When soil science students from 14 countries gathered in Nanjing, China, this summer, Nebraska's Liz Eroshenko wasn't there to compete. She was one of the judges.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln master's student helped organize the 5th International Soil Judging Competition, serving as a judge while preparing soil pits, developing answer keys and working with competitors from around the world. The experience also gave Eroshenko an opportunity to build international connections and prepare for her goal of leading a soil judging program as a professor.
"At the end of the day, it's a competition, but the goal is that students learn something and have fun," Eroshenko said. "I was able to take my experience being an assistant soil judging coach here at UNL and help explain more complex topics."
Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Eroshenko earned her bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech, where her soil judging coach introduced her to the international event. She said she wanted to become more involved in the global soil science community while gaining experience that will help her lead a collegiate program of her own.
"I hope to be a professor and have my own soil judging program, and I love the soil judging community in the United States," Eroshenko said.
Eroshenko's primary responsibility was serving as a judge, though she also helped organize the event. Working with Nebraska alumnus William Hernández, she prepared the soil pits used in the competition and developed detailed answer keys for participants. They also explained to competitors how judges evaluated each profile.
The competition featured 18 teams from 14 countries. Eroshenko said meeting students from Germany, New Zealand, Australia and Russia (where her parents are from) was one of the highlights of the trip. She also became more familiar with international systems for naming and classifying soils.
"I found it really interesting and really fun to interact with people who were really passionate about the same thing as me, and it was a great opportunity to share cultures," Eroshenko said.
Developing the answer keys required detailed descriptions of each soil pit. Judges first evaluated the surrounding landscape before examining characteristics such as soil texture, structure and other physical properties.
"Typically you start by looking at the landscape, because that can give you clues on how the soil formed and what kind of features you can expect to see," Eroshenko said. "Is it manmade? Is it natural? What kind of grass or vegetation do you have? And then once you get into the soil, you start with some physical properties like soil texture: sand, silt and clay. You look at structure, like how well it holds together and what shape those pieces are."
Although she had more experience than many of the competitors, Eroshenko said working with unfamiliar soils challenged her own skills.
"It was a great way for me to practice the skills I've learned," she said. "We went to a completely new area I've never been to. I didn't know anything about the soils there, so I was able to test my skills and gain confidence in describing soils in a new place, and get to learn from the scientists who were there and international experts."
While in China, Eroshenko also presented research at the 23rd World Congress of Soil Science. She shared findings from her master's research on how human land use affects soil properties in the Great Plains, along with undergraduate research examining the state of soil judging in the United States.
Eroshenko said soil science plays an essential role in agriculture, water quality and ecosystems, making it rewarding to introduce more students to the field.
"Soil provides many important services to humans and the environment," she said. "It's the basis of farming, and all livestock and wildlife relies on the plants that grow in the soil. Water is filtered through the soil and most nutrients are cycled through it. Soil judging is an interactive outdoor activity that gets students interested in soil science."
She said soil judging is well established in the United States but continues to grow internationally. Helping new students gain confidence in the discipline made the experience especially meaningful.
"I was glad I was able to contribute to make it not as daunting for some new students so they stay interested instead of getting overwhelmed and losing interest in soil science."
