This is the final webinar in the 2022 Earth Science Week webinar series that highlights the importance of maintaining soil quality and how to do so sustainably, such as by incorporating organisms into the soil food web to enhance soil quality. The speakers also showcase the use of GIS in mapping soils, with a case study on a project in Kansas that focuses on the Keith soil series.

Browse the Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series.

About our speakers

Dr. Tiffany Carter, Research Soil Scientist, USDA-NRCS National Soil Survey Center

Dr. Carter is a native of Kansas City, MO. She holds a BS in Biology from Lincoln University (MO), a MS in Grain Science from Kansas State University, and a PhD in Agronomy from Kansas State University. She is a research soil scientist at the USDA-NRCS National Soil Survey Center. Her research focuses on soil biology, and her current research interests include soil biodiversity, soil ecology, dynamic soil properties, genomics, and linking soil health to biological indicators. She is also interested in soil biological method development and improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in agriculture.

Dr. Skye Wills, National Leader for Soil Science Research, National Soil Survey Center, USDA-NRCS

Dr. Wills is the National Leader for Soil Research at the National Soil Survey Center. The NSSC provides national leadership to NRCS's soils program and the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) Program. The research branch is working to develop new techniques in dynamic soil survey including soil health, soil moisture, and other properties and interpretations that change over time. Her previous work includes the Rapid Carbon Assessment project (a national soil carbon inventory) and the Dynamic Soil Properties for Soil Health project (cooperators using soil survey and ecological sites to organize soil health measurements). She’s a proponent of reproducibility and open science to maximize the impact and accessibility of soil data. She holds degrees from Kansas State University in Agronomy and Iowa State University in Soil Morphology and Genesis.

This is the second webinar of Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series that features two Geoscientists without Borders® (GWB) projects. The first project, presented by Dr. Kirsten Nicholson focuses on high mountain aquifers in the Sagarmatha National Park, Mt Everest region, Nepal. Dr. Nicholson discusses sourcing potable drinking water for local communities and how people’s behavior (both local residents and tourists) and climate change are impacting access to potable water in the region.

The second presentation, by Mr. Gabriel do Nasciemento Cardasco, is focused on utilizing five geophysical methodologies to study the geohazard risk from mining practices in Ouro Preto, Brazil. He discusses the background and landslide risk of this region, shares how his research has helped measure the scope of the issue, and discusses strategies for engaging with the local community.

Browse the Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series.

About our speakers

Dr. Kirsten Nicholson, Professor, Department of Geosciences, Ball State University

Dr. Nicholson’s research includes work on petrology, tectonics and heat flow in the Pacific, and water resources in the Nepali Himalayas. Kirsten has more than 25 years of research experience in petrology and tectonics but has only been working in water resources for the past ten years. Her BSc is in Geological Sciences is from the University of British Columbia, Canada, her MSc is from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and her PhD is a cotutelle from the University of Auckland and the Universite Joseph Fourier, France.

Gabriel do Nascimento Cardoso, Undergraduate student, Department of Geological Engineering, Federal University of Ouro Preto

Gabriel currently works as an intern at an ornamental rocks mining company. He is an active participant in the student chapter Society of Applied Geophysics (SGA), where he explores the utilization of geophysics to solve problems and develop new applications. Besides being an SGA representative, Gabriel’s research is also affiliated with Geoscientists Without Borders (GWB) and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).

This is the first webinar of the 2022 Earth Science Week webinar series in which our speakers present six case studies that illustrate how the geosciences intersect with the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Life on Land (SDG 15).

Our speakers are:

• Carlos Martinez, Director, NYC Parks GreenThumb
• Renee Mazurek, Resilient Communities Manager, River Network
• Max Brouwers, Chief Business Development Officer, Getech
• Dr. Sahle-Demessie, Chemical Engineer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Dr. Futoshi Nakamura, Professor, Department of Forest Science, Hokkaido University
• Dr. Matthew Hansen, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Maryland – College Park

Browse the Earth Science Week 2022 webinar series.