Instructor(s): Dr. Michael Kaiser
Number of Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: PLAS/SOIL 153 or GEOL 101; CHEM 109A/L and 110A/L; CHEM 221 or 251.
Description: The online class is designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. The class deals with chemical and mineralogical properties of soil components, the inorganic colloidal fraction, structures of soil minerals as means of understanding properties such as ion exchange and equilibria, release and supply of nutrient and toxic materials, and soil acidity and alkalinity, and with forms and functions of organic matter in soil.
Prerequisites: Admission to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AGRO/HORT/SOIL 153 or GEOL 101, CHEM 109 and 110, CHEM 221 or 251 or equivalent.
Course Requirements & Materials:
- Technical Requirements: PC or laptop/notebook, high-speed Internet access, Windows software package. All materials will be available via Canvas.
- Textbooks
- Sparks, Donald L. 2003. Environmental Soil Chemistry, 2nd ed. Academic Press. San Diego, CA.
- Dixon, J. B. and D. G. Schulze (eds.). 2002. Soil Mineralogy with Environmental Applications. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. (https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.2136/sssabookser7)
Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives
- The overarching course goals center around the improvement of the student’s ability to solve problems based on the sciences unifying their areas of study, to acquire scientifically derived information and to assess its reliability, to communicate gleaned knowledge in oral or written reports, and to lead and contribute to diverse teams to propose and implement solutions to complex problems.
- The course is designed to improve understanding of major concepts and processes in soil chemistry and how soil chemical processes affect soil functions. Furthermore, this class aims to deliver a better understanding of interactions between soil organic and soil inorganic compounds and how this is related to applied soil chemical problems such as mobilization and immobilization of contaminants and nutrients.
This Course is Ideal For…
- Advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in more advanced soil chemical and mineralogical understanding and application
- Industry professionals working in soil management education or extension programs
- Industry professionals working in fertilizer companies
- Landscape planners