A Special Experience
While this was my first Annual Meeting with ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, I have been part of conventions and trade shows across many different industries for decades. But as the days unfolded, I was asked some version of the same question again and again: “How does our Annual Meeting compare with other meetings with which you’ve had involvement?”
In retrospect, my answer is imbedded in the possessive pronoun in that question, “our.” There is a fierce pride that envelopes our Annual Meeting, which manifests itself in countless ways, but which I saw in the following:
- While many other organizations pay homage to networking and nurturing mentor/protégé relationships, our Annual Meeting embodies them. Experienced members are not just willing, but are eager to show students and early career colleagues the ropes. And scientists, students, and practitioners who spend 11 months with their heads down getting things done appear almost giddy with a few days of respite to connect with friends, old and new.
- Initially, the breadth of the overall program seems overwhelming in its magnitude—it feels almost like looking down on Times Square on New Year’s Eve. But just as anyone who’s been to the Big Apple for New Year’s Eve will tell you, it’s a lot more organized than it appears. Our Program Planning Committee and staff design the Annual Meeting so that everyone can customize their own world‐class educational experience while still being part of the biggest party of the year.
- Already I have heard people refer to our Annual Meeting as their “professional home.” As I roamed the exhibit floor, explored poster sessions, and looked in on just a small fraction of the educational program, what I saw was a group of people who have genuine pride in not just their own work, but in the work of their colleagues and peers.
I walked away from our Annual Meeting in Baltimore impressed and understanding why nearly 4,000 individuals from our community gather each year to attend. But, in the spirit of continuous improvement, we likewise have ideas on how we can accentuate our Annual Meeting—how we can deliver attendees more of what makes our Annual Meeting such a special experience. If you have specific ideas, send them in an email to me at jcudahy@sciencesocieties.org.
We’ll blend your ideas with the feedback we received from the 2022 Annual Meeting evaluation and anecdotal advice we received from attendees in Baltimore to fine‐tune the experience for 2023. And, we’ll then have our eyes and ears open for new ideas that will make our 2023 Annual Meeting the most dynamic experience possible for you and all who join us in St. Louis, 29 October–1 November.
—Jim Cudahy, CEO
2022 Annual Meeting Highlights
6–9 November, Baltimore, MD
Guest of Honor and Opening Keynote Speakers
Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Director of the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), presented “Towards a Thriving, Timely, and Inclusive Science for the 21st Century: the Role of DOE Office of Science.” Dr. Berhe described how the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science supports scientific inquiry to advance our understanding of the universe and to enable the nation’s energy security, energy transformation, and prosperity.
Richard Harris, veteran National Public Radio (NPR) science correspondent, presented “Conveying the Truth in a World of Doubt.” The full room heard from him how to communicate effectively in this treacherous landscape so that scientists can help neighbors, voters, and policymakers arrive at fact‐based decisions.
Attendees were able to reconnect, share science, create collaborations, and have fun at the 2022 Annual Meeting. The Societies are proud to supply access to premier agronomic, crop, and soil science through the Limited Virtual Annual Meeting and all the sessions in Baltimore. Thank you to all who worked together to create solutions to advance science.
Here are the numbers:
3,587 attendees in Baltimore
540 technical sessions
2,887 total submissions
140 registered for Limited Virtual
73 virtual submissions
17 professional tours and workshops
The meeting provided a great opportunity for connecting with peers, learning, touring, and presenting research.
Couldn’t attend the Peer Review Workshop at the annual meeting? Apply for our Peer Review Mentorship program at www.agronomy.org/publications/journals/peer‐review‐mentorship.
Society Center
Meet the Editors
Did you get a chance to talk to an Editor at the Annual Meeting? Find out more about journal publishing at https://www.agronomy.org/publications/journals/author‐resources.
Book Raffle
Didn’t win a book at our book raffle? You can order any of them online at https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/books.
Science Policy
Attendees speak with program officers from federal funding agencies during the Federal Funding Corner event.
Coffee with the Presidents and CEO
We hope you got your caffeine and conversation during Coffee with the Presidents and CEO.
Annual Meeting abstracts and presenter‐authorized audio recordings with slides can be viewed at
acsmeetings.org/future‐past‐meetings.
Decode 6
The Decode 6 website—a free, online education platform offering unbiased, scientific information about carbon and ecosystem services—officially went live on 7 November. To celebrate, the Decode 6 team convened a fantastic lineup of speakers for an SSSA Cross‐Divisional Symposium with more than 100 attendees and held a stellar “Carbon and Cocktails” reception and networking event.
What are you waiting for? Check it out! We’re your ASA‐CSSA‐SSSA‐supported outlet to get your research and knowledge into practice. Visit decode6.org and find ways you can share your science with practitioners and agricultural decision‐makers, or reach out directly to DJ May, Decode 6 Content & Operations Manager, at djm@decode6.org.
Photo Booth
We are so happy to see smiling faces this year at the photo stop.
Iceland Soils Tour
You might have followed Dolly around the exhibit hall—now follow her to Iceland! If you’re interested in the 2023 tour, sign up to get more information at: https://bit.ly/3uBjzTX.
Thank You to Our Sponsors and Exhibitors
We would like to extend a special thank you to our sponsors and exhibitors!
Aerodyne Research, Inc.
AGRICULEX Inc.
AgriPlex Genomics
American Peat Technology
Analytik Jena US LLC
Apogee Instruments, Inc.
Bayer Crop Science
Bio Chambers Incorporated
Biora by MineARC Systems
Burge Environmental, Inc.
CABI / CSIRO
Cambridge University Press
Campbell Scientific
CE Elantech
Cibari Biosciences LLC
CID Bio‐Science
Conviron
Crop & Soil Science– Oregon State University
Delta‐T Devices Ltd.
Dynamax, Inc.
EA Consumables, LLC
East 30 Sensors
Ecological Society of America
Eijkelkamp North America
Eiwa
Elementar Americas
Eurofins
FIAlab Instruments, Inc.
Field to Market
Gasmet Technologies Inc.
GDM Solutions, Inc.
GO Seed
HarvestMaster
Hiphen Agricultural Imaging Solutions
Irrometer Company Inc.
JBM Packaging
Kincaid Equipment Manufacturing
KUBTEC Scientific
LECO Corporation
LI‐COR Biosciences
MANTECH
METER Group, Inc. USA
MIDCO Global
Onset ‐ HOBO Data Loggers
OPS Diagnostics LLC
Picarro
PP Systems
Qubit Systems Inc.
Resonon
SEAL Analytical
Sentek USA
Soil Life
Soilmoisture Equipment Corp.
SPECTRAL EVOLUTION
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
Springer Nature
Stevens Water Monitoring Systems
UGT GmbH
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
VGrid Energy Systems
Voice Directed Tally Systems, Inc.
Western Ag Innovations Inc.
Wintersteiger Inc.
ZURN USA Inc.
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When Science Met Art in Baltimore
The Science‐Art Program at the 2022 Annual Meeting was by many measures a resounding success. Participants came from across the three Societies and from Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, the Netherlands, Philippines, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, the United States, and no doubt other nations. The program spanned the three‐day meeting and included painting, videography, poetry reading, tapestry, artificial intelligence‐created imagery, and a well‐attended and lively symposium.
The organizing committee, co‐led by Clay Robinson (Clay Robinson Consulting), Kirsten Kurtz (Cornell), and Jeanne Pluemer (ASA, CSSA, and SSSA), also included Irfan Ainuddin (California State–Chico), Garrett Liles (California State–Chico), Seth Murray (Texas A&M), Eli Newell (Cornell), Dan Richter (Duke), and Karen Vaughan (Wyoming). All came away from the meeting deeply impressed by the potential for science and art to interact to the benefit of both and determined to grow the tradition of science‐art programs at the Societies’ Annual Meeting. The 2022 program was entitled “Communicating Science Through Art” and was by far the most ambitious to date.
High points were the art gallery that featured paintings, photographs, sculptures, and striking Winogradsky columns. A collaborative soil painting event was held on Monday afternoon, led by Kirsten Kurtz, at which hundreds of
participants helped to paint large canvases with soil paint. Karen Vaughan led a community painting event called, “Paint with Soil Pigments,” in which hundreds of small soil pigment paintings were created, many of which were immediately displayed in the art gallery throughout the meeting. Dan Richter and his Merry Band of Virgil Readers read selections from the Georgics (David Ferry translation), the 2,000‐year‐old poem about the earth and agriculture. Clay Robinson led a poetry slam in which Society members read from their poetry. Kurtz curated a series of science‐art posters and videos from an array of artists and scientists.
The “Communicating Science Through Art” talks featured four speakers, Michael Walker (Positive Energy), Jenifer Wightman (Cornell), Kurtz, and Vaughan, and explored science and storytelling, “glorified” (and framed) Winogradsky columns, collaborative soil painting to stimulate communication and networking, and creative use of social media to communicate soil science through soil art. The talks led to many conversations, comments, and new networks.
The Science‐Art Program organizers are especially indebted to Jeanne Pluemer, the Societies’ Associate Director of Meetings, who was invaluable to the program’s success.
—Dan Richter, Professor of Soils, Duke University
Thank You Sponsors
ASA‐CSSA‐SSSA
Cornell CALS
Duke Univ.
California State Univ. Chico
Univ. of Minnesota‐CFANS
The Art of Soil
Zoils suelos y arte
Soil Painting Initiative
The 2022 Students of Agronomy, Soils, and Environmental Sciences (SASES) undergraduate student program presented a full slate of programs during the Annual Meeting. In addition to the contests, students kicked off their meeting experience with SASES tours throughout Maryland and Washington, DC. In addition to the many contests listed below, events included a social, opening brunch featuring keynote speaker Drew Dudley, elections, Hot Topics session (Microplastics, Carbon Markets, Nitrogen Management, and Tech in Agriculture), CCA/CPSS Career Accelerator, Grad School Workshop, Networking with the Past Presidents, Career Fair with mini‐sessions, and a special Awards Ceremony Cruise to recognize the student contest winners!
Congratulations to all contest winners (both individual students and clubs)!
Quiz Bowl | Sponsored by Syngenta
The Ohio State Univ. (Cori Lee, Ethan Cockerill,
Ashley Bergman, and Mariah Lashley)
President’s Trophy
1st Place: West Texas A&M Univ.
2nd Place: Purdue Agronomy Club
3rd Place: Kansas State Univ.
National Club Poster Contest
1st Place: West Texas A&M Univ. 2nd Place: Oklahoma State Univ.
3rd Place: Univ. of Wisconsin–Platteville
Undergraduate Student Research Poster Competition Results
AGRONOMY
1st Place: Ava Stallmann, Univ. of Wisconsin–River Falls
CROP SCIENCE
1st Place: Douglas Vines, Univ. of Georgia–Athens
COVER CROPS
1st Place: MaryBeth Gavin, Pennsylvania State Univ.
FERTILIZER
1st Place: Monique Michaud, Univ. of Connecticut
Undergraduate Student Internship Poster Contest
Sponsored by the ASA Advancing Agronomy via Public‐Private Partnerships Community
1st Place: Megan Culpitt, Univ. of Wisconsin–River Falls
2nd Place: Omar Abulghanam, California State Univ.–Fresno
3rd Place: Allison Smith, Iowa State Univ.
SASES Undergraduate Research Oral Contest Results
Session 1: 1st Place: Christopher Barron, Texas A&M Univ. 2nd Place: Serge Andre Abit, Oklahoma State Univ.
3rd Place: Amanda Blazek, Univ. of Tennessee–Knoxville
Session 2: 1st Place: Georgia Eastham, Oklahoma State Univ. 2nd Place: Samuel Walker, Penn State Univ.
3rd Place: Sydney Logwood, Univ. of Tennessee
Speech Contest
1st Place: Duncan McSorley, North Carolina State Univ. 2nd Place: Alivia Lantz, Western Illinois Univ. 3rd Place: Emily Harker, Purdue Univ. 4th Place: Natalie Evans, Texas A&M Univ. 5th Place: Brady Fricks, Auburn Univ. 6th Place: Madison Thomas, Illinois State Univ.
Pedology Contest
1st Place: Clare Tallamy, Virginia Tech
2nd Place: Abby Field, Univ. of Wisconsin–Platteville
3rd Place: Emily Gilbertson, Univ. of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
Crops Judging Contest
Individuals 1st Place: Dustin Steinkamp, Western Illinois Univ. 2nd Place: Chenxin Luo, Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison 3rd Place: Caleb McCall, West Texas A&M Univ.
4th Place: Anna Marie Hintz, Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison
5th Place: Cori Lee, The Ohio State Univ.
6th Place: Jake Roden, Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison
Team
Badger Crops Club Team 1, Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison (Chenxin Luo, Mackenzie Hintz, AnnaMarie Hintz, and Tressa Peskar)
Visual Presentation Contest
1st Place: Mary Mulligan, Clemson Univ.
2nd Place: Mary‐Margaret Benware, Southern Illinois Univ.–Edwardsville
3rd Place: Jace Heiman, Univ. of Wisconsin–River Falls
Darrel S. Metcalf Journalism Contest
1st Place: Micaela Rose Murphy, Texas A&M Univ.
2nd Place: Alejandra Gabriela Cardenas, California State Univ.–Fresno
DEI Events in Baltimore
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) events happened throughout the meeting, including the DEI Summit featuring keynote speaker Dr. Zelia Wiley of Kansas State University, a “fan‐favorite: poster contest,” and roundtable discussions. The Diversity Student Poster Contest featured 15 finalists (from 82 preliminary contestants), a new Diversity Research Poster Contest, and a Society and Diversity Showcase where attendees gathered to learn about the many DEI‐focused initiatives of the Societies. The Women in Science Committee sponsored two Bystander Intervention trainings. All events were made possible by sponsorship from the Agronomic Science Foundation. Congratulations poster contest winners!
Diversity Student Poster Contest
1st Place: Lovepreet Singh, Mississippi State Univ. 2nd Place: Gurleen Kaur, Univ. of Florida 3rd Place: Oluwatola Adedeji, Texas Tech Univ.
Fan Favorite
1st Place: Leidy Fernandez Montiel, Univ. of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez
Diversity Research Poster Contest
1st Place: Jennifer Lachowiec, Montana State Univ.
2nd Place: Candice Duncan, Univ. of Maryland
3rd Place: Christopher Ryan, CUNY–City Univ. of New York
Society‐Wide Graduate Student Competitions
The 2022 SSSA and CSSA Society‐Wide Graduate Student Competitions were an opportunity to highlight and showcase the top students from our CSSA and SSSA divisions! These unique competitions feature the top student winner from each division’s traditional contest. They advanced to the society‐wide competition where they competed in a poster session and five‐minute rapid oral session. To provide greater visibility, participation, and recognition, the competitions were held virtually via Zoom the week after the Annual Meeting, and all students were recognized and the winners announced via a Facebook livestream.
There were significant prizes—each Society provided:
1st Place: $1,000 plus a 2023 registration to the St. Louis Annual Meeting (value of $300)
2nd Place: $750
3rd Place: $500
CSSA Society‐Wide Student Competition
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1st Place: Wanderson Novais, The Ohio State Univ. (Crop Ecology, Management & Quality Division), “Elucidating How N Management Practices and Excess Water Conditions Affect Corn N Uptake and Grain Yield”
2nd Place: Valentina Pereyra Picabea (Crop Physiology and Metabolism Division), “Soybean Yield and Protein: Case Study of a Modern and Old Variety at Varying Row Spacings”
3rd Place: Caleb Henderson, Virginia Tech (Turfgrass Science Division), “Strategies for Precision Management of Spring Dead Spot Across Whole Golf Course Fairways”
Finalists
- Gurleen Kaur, Univ. of Florida (Crop Breeding & Genetics Division)
- Luana Dantas Queiroz, Univ. of Florida (Forage & Grazinglands Division)
- Jagdeep Singh Sidhu, Penn State (Plant Genetic Resources Division)
- Gurpal Singh, Univ. of Massachusetts–Amherst (Genomics, Molecular Genetics, and Biotechnology Division)
- Tina Sullivan, Utah State Univ. (Crops for Nutrition & Health Division)
- Nathaniel Turner, Texas Tech Univ. (Seed Physiology, Production, & Technology Division)
Thank You to the Judges
- Vara Prasad, Kansas State Univ. and CSSA Past President
- Chrissie Segars, Texas A&M Univ. and CSSA Early Career Committee Chair
- Giovanni Piccinni, Bayer Crop Science and Corporate Member Board Representative
- Bingru Huang, Rutgers Univ. and CSSA Editor‐in‐Chief
- Jodi Scheffler, USDA‐ARS and 2022 CSSA Fellow Recipient
Organizing Committee
Paige Boyle (Chair), Utah State Univ.
R. Scott Tubbs, Univ. of Georgia–Tifton
Rachel Veenstra, Kansas State Univ.
Congratulations to all contest winners!
SSSA Society‐Wide Student Competition
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1st Place: Cam Anderson, University of Maryland–Amherst (Soil Chemistry Division), “Hydrological Extremes Shift Controls and Pathways of Carbon Loss from Floodplain Soils”
2nd Place: Paramveer Singh, New Mexico State University (Soil and Water Conservation and Management Division), “Production Systems Better Protected Under Innovative Circular Grass Buffer Strips”
3rd Place: Bright Ofori, Virginia Tech (Nutrient Management and Soil and Plant Analysis Division), “Can Cover Crops Residue Reduce
Nitrogen Fertilization in Cotton?”
Finalists
- Carlos Bonini Pires, Kansas State Univ. (Soil Education & Outreach)
- Keren Brooks, Virginia Tech (Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition)
- Chantel Chizen, Univ. of Saskatchewan (Wetland Soils)
- Alexis Martin, Univ. of Georgia (Urban & Anthropogenic Soils)
- Chihiro Naruke, Utah State Univ. (Soil Physics & Hydrology)
- Pratima Poudel, Clemson Univ. (Soil Mineralogy)
- Ravi Kumar Neelipally, Univ. of Tennessee–Knoxville (Soil Biology & Biochemistry)
- Tamjid Us Sakib, Kansas State Univ. (Soils & Environmental Quality)
- Stephanie Winters, Oregon State Univ. (Forest, Range, and Wildland Soils Division)
Thank You to the Judges
- April Ulery, New Mexico State Univ. and SSSA Past President
- Tiffany Carter, USDA‐NRCS and Early Career Committee Member and DEI Committee Vice Chair
- Steve Harrold, Servi Tech, Inc. and Certified Professional Soil Scientist
- Douglas Smith, USDA‐ARS and the Journal of Environmental Quality Editor
- Mervin St. Luce, Agriculture & Agri‐Food Canada and Soil Science Outstanding Dissertation Award Committee Chair
- Ekrem Ozlu, North Carolina State Univ. and SSSA Early Career Committee Representative
Organizing Committee
Sarah Shawver (Chair), Virginia Tech and 2019
Competition Winner
Xia Zhu‐Barker, Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison
Patrick Drohan, Penn State Univ.
Congratulations to all contest winners!
Scenes from the Annual Meeting
1: Members of the ACSESS Board and staff participated in a hands‐on volunteer activity at Glenwood Life Recovery Garden with the University of Maryland Extension–Urban Agriculture program on Saturday, 5 November.
2: The coloring tables at the Society Center were a popular place between sessions. Students from Columbia Basin College are pictured (l to r): Melissa Manzo Parra, Araceli Martinez (Bridge Scholar), and Selina Oronia.
3: The Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) hosted a reception on Sunday, 6 November, for donors, leaders, and guests, including the recipients of dozens of ASF‐funded scholarships, awards, travel grants, lectureships, and other programs. To learn more about ASF, visit www.a‐s‐f.org. Pictured are Heidi Peterson (ASF Board) and Josh McGrath. 4‐5: “A Taste of Baltimore” closing reception featuring the Baltimore “Hons” and crab cracking. 6: Pedology Tour.
7: Annual Meeting abstracts and presenter‐authorized audio recordings with slides can be viewed at acsmeetings.org/future‐past‐meetings.
Join us at the 2023 Annual Meeting
St. Louis, MO | 29 Oct.‐‐1 Nov. 2023
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