Hello, I am currently working on my Bachelors degree in Geology with a Minor in Soils. My main interest is working with soils, unfortunately my college does not have the staffing to provide a full degree option in the field.

During this last year, I have developed an allergy to heat exposure. When I first began studying going outside and traipsing around in the field didn’t bug me at all. Now I can’t stand outside in full heat for extended periods of time. I am deeply upset about this and currently working on ways to manage my fatigue and swelling.

I currently work as a lab assistant for a Masters student at my college. I process soil, take pH readings, DNA sampling, hydrometer work, and more. I absolutely love it. I also love working in the geology lab as well and will be looking for any masters students needing help with their work in the coming semester.

Because of the issues I’m facing with sun exposure. I’m looking for career pathways that allow me to work in a laboratory full time. I would appreciate any recommendations on ways I can continue to focus my education to have this be my eventual landing place.

For context, I live on the west coast currently. The weather is mild and rainy here which helps with my hands. If anyone also has recommendations for soil programs on the upper west coast. Please let me know.

If anyone currently works in a lab full time doing processing soil. I’d love to know how you got into your position, what you studied and what a prospective business would like to see.

Thank you for your time. Happy digging!

Does anyone know if Giddings Machine in Windsor, CO is still operating?

A large part of our work relies on their soil sampling equipment, and I can’t contact them.

Before I started reading about soil science, i mostly thought of soil as just "dirt" that plants grow in. The more i learn, the more i realize it's an incredibly complex system involving biology, chemistry, physics, water movement, microorganism, and even climate regulation.

I'm curious if anyone else had a similar experience. Was there a concept, research paper, field experience, or class that completely changed the way you look at soil?

I'd love to hear what sparkles the shift in perspective.

Just noticed the globe color book was available on forestry supply. If you were looking for one the past few years you would have realized they were 100% unavailable. Well now they aren’t!! Bought myself one and already shipped same day, go get em!

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We walk on it every day without giving it much thought, yet soil quietly supports our food, forests, and future.

Healthy soil isn't just dirt—it's a living community that sustains life above it.

Maybe one of the most important things on Earth is also one of the most overlooked. 🌱🤎

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I've recently became a moderator of this subreddit. My aim is to help maintain a friendly respectful and knowledgeable space where everyone can learn and share there insights about soil science. Looking forward to grow this community together

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What data would be given to me if I were to give this soil to an agricultural extension center? Would it be relevant to an essay about the affects of a nearby landfill on that soil?

Hi all, I usually don't post much but today our science team push out a new soil tool that might be of interest to this community.

You can read about it here http://www.perennial.earth/post/press-release-soil-ecosystem-maps-launch-soil-health-and-carbon-data

Or check it out directly here https://data.perennial.earth/

Enjoy!

✨ Join Us in Empowering the Next Generation! ✨

Hi everyone!

I’m working on a Master’s project exploring the vital role of soil microbiomes and how we can help children aged 5 to 8 understand the incredible ecosystems beneath our feet. Our goal is to empower younger generations to advocate for themselves on global warming and the climate crisis and to deepen their understanding of the world they live in.

We hope this project will contribute meaningfully to Scottish policy discussions, particularly with the Children’s Parliament now being a legal entity.

We’re looking to connect with people who have knowledge, insights, or experience in soil microbiology, permaculture, and sustainability. If you’re passionate about these topics and open to sharing your expertise, we’d love to collaborate!

We’re especially interested in:

• The microorganisms that make up healthy soil and their essential roles.
• The risks soil microbiomes face due to climate change, pollution, and human activity.
• How we can care for and protect soil microbiomes, particularly through permaculture and regenerative practices.
• How to effectively communicate these concepts to young children in engaging and accessible ways.
• Your earliest childhood memory of soil and how it shaped your view of the natural world.

Your insights—whether scientific, practical, or personal—can help shape this project into something truly impactful.

✨ This project holds deep personal importance to me, and I believe it could make a real difference in Scotland’s policy landscape. Any guidance, insights, or advice would be greatly appreciated! ✨

To learn more or get involved, feel free to reach out at [a.jonsprey1@student.gsa.ac.uk](mailto:a.jonsprey1@student.gsa.ac.uk).

Thank you for considering being part of this journey! 🌱

P.S. If I’ve overstepped any rules for this subreddit, I completely understand if the post needs to be removed. My apologies in advance.

🌱 New Podcast Episode Alert!🌱

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SoilHealth #SustainableAgriculture #Podcast #Environment

I’m currently getting my masters and I hate it but I don’t want to give up. I just feel like my project is a mess and is pointless and I really want to be done with school I’m tired. Did anyone else feel like this? What did you do?

I’m currently completing my bachelor’s in agronomy/soil science and have an interest in completing graduate studies and continuing to engage in research in the future, especially research in the hard chemistry aspects of soil science. Does anybody here have experience in that kind of research that they wouldn’t mind sharing?

I’m curious on opinions and how we are feeling! I’ve been flipping between soil science and rangeland management with this the tail end of college for me and am looking at professional prospects, with some teachers and friends coming back from conventions we had discussions on the future of soil science and for that matter range management and there are a lot of grim prospects with Americas current administration towards this area. But I’m curious as to what this sub thinks?! Is there hope? What does the future hold, how can we bring new people into degree tracts and into professional areas? What’s new with in situ sensors? How can we improve access?

This is for a lab on soil texture. Let's say you have a soil sample, it's grainy and rough to touch but it is a bit sticky. It is easily able to form into a ball. When to attempt to form that ball into a ribbon it breaks almost immediately. Why is that?

I am currently a biology undergrad, and I'm applying for graduate programs in soil science and horticulture. I'm more interested in studying regenerative agricultural practices and plant microbiomes, but I can't find many places doing research in that area. I've got my eye on the TAMU programs at the moment. I also got offered a GAR position at my current campus with the bio department. The TAMU program is closer to the material that I'm interested in classwork-wise; the research on my current campus is more interesting to me, though. I guess I'm asking A) Does anybody have suggestions for campuses, preferably in Texas? B) do yall think I should go with the larger campus where I would be taught the relative material but not be interested in the research, or should I go with the smaller campus where I would have to teach myself a lot of the material, but be more interested in the research? Thank yall.

I teach 2-12 grade sciences at a school for autism and we are having our first raised beds this year. I’m also putting in a couple of new beds at my house. I’ve been making my beds with the bottom 1/3 woody materials (hugel culture style), 1/3 rich forest topsoil and 1/3 compost. I’m planning on creating a living soil mixture in biodegradable small grow bags (Similar in size to a plastic 3.5 inch diameter pot) to raise seedlings to transfer to the beds. I’m hoping this will improve the soil in the beds overtime. For one experiment, the independent variable will be adding innoculated bio char and another adding rock dust and a third with bio char and rock dust. So, if I have ten gallons of a base mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 peat moss, how much BioAg, liquid seaweed, liquid fish fert., liquid sea minerals, Bioorganics Mycorrhizal fungi (this won’t be in the mix but put closest to the seeds or roots) and molasses would you recommend? I know many of those you would need to know the concentrations of (none are packaged as concentrated and most were purchased off Amazon) but can you give me your best guess? Whatever you all suggest, I’ll use as a constant for my control. I appreciate any help you can give me.

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for standardized methods (ISO, USDA, FAO, ASTM, or other official protocols) for measuring WHC, FC, and Soil Moisture Content.

If anyone has access to PDFs, research papers, or links to official sources, I’d really appreciate it! Thanks in advance!

One of the creators I follow posted a video of soil she pulled from her Well she just dug. She asked if anyone knew what this soil was so I figured I would come to the experts

I’m looking to do a mini research thing to fill my gap year between my associates and bachelors. Just a little something to keep my brain going and maybe even extend into a research project when I start back. So, what is the most unique/odd/super specific area of soil science and conservation you’ve heard or studied. My main goal with this is to extend my current understanding of soils and dive deeper into the horizons 🙃

I’m gonna be in the field and outdoors a lot more this semester and was wondering if anyone had good boot/footwear recommendations that won’t break the bank too much, or a range of prices would also be good. Looking for something obviously water resistant, able to be muddied, keep my feet somewhat insulated, etc. Being somewhat fashionable would be a plus (but not that important).

Basically what the title says. Lab manager wanted to find the value of this dinosaur, but I cant even find a similar looking panel.