wreckage in 1985. The oceanographer also discovered the wreckage of the German battleship Bismarck, the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, and the airplane carrying John F. Kennedy Jr., which crashed in 1999, killing the son of the former U.S. President.
“He would share that while those are the exciting discoveries and things for which he is most well-known, the most important discovery is probably thermal vents on the ocean floor and what that means for the environment," said WKU President Timothy Caboni in an interview with WKU Public Radio.
Ballard is credited with more than 160 deep sea explorations throughout his career, earning distinctions from the National Geographic Society and the Explorers Club. In 2003, President George W. Bush presented him with the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal.
President Caboni said the goal of the presidential speaker series is to bring interesting experts to campus at least once a year from an array of backgrounds, including history, economics, public policy, and art.
“One of the things that’s great about living in a college town are the opportunities to engage with folks you might not have the opportunity to hear from," Caboni said. "It’s as important what students learn outside of the classroom as what they learn inside, and this is just another great opportunity for them.”
Ballard’s presentation is open to the public and will take place Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7:00 p.m. at Van Meter Auditorium.
