TrulyGrace

Soil Science I

I have one of my graduate degrees in soil science, and I currently teach in a biology department. Most US soils departments grew out of agronomy departments, and I noticed how diverse the types of questions asked by soil chemists, physicists, biologists, geomorphologists, pedologists, etc. were whenever I attended a national meeting.

While I was a grad student, mi asessor, Bob, once asked me if I had any ideas as to why more women were entering a field such as soil science. I replied that much of soil science is allied with the life sciences, which more women tend to gravitate towarda and to be graduated from graduate school; and it is an interdisciplinary field, which may tend to attract more women. I don't know how true my second statement was as a generalization, but it was true for me when I was in grad school....

Now, my students are studying microorganisms in the biology classroom and we ask some questions about soil as thought questions for our students. I have differences about some of the basic assumptions about soils (generally) that are stated in the questions, which I have relayed to my current asessor more than once. Such a new curriculum, there are SO MANY new insights and questions. I hope my concerns don't end up on the back burner...Soils deserve a decent place in our curriculum, especially when discussing microorganisms and also N-cycling.

Labels: biology, geology, science, soils, teaching

posted by Grace @ 9/09/2007 08:58:00 PM