EVSC 4270: SOIL SCIENCE

Department of Environmental Sciences
Clark Hall The University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4123

Revised, 20190828
This page is being developed on a continuing basis to support the lecture and laboratory portions of the course.

Links to useful information:

• Syllabus for the course
• Obtain a copy of the Lab Manual in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format
• Index of handout files and images  
• Links to resources for soil science. Includes a number of maps, profile collections, soil taxonomy manuals, other web sites for soils courses, etc.  

Instructors

(Fall 2019)

Lecture:  Aaron Mills  Clark Hall 213  (amills@virginia.edu)

Lab:        Emma Cronin Clark Hall 196  (eac4fd@virginia.edu)

NOTE: I am quite often in my office (or the lab) and I welcome drive-by questions. I prefer not to establish firm office hours for a class this size, as you won't use them, but you will want to talk to me at other times. Please do so!  I will try to visit the lab each week as well.

Syllabus

Lectures meet MWF at 09:00-09:50 in Clark G004

Lab meets Monday 14:00-17:00 in Clark, 201 

Contact information for the instructor can be found here.

NOTE: This syllabus is intended to assist you in finding the appropriate reading material to go along with lecture topics. It is unlikely that we will have time to cover each of the topics listed in an appropriate amount of detail. I suggest that you plan to read the text along the guidelines listed below even if the lecture schedule deviates somewhat from that listed. You are responsible for the material in the text whether it is covered in class or not.

APPROXIMATE LECTURE OUTLINE FOR EVSC 4270,  there WILL be slippage - the amount depends in part on my travel schedule and part on how quickly we move through lectures.

E represents days on which exams will be distributed

R represents days on which literature reviews from the graduate students will be due

pH and Plant Growth

Final Exam Due Tuesday, December 17 @ 17:00
 
 

GRADES WILL BE BASED:

75% lecture - 2 mid-terms, 1 final

25% lab - lab reports, project
 
 

TEXT: Brady, N.C., and R.R. Weil. 2017. The Nature and Properties of Soil 15th ed. Pearson Educational Ltd. (Available in Newcomb Hall Bookstore and on Amazon, etc.)  [Note: list price on this text is $145 - earlier versions (I am actually working from the 12th and 13th) have all the information needed for the course. If you can find a less expensive alternative - please do so!! The book is an excellent reference, and is very helpful when questions about soils arise. It is not priced unfairly, although it IS quite expensive.]

Additionally, Birkeland's Soils and Geomorpholgy is an excellent book - I use it as a reference for many of the topics we discuss in class. I recommend it for anyone who is a serious student of pedology.  There is a new edition, and I just bought a copy. You most certainly will see some material from the book during the semester.

SOME IMPORTANT GROUND RULES

ATTENDANCE: I do not penalize students for missing lectures - if you are so inclined, you may get the information anywhere you can. Laboratory attendance is mandatory, however, and lab reports will not be accepted if you were not there to do the work. Labs are hands-on experiences, and can't be made up from someone else's notes.
 
CELL PHONES IN CLASS: Be sure and turn your phone off or to vibrate before we begin each session. A ringing phone WILL result in your dismissal for the day. Repeated offenses will be met with much harsher penalties. If you are contemplating an EMERGENCY call, let me know before we start so that when your phone VIBRATES and you step outside to take the call, I know not to lock you out!  Texting during class will not be tolerated any more than calls.

Several studies have shown that competent students who use computers for note taking tend not to do as well in courses as students who take handwritten notes. However, you are adults, and I will not forbid you from using a computer for note taking if you wish to do so. You better not let me catch you doing email, surfing, or otherwise using the computer for purposes unrelated to the lecture/discussion currently underway. You WILL be asked to leave, should that happen.

NOTE: ALL EXAMS ARE TAKE-HOMES. QUESTIONS DO GET RECYCLED. USE OF OLD EXAMS (FROM ANY PREVIOUS CLASSES) FOR ANY PURPOSE IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN, AS IS ASKING ANY FORMER CLASS PARTICIPANTS ABOUT THE EXAMS!  VIOLATION OF THIS DIRECTIVE WILL RESULT IN AN HONOR REFERRAL!

Furthermore: Given the availability of old exams, worked problem sets, and laboratory exercises that are increasingly becoming available from online services and other venues, the Environmental Sciences Department considers student access of these materials for Environmental Sciences courses, without explicit instructor permission, to be a violation of the UVa Honor Code. (As previously stated, please note that I do NOT grant permission to use old exams from ANY previous iteration of this course.)

Please note that I take the Honor System very seriously, and I will enforce its principles rigorously.

LAB SCHEDULE FOR EVSC 4270L
 

The Project is quite simple in concept. I want you to select a site that has some interest to you. At that site, expose the soil profile and do a thorough description of the soil. Then, please write a short paper (5-10 pp) on some aspect of that soil that is important to you (consistent with your personal interests). Additional details of how to go about this project will be discussed in class and in lab.
 
 

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