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One of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of my position is coaching the Stockton University Environmental Science Program's soil judging team. Students can join the team by enrolling in the course, ENVL 3431 Field Soil Morphology, held every fall semester as a 2-credit Subterm A course. This course can be taken up to three times.
In this course, students examine and interpret soil profiles and site characteristics through digging pits on campus and during field trips held across New Jersey and other neighboring states. Profiles are three-dimensional cross-sectional areas of soils that contain horizons or layers of soils with different properties.
Students gain experience describing and interpreting soils throughout the semester, which are useful skills needed by professionals in the field of soil science. They are able to identify soil horizons and their properties, which include color, texture, structure, depth, consistence, rock content, water drainage, and presence of redoximorphic features. They then classify soils using soil taxonomy and interpret them for particular uses and limitations using the properties described. Students are typically given an hour to accomplish all of the above for each pit examined. At the conclusion of the semester, students demonstrate the skills that they learned through attending and competing in the annual Northeast Regional Collegiate Soil Judging Contest against other colleges and universities throughout the region. The location of the regional contest typically rotates around different locations in the Northeastern United States every Fall, and the winners of the contest move on to compete at the national contest held every Spring. In addition to the learning experiences and skills garnered by judgers, soil judging is also a great resume builder and networking opportunity!
Are you an undergraduate student at or prospective student of Stockton University? Are you interested in Soils? Let me know!
In this course, students examine and interpret soil profiles and site characteristics through digging pits on campus and during field trips held across New Jersey and other neighboring states. Profiles are three-dimensional cross-sectional areas of soils that contain horizons or layers of soils with different properties.
Students gain experience describing and interpreting soils throughout the semester, which are useful skills needed by professionals in the field of soil science. They are able to identify soil horizons and their properties, which include color, texture, structure, depth, consistence, rock content, water drainage, and presence of redoximorphic features. They then classify soils using soil taxonomy and interpret them for particular uses and limitations using the properties described. Students are typically given an hour to accomplish all of the above for each pit examined. At the conclusion of the semester, students demonstrate the skills that they learned through attending and competing in the annual Northeast Regional Collegiate Soil Judging Contest against other colleges and universities throughout the region. The location of the regional contest typically rotates around different locations in the Northeastern United States every Fall, and the winners of the contest move on to compete at the national contest held every Spring. In addition to the learning experiences and skills garnered by judgers, soil judging is also a great resume builder and networking opportunity!
Are you an undergraduate student at or prospective student of Stockton University? Are you interested in Soils? Let me know!