Jefferson County Public Library Welcomes Hanover College Geology Professor Ken Bevis as Water/Ways

Jefferson County Public Library Welcomes Hanover College Geology Professor Ken Bevis as Water/Ways Speaker

Madison, IN, January 20, 2022 – Water Resources of Jefferson County, Indiana; A Geologist’s Perspective

On Tuesday, January 25, the Jefferson County Public Library will host Hanover College Geology Professor

Ken Bevis for his presentation on water resources, as one of the programs that will be held in conjunction with the Library’s exhibition Water/Ways. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., the evening will take place in the library’s reading room. “We are very excited to host the Water/Ways project! In addition to housing the world-class exhibit, we have the honor of showcasing field experts like Dr. Bevis. His program promises to be entertaining as well as enlightening,” said Library Director Judi Terpening.

Dr. Bevis’ presentation is just one of the many different attractions that the Jefferson County Public

Library will be hosting as part of the Water/Ways exhibit. This program, available through February 20, is an interactive exhibit created by the Smithsonian Institution to highlight the role water plays in our daily lives and how it affects the local community. It is meant for everyone in the Jefferson County area and beyond.

The presentation will dive into the deeper understandings of the water resources that exist in

Jefferson County. It will speak about different water resources, including an entire section on our watershed. Dr. Bevis will ask his audience a few key questions, such as: “What does each of us know about the water we connect with; and why is answering this question important?"

As a professor at Hanover College, Ken Bevis is an expert in a range of geological subdisciplines, including: geomorphology, glacial geology, and GIS. He has been teaching geological courses at a college level since the early 1990’s and has a website about geological studies, ‘Playground of Giants’

(www.intheplaygroundofgiants.com). He also teaches chemistry and physics, water resource

management, climate change and water conservation, glacial geology, as well as other areas of science

that are for all ages interested in science.

Water/Ways explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement

and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. It looks at how political and economic planning

have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources, and how human creativity

and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the

natural environment. Designed for small-town museums, libraries and cultural organizations, Water/Ways serves as a community meeting place to hold conversations about water’s impact on American culture.

The program is sponsored in part by the Indiana Humanities’ Water/Ways Program, with support from

the Smithsonian Museum, Museum on Main Street, Indiana American Water, and Discover Indiana.

Jefferson County Public Library was founded in 1818 and serves the community with opportunities to

obtain and use information in a variety of formats, to pursue lifelong learning, to explore recreational

interests, and to better understand personal and regional heritage. In addition to books and movies, the

library offers community meeting spaces, cultural and educational programs, entertainment, one-on-one computer assistance, outreach services to homebound and children, genealogy and local history

research assistance, early literacy programs and reading and viewing suggestions. Libraries are located

in Madison and Hanover, Indiana.

Indiana Humanities connects people, opens minds and enriches lives by creating and facilitating

programs that encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk. Learn more at indianahumanities.org.

The Smithsonian’s Water/Ways exhibition dives into water—an essential component of life on our

planet, environmentally, culturally, and historically. Water/Ways is part of Museum on Main Street, a

collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide. Support

for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress. Water/Ways was adapted

from an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org),

and the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul (www.smm.org), in collaboration with Great Lakes

Science Center, Cleveland; The Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, Sao Paulo, Brazil; National

Museum of Australia, Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History

Museum; and Science Centre Singapore with PUB Singapore. Learn more about exhibit content at

https://museumonmainstreet.org/content/waterways.

Museum on Main Street is a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To

learn more about Water/Ways and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit

www.museumonmainstreet.org.

Indiana American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned

water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to

approximately 1.32 million people. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest

and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The

company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based

drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water

provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their

lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.