‘An amazing opportunity’: Students receive fellowships to travel to World Congress of Soil Science
The World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS) is a six-day international conference dedicated to sharing the latest cutting-edge research on soils from around the globe. Because the WCSS only takes place every four years, many graduate students have only one chance to attend. For the 2022 WCSS that took place this summer in Glasgow, Scotland, 10 graduate student members were fortunate enough to receive SSSA and USNC/SS (United States National Committee for Soil Science) WCSS Fellowships to help cover transportation, lodging, registration, and food costs. We represented eight different universities and presented our research covering topics such as soil health, nutrient and manure management, forest fires, root growth, sea level rise, and soil carbon estimation. It was an amazing opportunity to contribute our part to the many divisional, interdivisional, and working group sessions at the WCSS.
The fellowship committee organized a pre-Congress meeting and a dinner and breakfast during the Congress, which allowed us to meet and network with each other and a group of experienced SSSA, USDA, and USNC/SS professionals. This was a great launching point for further networking opportunities during professional organization meetings, social events such as movie screenings and the dinner gala, and soil-focused fringe events occurring throughout the city of Glasgow during the week. The support of the WCSS Fellowship helped us form friendships and collaborations that will last throughout our professional careers as soil scientists.
Finally, we were able to enjoy some much-needed time away from the lab before and after the WCSS. This included visiting the many free museums in Scotland (and getting a picture with Dolly the sheep!), meeting/visiting Scottish relatives, (responsibly) enjoying some Scottish whiskey, attending a local “Glaswegian” concert, and even running into each other on a hike on the other side of Scotland. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the chance to attend the 2022 WCSS where we had unparalleled opportunities to learn more soil science, share our findings with the world soils community, network with outstanding professionals, and build memories that will last far into the future.
Congratulations to the WCSS Fellowship Recipients
- Suleiman Kehinde Bello, King Adbulaziz University
- Nancy Bohl Bormann, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
- Carlos Bonini Pires, Kansas State University
- Fatemeh Izaditame, University of Delaware
- Franklin Linam, University of Delaware
- Katherine McCool, Oregon State University
- Leandro Vieira-Filho, University of Florida
- Manuel Sabbagh, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
- Jaclyn Fiola, Virginia Tech
- Minerva Dorantes, University of Arkansas
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