Mission Soil: A workshop for tomorrow's soil scientists

The Institute of Soil Research organised the workshop “Mission Soil”, which offered exciting insights into the work of soil scientists.

The young participants had the opportunity to get to know the different tools and methods. Equipped with augers, hammers and rubber boots, they immersed themselves in the field and carried out various experiments:

- Feeling and guessing soil components: What is soil made of? And what are its functions?
- Determining soil texture: What do soil minerals feel like? What is the particle size of the soil?
- Measure pH and soil temperature: How acidic or basic is the soil? How warm is it?
- Study soil respiration: How active is soil biology?
- Evaluate soil structure: How compact or crumbly is the soil?

The participants made their own soil profiles to take home - a creative souvenir of an educational day.

The workshop showed how exciting and important the work of soil scientists is, especially in terms of sustainability and protecting our environment and soils. We are delighted that we were able to get so many young people interested in this topic!