BOWLING GREEN, KY - A Western Kentucky University professor has been selected as a finalist for a prestigious award in China.

The Daily News in Bowling Green reports Chris Groves, who teaches geography and geology at WKU, is a finalist for the 2012 People's Republic of China Friendship Award. The honor is the highest given to foreign experts who work in the country.

Groves said the nomination cites his work in an area of China that has several caves — just like south-central Kentucky where Mammoth Cave National Park is located. Groves said his main project in China deals with water resources and quality. He said most people in Kentucky have access to clean water, but access to water in China is "very limited."