This event was Brown University’s first time competing, led by DEEPS Assistant Professor (Research) Blake Hodgin. The team included undergraduates Juliet Fang, Eleanor Barth Wu, Dan Tamburro, Galen Gibb, Max Newman, Miko Lehnert, and Zach Puckett. DEEPS graduate students Sebastian Muñoz and Brianna Hoegler assisted with preparation in the classroom and in the field.
Hosted by the University of Rhode Island, the competition featured 12 schools and over 70 individual competitors. In the contest, teams were tasked with systematically describing and classifying soil profiles from five soil pits: two as a team and three as individuals. Judging involves determining the horizonation, textures, structures, and colors of the soil, which enables the identification of features such as plowed depth, the level of the seasonally high water table, and changes in parent material. Calculations are made to determine soil C content and hydraulic conductivity. Landscape measurements are also made and the landform is determined, linking soil formation to geological and site history. Finally, the soils are classified following US Soil taxonomy and site-specific evaluations are made that relate to land use recommendations. The systematic evaluation of each soil profile is carried out in one hour and the answers are compared to those of trained professionals with regional expertise aided by laboratory analysis.
"I'm really proud of the team," said Hodgin. "They were probably the least prepared and least experienced team to participate in the contest. They learned so much in so little time and came away with a ton of knowledge. I loved how much they enjoyed working together. I think we're going to be in the mix next year."
The team had a great time, and said the event was a fun and valuable learning experience. The top individual performers from the Brown team were Juliet Fang, Eleanor Wu, and Dan Tamburro who placed 39th, 42nd, and 47th, respectively. Individual performances from Brown students on some soil pits cracked the top 10! Overall, the team finished 10th out of 12 teams, which wasn't enough to qualify for the 2025 National Soil Judging competition in Wisconsin. Looking forward, the team plans to build upon their crash-course in soil and site evaluation and compete in the 2025 regional soil competition in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In the words of Juliet Fang, "Soil long, Nationals! We'll get it next year."
