Undergraduate students in Plant and Landscape Systems/Soils 153 Soil Resources will present infographic posters on differing soils across Nebraska from 8 to 9:30 a.m. May 5 at the Nebraska East Union, Great Plains Room.
The public is invited to “A Tour of Nebraska Soils” to learn from students about 24 different soil series. The infographics are the final products of the students’ semester-long investigation into the formation and morphology, physical and chemical conditions, and land-use suitability and limitations of these soils.
The course is taught by soil scientists Becky Young, associate professor of practice in agronomy and horticulture, and Michael Kaiser, associate professor in agronomy and horticulture, and examines how soil characteristics relate to environmental conditions, ecosystem functions and sustainable use. It includes hands-on measurement and evaluation of soil properties and teaches students to describe soils and assess their suitability or limitations using publicly available soil databases.
“The soil series infographic project is one of our favorite student group projects we have had in the course,” Young said. “Over the semester, our students become experts on one of Nebraska’s 400+ soil series and get the opportunity to share the story of their soil with faculty and staff from across CASNR. Our colleagues from area USDA-NRCS offices also love to attend and participate in these student discussions and hear from our students about how they are learning about and understanding soil science in new ways each year.”
