A Western Kentucky University professor received an award from China’s Ministry of Science for his work on water resources in poor regions.

Longtime professor Chris Groves was given the “Friendship Award,” which China bestows on foreign experts who contribute to the country’s economic and social progress, according to a release from the university.

Groves is a professor of hydrogeology at Western Kentucky. The university said he has studied southwest China’s karst regions, which are similar to Kentucky’s underground caverns, sinkholes and caves.

Groves has traveled to China 39 times over 25 years to help solve problems with water resources in the poor southwest rural regions, the university said.

He was also the recipient of China’s International Cooperation in Science and Technology Award in 2017.