{"id":20997,"date":"2025-10-27T09:29:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T13:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/?p=20997"},"modified":"2025-10-27T09:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T13:29:12","slug":"more-than-dirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/news\/more-than-dirt\/","title":{"rendered":"More than Dirt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cEssentially, all life depends upon the soil,\u201d wrote Charles E. Kellogg, the third Chief of USDA\u2019s Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, in the USDA Yearbook of Agriculture<\/em> (1938). \u201cThere can be no life without soil and no soil without life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of URI\u2019s Soil Judging Team are well aware that soil is much more than the dirt beneath our feet. The team recently earned second place in both the group and team categories at the Northeast Regional Soil Judging Competition at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil judging is a long-standing academic tradition; a national competition has been held every year since 1961. This regional event brought a record twenty undergraduate teams from thirteen universities to apply their knowledge of soil science to compete for the Stanley Cup of soil judging.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Students had to correctly identify, evaluate, classify, and describe the profiles of soils in deep pits.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Students climbed into five-foot deep pits to identify the soil layers (called horizons), described their properties, classified each soil according to the USDA soil taxonomy, and evaluated their potential uses. Participants worked in five soil pits\u2014three individually and two in small groups\u2014under strict time constraints. Scoring is based on three components: individual performance across three pits; group evaluations conducted collaboratively; and team scores, which combine the top individual scores from each pit with the best group score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being a smaller program compared to many of its competitors, URI has built a strong tradition of excellence in soil judging under the guidance of Professor Mark Stolt, who retired from URI\u2019s Department of Natural Resources Science<\/a> this past summer. This year’s competition marked the first season under the leadership of new coach and instructor, Joe Manetta <\/a>\u201821 M.S. \u201823, who had previously co-coached alongside Stolt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the beauty of soil judging is it disguises incredibly rigorous field and classroom education as a fun competition for the students,\u201d Manetta says. \u201cI want to instill in my students a love of soil-environmental science and pedology; in-depth knowledge of how local geology, ecology, and geography all come together to form soil; and how we can interpret what this soil looks and feels like (its morphology) to evaluate its characteristics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil judging fosters a unique appreciation for soil science, Manetta adds, by teaching students to consider how topography, climate, parent material, biota, and time interact to form the soils they observe, and how those soils can be interpreted and understood. It also allows students to learn intensively in the field, applying their knowledge in unfamiliar settings while developing critical thinking and teamwork skills. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The URI team is now preparing to compete at the National Soil Judging Contest hosted by North Carolina State University in March 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cPerhaps the most impactful part of soil judging is it creates and amplifies passion for our natural world and creates a pathway for students to find a job that they are passionate about,\u201d says Manetta.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Soil is the Basis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For participants on URI\u2019s team, the benefits of soil judging are vast. \u201cWe often see students begin the semester unsure about soil science,\u201d Manetta says, \u201cand leave with both a passion for the subject and a clear sense of its relevance. This is one of the most impactful educational experiences we can offer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iris Freifeld, an environmental science and management major from Randolph, New Jersey, echoes Manetta\u2019s enthusiasm. \u201cIt has helped me better understand subjects within my major because soils are greatly intertwined with other disciplines of environmental sciences,\u201d she says. \u201cI am able to apply my knowledge from soil judging within my other classes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSoils are a major part of ecosystems, and understanding them can tell you a lot about the types of plants and wildlife that may inhabit an area,\u201d adds Meghan Majewski, an environmental science and management major from Orangetown, New York. \u201cGetting hands-on experience with soil judging has helped me better understand things that tie directly into what I\u2019m studying and what I want to do in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A \u201cLife-changing\u201d Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sean Cary, a sustainable agriculture and food systems major from Allentown, New Jersey, says that one of the most rewarding aspects of the recent competition was adapting to the vastly different soils found at each host school. \u201cIt\u2019s a very cool experience to see the variation and uniqueness of soils outside of Rhode Island,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He plans to return next year for his third year of soil judging. \u201cIt is such a fun experience that you don’t feel like you’re learning, but at the end of the day you’ve learned way more than you thought you would,\u201d he says. \u201cIt has been life changing for me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ian Bento, an environmental science and management major from Richmond, Rhode Island, first became interested in soil judging through Dr. Stolt\u2019s course in Soil Morphology and Mapping<\/em>, where he first met Manetta. \u201cParticipating in soil judging was like taking an intense accelerated course,\u201d he says. \u201cI learned as much about soil morphology being in the field with [Manetta] as I did with regular URI soil courses. It took a lot of work but academically, it was well worth the effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSoil judging has helped build my understanding of soil tremendously,\u201d adds Caleb Collins, an environmental science and management major from Hopkinton, Rhode Island. \u201cI appreciate the interpretations section of the judging card\u2013which essentially requires students to interpret the morphology (what we see and feel) to how the soil can be used\u2013which helps me understand why certain soils allow for basements, septic tanks, and farming or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWe are all appreciative of Coach Joe,\u201d says Kimberly Kosteer. \u201cHe put in a lot of time and energy to make sure we had everything we needed to succeed.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Learning Along the Way<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Alyssa Rauscher, a marine affairs and environmental science and management double major from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, the highlight of the competition was the collaborative group judging experience. \u201cWe went through the pits together, helping each other with challenging concepts and finding an answer as a team,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was nice to know we were all learning together, and getting to apply our knowledge was rewarding!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strong sense of camaraderie among URI team members and the broader soil judging community was a highlight. \u201cWe had some long days in the field, but we always had fun,\u201d adds Kimberly Kosteer, an environmental science and management major from Glocester, Rhode Island.  \u201cEveryone I met was incredibly kind. It\u2019s a great community to be part of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for URI students interested in getting involved with the team, Rauscher adds: \u201cIf you’re even slightly interested in soil or just like being outside and getting your hands dirty, I’d recommend this class. You learn everything along the way!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

URI\u2019s Soil Judging Team took second place in both team and group categories at the recent Northeast Regional Soil Judging Competition. As students dig into the technical details of soil, they\u2019re also developing a deeper understanding of soil\u2019s central role in the environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1089,"featured_media":20998,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1089"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20997"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21005,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20997\/revisions\/21005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}