Activities and Projects

WORKSHOPS

Frontiers in Soil Science Research
On December 12-14, 2005, the National Academies convened a workshop of experts in soil science and associated disciplines to address the emerging research opportunities. The steering committee, chaired by national committee for Soil Science member Charles Rice of Kansas State University, identified speakers for the workshop, paying particular attention to scientists who recognize the importance of integrating the biological, geological, chemical, and information technology sciences within soil science. A workshop summary report will be released in 2006. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the Soil Science Society of America. Additional information is available on the workshop website.

TRAVEL FELLOWSHIPS FOR WORLD CONGRESS OF SOIL SCIENCE

The national committee awarded travel fellowships to students and early career scientists to attend the 18^th World Congress of Soil Science in July 2006. The program is named in honor of USNC chair emeritus and National Academy of Sciences member, Wilford R. Gardner.

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SOIL SCIENCES
2006
The 18^th World Congress of Soil Science was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 9-15, 2006. The congress was hosted by the U.S. National Committee for Soil Science, in cooperation with the Soil Science Society of America and the International Union of Soil Sciences. The IUSS Council met during the meeting. The U.S. representative to the council was national committee chair, Donald Nielsen, University of California-Davis. Charles Rice, Kansas State University, was the alternate delegate.

2004
In April 2004, the IUSS Council met in Philadelphia. The U.S. representative to the council was national committee chair, Donald Nielsen, with J. Thomas Sims, University of Delaware and then-president of the Soil Science Society of America serving as the alternate delegate. The council meetings were part of the IUSS InterCongress, at which all IUSS officers met to finalize the symposia for the 2006 World Congress. The official minutes of the meeting are in the IUSS Bulletin #104.

2002
National committee chair Donald Nielsen was the U.S. delegate to the IUSS Council meetings, held during the 17th World Congress of Soil Science in Bangkok, Thailand, August 14-21, 2002. He presented two recommendations to the IUSS Council on soil organic matter and a soil resource inventory. The theme of the congress was "Soil Science: Confronting New Realities in the 21st Century". A report on the congress is available here.

PUBLIC SEMINARS
The committee has hosted two public seminars: carbon sequestration in February 2001 and Optimizing Nitrogen Management in Energy & Food Production in February 2002.

GENERAL COMMITTEE BUSINESS
The committee meets twice per year; meetings are open by invitation only.

Reports of the committee to the Soil Science Society of America Board of Directors at recent SSSA annual meetings are available here.