Courses

Discover the Hidden World Beneath Your Feet: Explore the Wonders of Soil!

Are you curious about the world beneath your feet? Soil is far more than dirt! it’s a dynamic ecosystem filled with life, chemistry, and physical processes that sustain our planet. In our courses, you’ll uncover the fascinating secrets soils hold, from the microbes that recycle nutrients to the chemical reactions that shape the environment, and the physical properties that determine how water, air, and roots move through the ground. Through hands-on experiments, fieldwork, and real-world projects, you’ll not only learn the fundamental principles of soil science but also how to apply this knowledge to solve pressing environmental challenges in our local community. You’ll explore topics like sustainable land management, soil contamination, urban gardening, and environmental restoration, gaining skills that are both scientifically rigorous and socially impactful. Whether you dream of a career in environmental science, agriculture, urban planning, or public health, or you simply want to understand the living world beneath your feet, our courses offer a unique opportunity to connect classroom theory with real-world practice. Come join us, and see how soils shape our environment, influence human health, and offer endless opportunities for discovery.

ESS 155: Science Of Soils

Physical, chemical, and biological processes within soil systems. Emphasis is on factors governing nutrient availability, plant growth and production, land-resource management, and pollution within soils. How to classify soils and assess nutrient cycling and contaminant fate. Recommended: introductory chemistry and biology.

ESS 256: Soil and Water Chemistry (EARTHSYS 156, EARTHSYS 256, ESS 156)

(Graduate students register for 256.) Practical and quantitative treatment of soil processes affecting chemical reactivity, transformation, retention, and bioavailability. Principles of primary areas of soil chemistry: inorganic and organic soil components, complex equilibria in soil solutions, and adsorption phenomena at the solid-water interface. Processes and remediation of acid, saline, and wetland soils. Recommended: soil science and introductory chemistry and microbiology.Terms: alternate years, given next year | Units: 1-4 | Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit

ESS 156: Soil and Water Chemistry (EARTHSYS 156, EARTHSYS 256, ESS 256)

ESS 292: Directed Individual Study in Earth System Science

Under supervision of an Earth System Science faculty member on a subject of mutual interest.Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-10 | Repeatable for credit | Grading: Letter or Credit/No CreditInstructors: Fendorf, S. (PI) ; Jones, J. (PI) ; Michalak, A. (PI) ; Naylor, R. (PI)Schedule for ESS 292