News
2023 SSSA Pedology Division Award
Dr. Yakun Zhang has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the SSSA Pedology Division Award for her
contributions to the field of Pedology. The Award Committee strongly believes that her contributions to
pedology matched the award criteria through the development of methods and techniques that advance the field of pedology. Her development of soil sensing techniques to quantitatively characterize soil profiles and subsequent application of these techniques to 1) investigate the ability of these methods to detect soil horizons and orders, and 2) to investigate the drivers of short-range soil variation in a young, glaciated landscape. She will present her work at the Advancing Pedology Colloquium during the ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting in St. Louis this year (Oct. 29-Nov. 1 2023).
F.H. King Celebration
Franklin Hiram King was born on June 8 in 1848 on a farm near Whitewater, Wisconsin. He became the first professor of soil science at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison and he studied soil water, drainage, tillage, irrigation, swamps, nitrate movement, erosion by wind on sandy soils, the
construction of silos, maintenance of country roads, making of silage, and the comparative value of warm and cold water for dairy cows. On June 8, 2023, we will celebrate that it is 175 years ago that he was born. Program in 270 Soils Bldg., 1525 Observatory Dr., 3 to 5 pm.
Program: 3 to 3:05 Welcome; 3:05 to 3:25 “King’s early years” by Peter Jacobs; 3:25 to 3:45 “King with the Dept. of Soil Science” by Alfred Hartemink; 3:45 to 4:05 “Soil chemistry and King” by Phil Barak; 4:05 to 4:25 pm “Soil Physics” by Jingyi Huang. Reception in Jackson-Tanner Commons. All are welcome. Attendance is free. RSVP to Julie Garvin (jgarvin2@wisc.edu)
Global Conference on Sandy Soils
Management and Properties
4th June – 8th June 2023 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin | U.S.A.
Sandy soils cover approximately 900 million ha worldwide particularly in arid or semi-arid regions. There are extensive areas of sandy soils under cultivation, but the soil fertility is often low. Sandy soils – as a group of soils – have received limited research attention. With increasing global pressure on land resources, marginal soils such as sandy soils are taken into production or cultivated more intensely. There is a need to quantify and understand the properties of sandy soils. This conference will bring together experts on sandy soils from across the world.
- Abstract submission deadline: 15th March 2023
- Registration deadline: 15th April 2023
For more information, please contact Alfred Hartemink (hartemink@wisc.edu) or Jingyi Huang (jhuang426@wisc.edu)
In Memoriam: Joel Pedersen
November 15, 1965 – June 29, 2022
Our former faculty Joel Pedersen passed away on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Joel came to the Department of Soil Science in 2001 and established an innovative internationally acclaimed research program that focused on environmental chemistry, and specifically the bioavailability of nanomaterials, and organic contaminants. He conducted groundbreaking research on prions in soils and chronic wasting disease which is a growing problem in Wisconsin. Last year Joel accepted a position at Johns Hopkins University but was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer soon after his arrival in Baltimore. Joel was a wonderful colleague, friend, and a superb researcher and mentor. The department is deeply saddened by his passing.
A departmental memorial will be held on Wednesday, July 27 at 10 am in the Jackson-Tanner commons. All are welcome.
Welcome: Dr. Xia Zhu-Barker
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Xia Zhu-Barker has joined the faculty of the Dept. of Soil Science. Dr. Zhu-Barker was previously an associate professional researcher and lecturer in the Dept. of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC-Davis where she advanced her career combining soil biogeochemistry, agroecology, agronomy, and environmental science. Her UW-Madison research will focus on identifying and addressing emerging issues common to both land management, environmental protection, climate change and waste recycling; these issues involve and will encourage connections among soil chemists, soil physicists, soil microbiologists, agronomists, plant pathologists, animal scientists, hydrologists, and atmospheric scientists within the department as well as across campus and other institutions. She is the author or co-author of over 36 peer-reviewed publications/book chapters and serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Environmental Quality. Dr. Zhu-Barker is actively looking for graduate students and postdocs who are eager to engage in fundamental and applied research related to soil biogeochemistry, land management and environmental sustainability
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Francisco Arriaga, Geoff Siemering, Doug Soldat, and Zac Freedman for being one of the grant recipients of the inaugural Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Partnership Program. The Graduate School MSI Partnership Program focuses on creating long-term and mutually beneficial relationships in areas such as research collaborations, faculty professional development, creation of collaborative activities, and exchange programs for faculty, staff, and students. The grant establishes a partnership with the Univ. of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Francisco is an alumnus of the university and has maintained individual relationships with its faculty, including Mario Flores-Mangual, who earned his PhD in Soil Science at UW-Madison. This project seeks to establish week-long, field-based classes in Wisconsin and Puerto Rico, where students will be able to determine differences between ecosystems in both locations. Students will also interact with individuals at the partner institution to learn how cultural differences inform ecosystem management.
Jingyi Huang, Recipient of Vilas Award
The William F. Vilas Trust Estate provides funding each year for a number of awards through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. Our own, Jingyi Huang, is this year’s recipient of the Vilas Faculty Early-Career Investigator Award, which provides research and scholarly activity support for 3 years.
This award is a great honor and confirms the high esteem in which the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean and departmental colleagues hold Jingyi’s commitment to his students, peers, academia, research, and scholarly works.