SOIL SCI 1 — COOPERATIVE EDUCATION/CO-OP IN SOIL SCIENCE

1 credit.

Full-time off-campus work experience which combines classroom theory with practical knowledge of operations to provide students with a background upon which to base a professional career. Students receive credit only for the term in which they are actively enrolled and working. The same work experience may not count towards credit in Soil Science 399.

SOIL SCI/​ENVIR ST  101 — FORUM ON THE ENVIRONMENT

1-2 credits.

Lectures and discussions about environmental issues. Historical and contemporary environmental impacts of humans on the biosphere. Global futures: population, technology, societal values, resources and prospects for sustainable management.

SOIL SCI 131 — EARTH'S SOIL: NATURAL SCIENCE AND HUMAN USE

1 credit.

A overview of the soils of the world and the grand environmental challenges that face humanity. Soils of the USA and Wisconsin included.

SOIL SCI/​ATM OCN  132 — EARTH'S WATER: NATURAL SCIENCE AND HUMAN USE

3 credits.

Water is central to the functioning of planet Earth. As humans increase their impact on Earth's systems and cohabitants, our understanding of the multiple roles of water becomes critical to finding sustainable strategies for human and ecosystem health. Explores the science of Earth's hydrosphere, with constant attention to human uses and impacts.

SOIL SCI 211 — SOILS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

2 credits.

Soil represents the largest terrestrial pool of carbon, and our management of soil will play a key role in the future of our planet. Course topics include overviews of basic soil science and climate change science; how climate affects soil formation, soil carbon and soil organic matter; soil carbon dynamics in urban areas, the tropics, and the arctic; how humans influence soil carbon stocks around the globe.

SOIL SCI/​ENVIR ST/​GEOG  230 — SOIL: ECOSYSTEM AND RESOURCE

3 credits.

Soils are fundamental to ecosystem science. A systems approach is used to investigate how soils look and function. Topics investigated include soil structure, biology, water, fertility, and taxonomy as well as the human impact on the soil environment.

SOIL SCI 250 — INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

3 credits.

Discuss how Planet Earth is an interconnected system dominated by the ever-present exchange of materials and energy that control the fitness and fate of all living organisms. Designed to introduce the interdisciplinary field of Environmental Science by providing a broad overview of the basic concepts used to make sense of the environment. Explore how natural systems work, the services they provide, important environmental challenges facing these systems, and how people are working to address them. Includes professionals in the field as guest speakers to discuss a future in Environmental Sciences.

SOIL SCI 289 — HONORS INDEPENDENT STUDY

1-2 credits.

Research work under direct guidance of a Soil Science faculty or instructional academic staff member. Students are responsible for arranging the work and credits with the supervising instructor. Intended for students in the CALS Honors Program.

SOIL SCI 299 — INDEPENDENT STUDY

1-3 credits.

Research work under direct guidance of a faculty or instructional academic staff member. Students are responsible for arranging the work and credits with the supervising instructor.

SOIL SCI 301 — GENERAL SOIL SCIENCE

3 credits.

Physical chemical and biological properties of soils as they affect soil-plant-water relations, soil classification and suitability for agricultural and other uses.

SOIL SCI 302 — MEET YOUR SOIL: SOIL ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION LABORATORY

1 credit.

Hands-on laboratory on soil analysis and interpretation of soil properties for different uses, such as food production, waste management, water quality, stormwater control, and environmental sustainability.

SOIL SCI 321 — SOILS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

3 credits.

Sources, reactions, transport, effects, and fates of chemical species in soils and associated water and air environments. Emphasis on the chemical behavior of elements and compounds and the phenomena affecting natural and anthropogenic materials in soils.

SOIL SCI 322 — PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES OF SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT

3 credits.

Soil physical properties and interactions as related to soil and water resource management and conservation. Water runoff (leading to soil erosion and surface water contamination); tillage and nutrient management; soil thermal and moisture regimes; solute movement; soil compaction, air and aeration.

SOIL SCI/​PL PATH  323 — SOIL BIOLOGY

3 credits.

Nature, activities and role of organisms inhabiting soil. Effects of soil biota on ecosystem function, response to cultural practices, and impacts on environmental quality, including bioremediation of contaminated soils.

SOIL SCI/​ENVIR ST  324 — SOILS AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

3 credits.

Interaction of soils with environmental contaminants and the role of soils in pollution control.

SOIL SCI 325 — SOILS AND LANDSCAPES

3 credits.

Learn how to read the landscape and understand the relationships between soils, land use and landform. Discuss soil- forming factors, soil processes, soil classification, the 12 soil orders, soil survey and mapping. We will make several field trips and attendance is essential and required.

SOIL SCI/​AGRONOMY/​HORT  326 — PLANT NUTRITION MANAGEMENT

3 credits.

Functions, requirements and uptake of essential plant nutrients; chemical and microbial processes affecting nutrient availability; diagnosis of plant and soil nutrient status; fertilizers and efficient fertilizer use in different tillage systems.

SOIL SCI 327 — ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND SOIL CHARACTERIZATION FOR EARTH'S CRITICAL ZONE

4 credits.

Characterization of a soil in the field. Monitoring water flow, heat exchange, solute transport and greenhouse gas emission using soil physical models and state-of-the-art soil sensing technologies.

SOIL SCI 330 — HAZARDOUS WASTE OPERATIONS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE (HAZWOPER) AND FIELD SAFETY TRAINING

1 credit.

Conforms to the guidelines covered under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR part 1910.120 for providing Hazardous Wasted Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) 40-hour certification, required for workers involved in clean-up operations, voluntary clean-up operations, emergency response operations, and the storage, disposal, or treatment of hazardous substances or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Beyond satisfying OSHA standards, provides safety training for personnel conducting field sampling operations in proximity of heavy equipment (e.g. excavators, drilling rigs, dump trucks) through guest lectures and videos. Additionally, case studies relating to field safety operations will be examined.

SOIL SCI/​HORT  332 — TURFGRASS NUTRIENT AND WATER MANAGEMENT

3 credits.

Nutrient requirements of turfgrasses; nature of turfgrass response to fertilization; soil and tissue testing methodology and interpretation; irrigation scheduling; irrigation water quality; use of irrigation and fertilizer to minimize environmental impact; writing effective nutrient management plans.

SOIL SCI/​AGRONOMY/​ENTOM/​HORT/​PL PATH  354 — DIAGNOSING AND MONITORING PEST AND NUTRIENT STATUS OF FIELD CROPS

1 credit.

Provides students with information necessary to diagnosis and monitor corn, soybean, alfalfa and wheat for pests (insects, weeds, diseases) and nutrient deficiency symptoms including perspectives from Agronomy, Entomology, Horticulture, Plant Pathology and Soil Science. Proper soil and pest sampling information will be provided as will proper cropstaging techniques which are essential for pest and nutrient management.

SOIL SCI/​AGRONOMY/​BOTANY  370 — GRASSLAND ECOLOGY

3 credits.

Understand factors driving global, continental, regional, and local distribution of grasslands. Discuss how management affects provision of grassland ecosystem goods and services. Compare and contrast plant community and ecosystem dynamics in native prairie and intensively managed pastures.

SOIL SCI/​BSE/​CIV ENGR  372 — ON-SITE WASTE WATER TREATMENT AND DISPERSAL

2 credits.

On-site treatment and dispersal of waste water from homes, commercial sources and small communities. Sources, pretreatment units, nutrient removal units, constructed wetlands, surface and soil dispersal systems, recycle and reuse systems, regulations, alternative collection systems.

SOIL SCI 375 — SPECIAL TOPICS

1-3 credits.

Special topics on contemporary issues relevant to soil science.

SOIL SCI 399 — COORDINATIVE INTERNSHIP/COOPERATIVE EDUCATION

1-8 credits.

An internship under guidance of a Soil Science faculty or instructional academic staff member and internship site supervisor. Students are responsible for arranging the work and credits with the Soil Science faculty or instructional academic staff member and the internship site supervisor.

SOIL SCI 400 — STUDY ABROAD IN SOIL SCIENCE

1-6 credits.

Provides an area equivalency for courses taken on Madison Study Abroad Programs that do not equate to existing UW courses. Current enrollment in a UW-Madison study abroad program

SOIL SCI/​MICROBIO  425 — ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

3 credits.

Microbial interactions in soils, water, extreme environments and biofilms. Modern methods for studying microbial ecology. role of microbes in nutrient cycles and biogeochemistry. Use of microbes for mitigating manmade environmental problems of industrial, agricultural, and domestic origin.

SOIL SCI 430 — ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL CONTAMINATION

3 credits.

Environmental pollution on global, regional, and local scales is one of humanity's most pressing issues, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Examine the sources and properties of anthropogenic soil pollution including emerging contaminants such as PFAS, nanomaterials, microplastics. Apply the principles of soil science to understand the transport, mobilization, and partitioning of contaminants in soil and, in turn, how these contaminants affect ecosystem and human health. Through industry guest lecturers and case studies discuss methods to solve issues of soil contamination.

SOIL SCI/​F&W ECOL  451 — ENVIRONMENTAL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY

3 credits.

Explores long and short-term cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metals as well as water and energy cycles between water, the atmosphere, terrestrial vegetation, and soils. Emphasizes the linkage between terrestrial vegetation and soils across global biomes for managed and unmanaged ecosystems. Investigates biogeochemical processes through their biochemical constituents, conceptual models and exploration of isotopic and chemical data. Provides a practical understanding of the interactions between components and fluxes of terrestrial ecosystems and how data is developed and employed.

SOIL SCI/​AN SCI/​DY SCI/​FOOD SCI  472 — ANIMAL AGRICULTURE AND GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1 credit.

Examines issues related to global agriculture and healthy sustainable development. Using a regional approach and focusing on crops and livestock case studies, students will learn the interdependence between US agriculture and agriculture in emerging economies. Some topics covered include population and food, immigration, the environment; crop and livestock agriculture; global trade; sustainability; food security, the role of women in agriculture, and the role of dairy products in a healthy diet.

SOIL SCI/​AN SCI/​DY SCI/​FOOD SCI  473 — INTERNATIONAL FIELD STUDY IN ANIMAL AGRICULTURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

2 credits.

Examines issues related to global agriculture and healthy sustainable development. Using a regional approach and focusing on crops and livestock case studies, students will learn the interdependence between US agriculture and agriculture in emerging economies. Some topics covered include population and food, immigration, the environment; crop and livestock agriculture; global trade; sustainability; and the role of women in agriculture and the role of dairy products in a healthy diet.

SOIL SCI 499 — SOIL MANAGEMENT

3 credits.

A capstone applying independent and team problem solving, critical thinking and oral and written communication skills to issues in soil and environmental sciences.

SOIL SCI/​MICROBIO  523 — SOIL MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

3 credits.

Transformations of nutrients and contaminants in soils and groundwater by microorganisms: emphasis on enzymatic mechanisms and metabolic pathways. Approaches for analyzing microbial populations and activities including molecular techniques. Applications of microbial activities for bioremediation of contaminated soils and groundwater. Students should have completed one course in either Soil Science or Microbiology to feel comfortable with the course content.

SOIL SCI/​F&W ECOL/​HORT  524 — URBAN SOIL AND ENVIRONMENT

3 credits.

Many environmental issues related to urbanization are derived from the manipulation of soil. By coupling contemporary literature in urban soils with soil science, students will be able to evaluate environmental issues within the urban environment and provide new ways of remediating their impact.

SOIL SCI/​GEOG  525 — SOIL GEOMORPHOLOGY

3 credits.

Soil development as related to landscape throughout the Quaternary; focusing on the relationship of soils to climate and vegetation, landscape evolution, and time; principles of soil stratigraphy; case histories of soil geomorphic studies; field trips. Students should have completed one course in geomorphology to feel comfortable with the course content.

SOIL SCI/​GEOG  526 — HUMAN TRANSFORMATIONS OF EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES

3 credits.

Takes an earth systems approach to explore the role of human societies in shaping earth surface processes from local to global scales. We address how alterations to our landscapes and waterways affect biological, physical and chemical interactions among our biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. We discuss methods used to distinguish the "human impact" from background variability.

SOIL SCI/​AGRONOMY/​ATM OCN  532 — ENVIRONMENTAL BIOPHYSICS

3 credits.

Plant-environment interactions with particular reference to energy exchanges and water relations. Models are used to provide a quantitative synthesis of information from plant physiology, soil physics, and micrometeorology with some consideration of plant-pest interactions.

SOIL SCI/​ENVIR ST  575 — ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

3 credits.

Overview of methods for collecting and analyzing information about environmental impacts on agricultural and natural resources, including monitoring the physical environment and relating impacts to people and society.

SOIL SCI 585 — USING R FOR SOIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

3 credits.

Data science techniques are increasingly important in soil and environmental science, improving the efficiency and repeatability of data analysis and enhancing fundamental understanding of soil and environmental issues. Various R packages will be introduced and used to analyze and process soil and environmental data collected using a variety of in situ, ground-based, and remote sensing platforms. R software will be applied to detailed case studies covering soil and environmental data processing, manipulation, and modeling.

SOIL SCI 601 — SPECIAL TOPICS IN SOIL SCIENCE

1-3 credits.

Topics in various areas of soil science.

SOIL SCI/​ENTOM/​F&W ECOL/​PL PATH  606 — COLLOQUIUM IN ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY

1 credit.

Current topics in molecular and environmental toxicology and problems related to biologically active substances in the environment. Topics vary each semester. Lectures are by resident and visiting professors and other researchers.

SOIL SCI 621 — SOIL CHEMISTRY

3 credits.

Solubility relationships, complex ions, ion exchange and oxidation-reduction reactions in soils.

SOIL SCI 622 — SOIL PHYSICS

3 credits.

Physical properties of soils. Water retention and transmission in soils. Transport of heat, gas, and solutes. Physical environment of soil organisms and soil-plant-water relations.

SOIL SCI/​CIV ENGR  623 — MICROBIOLOGY OF WATERBORNE PATHOGENS AND INDICATOR ORGANISMS

3 credits.

Source, environmental fate and transport of major groups of waterborne pathogens, including epidemiology and testing of associated indicator organism. Management and treatment technologies for prevention of pathogen transmission.

SOIL SCI/​BOTANY/​HORT  626 — MINERAL NUTRITION OF PLANTS

3 credits.

Essential and beneficial elements, solutions and soil as nutrient sources, rhizosphere chemistry, nutritional physiology, ion uptake and translocation, functions of elements, nutrient interactions, genetics of plant nutrition.

SOIL SCI 630 — FIELD METHODS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION, ANALYSIS, AND MONITORING

2 credits.

Introduce standard operating procedures and guidance for intrusive and non-intrusive sampling techniques for assessing soil, sediment, surface water, and ground water. Prepare boring logs and install groundwater monitoring well. Properly prepare samples for preservation and shipment. Prepare and maintain defensible field documentation. Use quality control sampling, data verification and validation, and data quality assessment. Decontaminate drilling and field sampling equipment and manage investigative-derived waste.

SOIL SCI/​CIV ENGR/​M&ENVTOX  631 — TOXICANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: SOURCES, DISTRIBUTION, FATE, & EFFECTS

3 credits.

Nature, sources, distribution, and fate of contaminants in air, water, soil, and food and potential for harmful exposure.

SOIL SCI 681 — SENIOR HONORS THESIS

2-4 credits.

Individual study for majors completing theses for Soil Science Honors degrees as arranged with a faculty member. Requires consent of supervising instructor. Enrolled in CALS Honors Program.

SOIL SCI 682 — SENIOR HONORS THESIS

2-4 credits.

Continuation of 681.

SOIL SCI/​ENVIR ST/​LAND ARC  695 — APPLICATIONS OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN NATURAL RESOURCES

3 credits.

Course has four components: 1) Detailed review of GIS concepts; 2) Case studies; 3) GIS implementation methods; 4) Laboratory to provide "hands-on" GIS experience.

SOIL SCI 699 — SPECIAL PROBLEMS

1-3 credits.

Individual study for majors completing theses for Soil Science degrees as arranged with a faculty member. Requires consent of supervising instructor.

SOIL SCI 728 — GRADUATE SEMINAR

1 credit.

Topical oral presentations by guest speakers and graduate students on contemporary concerns and issues involving land and soils.

SOIL SCI 730 — COLLOQUIUM: ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION AND MANAGEMENT

1 credit.

Topical oral presentations by students, faculty, staff, and guest speakers on contemporary concerns and issues designed to increase knowledge and foster understanding of environmental contamination and remediation of soils and groundwater. Includes instruction and practice in public speaking, presentation visuals, resumes, and networking.

SOIL SCI 799 — PRACTICUM IN SOIL SCIENCE TEACHING

1-3 credits.

Instructional orientation to teaching at the higher education level in the agricultural and life sciences, direct teaching experience under faculty supervision, experience in testing and evaluation of students, and the analysis of teaching performance.

SOIL SCI 875 — SPECIAL TOPICS

1-4 credits.

Special topics on contemporary issues relevant to soil science.

SOIL SCI 990 — RESEARCH

1-12 credits.

Independent research and writing to complete dissertation requirements.