Soils and Biogeochemistry (SBG) Graduate Group

And a big thanks to event coordinators and the graduate student mentors for their help this season. Way to go Aggies!

13 students stand in and above a soil exposure

Students and student mentors gather for a group photo at the competition field site

Congratulations to the UC Davis Soil Judging Team for placing 4th in the regional competition held at Chico State! The students braved the rainy conditions to characterize the volcanic soils of the Southern Cascades!

This is an incredible program and opportunity for students not only to learn about soil, but to travel, bond with teammates, gain confidence, spend time outdoors, and see new places! Your donations are truly appreciated and will make an immense difference in supporting our team! Donate today!

UC Davis Students Earn Third Place in Regional Soil Judging Contest UC Davis students are taking their soil skills to the big stage, earning a spot in the 2025 National Collegiate Soils Contest after securing third place at the Region 6 Soil Judging Competition in New...

This past year, the UC Davis team made history: UC Davis placed third at the regional competition and advanced to the National Soil Judging Contest in Wisconsin. There, our team proudly earned 6th place, out of 28 teams, in the team soil judging event—a remarkable achievement for our students!

Soil judging is a national program that gives students a rare, hands-on opportunity to learn to describe soil properties, identify soil types and landscapes, and interpret data for diverse fields including agriculture, engineering, ecology, climate studies, and beyond!

UC Davis Soil Judging Team Please make a gift today!

The UC Davis Soil Judging Team is participating in the 2025 UC Davis CrowdFund campaign to raise money for our team! 🌱🪏🌻 With your support, we can continue to send our team to regional and national competitions and continue this program for generations of students to come!

A seated audience faces a presenter and screen displaying a writing quote.

Over a dozen SBG students pose for a photo in an outdoor courtyard.

SBGG opened the fall quarter with the first Terra Talk of the year: a grant writing workshop led by LAWR faculty member Peter Hernes. We are excited to welcome new students to SBGG and UC Davis!

Kate Scow sits on a bench and leans back as she smiles a the camera.

Kate Scow is a distinguished professor emeritus of soil science and microbial ecology in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources.

Read more about Scow's soil research and the important connection with human health in the latest Among the Academies feature: ucdav.is/3VzgTE1

Jaeeun stands at a podium next to the title slide of her presentation.

Jaeeun with co-advisors Toby O'Geen (left) and Kate Scow (right).

Celebrations are in order for another 2025 SBG graduate Jaeeun Sohng, who successfully presented her exit seminar titled: Interactions Between Enhanced Rock Weathering, Organic Amendments, and Microbial Communities Influence Soil Carbon Sequestration. Congrats Dr. Sohng! #EnhancedRockWeathering

Gaitan pointing towards his presentation.

Gaitan and his advisor Dr. Peña together in the PES courtyard

Congratulations to one of SBG’s 2025 graduates, Gaitan Gehin on a successful exit seminar titled Mechanisms of manganese (Mn) biomineralization by Pseudomonas putida GB-1. Way to go Dr. Gehin! #nanominerals

Students and coaches pose for picture after celebrating win

Students analyzing soil samples and landscape features

Students and coaches go over soil characteristics inside soil pit

Students pointing out soil features in soil pit

Big congrats to the UC Davis Soil Judging Team! At their first-ever Nationals, they placed 6th in Team Judging out of 27 schools, after only 4 days of field prep. Coached by our amazing SBG grad students, Adolfo, Connie, Jane & Ava-Rose! 💪👏 #SoilJudging #AggiePride #GradMentors

Three booths with white tables and tents are hosted by SBG graduate students. Pink and brown banners state "Soil Science Central."

A crowd of visitors are shown engaging with booth activities beneath three white tents. A paint pallet, brushes, and completed paintings are also shown

SBG students and faculty brought soil science to life last weekend at the 111th UC Davis Picnic Day! 🌱 Visitors explored Soil Science Central by painting with soil, learning texture-by-feel, and spotting live nematodes under the microscope. We love sharing our passion for soil with the community! 🤎

Donate at the GiveDay page here: giveto.ucdavis.edu/campaigns/49...

The UCD Soils Judging Team is heading to Nationals!
Please consider joining Emeriti Michael Singer and Randy Southard in supporting our team at the National Championships in Wisconsin! Donations will support travel expenses so our students can proudly represent UCD on the national stage. Go Aggies!

An audience faces a speaker at a podium who is presenting a presentation titled Ecological feedbacks to global change: a terrestrial ecosystems perspective.

The SBG Grad Group would like to thank Dr. Seeta Sistla from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for being our first Terra Talks presenter of the spring quarter! We enjoyed discussing Agrivoltaics, soil responses to warming in the Alaskan tundra, and California beaver repopulation!

SBG student Alyssa presenting her poster titled "Efficacy of Soil Health Practices Across a Rangeland Productivity Gradient."

And a special congratulations to Alyssa for winning #FirstPlace in the Masters Student Soil and Water Science Category!

SBG student Makena standing with her poster titled "Evaluating Nitrogen Mineralization from Organic Amendments in a California Processing Tomato Field in the Sacramento Valley."

SBG student Lauren in action discussing her poster titled "Assessment of Soil Health Over Time Following Catastrophic Wildfire in Sierra Nevada Mixed Conifer Forests."

A picture of SBG student Chris's poster titled "Effect of Soil Texture on Nitrogen Mineralization from Organic Amendments in Broccoli Fields on the Central Coast."

Shoutout to SBG students Makena, Alyssa, Lauren, and Chris for presenting their research at the @asa-cssa-sssa.bsky.social California Chapter's Plant and Soil Conference last week. Lots of cool and different research on #nitrogen and #soilhealth in agricultural, rangeland, and forest systems.

A seated audience attending a presentation titled "How can you become an effective communicator to a broad range of audiences?" Presenter Toby O'Geen stands at a podium next to the screen.

A seated audience faces a screen with virtual panelists.

The SBG Graduate Group has recently established Terra Talks, a weekly gathering of UC Davis students, post-docs, and researchers to discuss all things soil! In the past weeks, student leaders have coordinated a career panel and a communication seminar. We love to see an active community in soils!

Hello BlueSky! This is the official account for the Soils and Biogeochemistry Graduate Group at the UC Davis. We are excited to join and contribute to the BlueSky community of scholars!

Find out more about the graduate group by visiting our website (soils.ucdavis.edu) or X account (@SBGUCDavis)