International Year of Soils 2015: Activities
Introduction
The James Hutton Institute celebrated the 2015 International Year of Soil with a series of activities and events, starting on 5 December 2014 (World Soil Day) with a tree planting at schools
in Aberdeen and a scientific & policy meeting on Soils in the Digital Age in Edinburgh. Some of these were annual events that were given additional soils emphasis and others are specific events aimed at the IYS.
Each of the events is different and has a number of different target audiences. Below, you will find details, dates and locations of events that took place during the International Year of Soil.
International Year of Soil essays
Through the International Year of Soil, researchers from the James Hutton Institute and scientific partners joined forces to produce essays aimed at explaining the relevance of soils to general audiences. Visit the essay series page for more information.
Calendar of Activities
Click on the activity to find out more
| Activity | |
|---|---|
| December 2014 | |
| March 2015 |
Association of Applied Biologists: Conference - Improving Soil Health |
| April 2015 |
British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) Early Careers Research Conference 2015 |
| May 2015 | |
| June 2015 | |
| July 2015 | |
| August 2015 | Potatoes in Practice |
| September 2015 | Exhibition at Summerhall, Edinburgh: Soil, The Earth's Tender Skin |
Activities
Date: 5 December 2014. This is a meeting organised by the British Society of Soil Science and including staff from Hutton and SRUC as organisers. Five speakers will be talking about the development, application and policy relevance of digital soil information (including its use in regulatory activities). In the afternoon, there will be sessions for developing collaborations and suggestions for future work. The location for this meeting is the SRUC King’s Buildings in Edinburgh, and further information can be found at http://www.soils.org.uk/event/379.
Date: 5 December 2014. Multiple tree planting events will be taking part across the UK on this date, and the James Hutton Institute is participating at approximately 15 schools in Aberdeen. Soil scientists and PhD students will be visiting schools to talk briefly about soil and plant a tree in the school grounds.
Date: approx. 7 March 2015. Hutton and Aberdeen University staff are organising a presentation on Women in Science to link up with International Women’s Day on 8 March. Professor Liz Baggs (President-Elect of the British Society of Soil Science and Head of the School of Biological Sciences) will be talking about her experiences as a female soil scientist.
This conference is being organised by the Scottish Organic Forum and is on 10th March, Stirling. It focuses on the state of our soils and how to increase its productivity. Click on the link (title above) to visit the website.
Date: April 2015. A series of talks will be given by soil scientists to trainee teachers. This event is being organised by the University of Aberdeen and is also open to members of the public. Several soil scientists from the James Hutton Institute will be speaking about their research areas.
Date: throughout May 2015.
The University of Aberdeen’s May Festival will provide an opportunity for James Hutton Institute staff to give talks about soil and to use existing links with the University’s School of Biological Sciences to combine forces in presenting material and information. Our own professor Lorna Dawson, Head of Soil Forensics at the James Hutton Institute, will be giving a talk on Dirt, Death & DNA: The Role of Soil in Forensic Investigations.
Date: 7 June 2015. This annual event organised by the James Hutton Institute will be attended by many from the scientific and farming community and will have additional International Year of Soil activities.
Date: 18 to 21 June 2015. This annual event will have activities relating to IYS in addition to the standard James Hutton Institute presence at the Show. Click here for more information.
Date: 2 July 2015. This annual event will be held at Kirkton Farm, Blackburn, Aberdeen. IYS activities on the day will include a soil pit and talk by one or more soil scientists from the James Hutton Institute. Information about the event can be found here. Attendee registration will open shortly.
International Clay Society Meeting
Date: 5 to 10 July 2015. This meeting, to be held in Edinburgh, will be attended by soil scientists from the James Hutton Institute and will include soil-related activities and a trip to the James Hutton Farm. The meeting is organized by the Mineralogical Society.
Date: 16 July 2015. Information about the event can be found here. Please note the event programme is still to be finalised. Attendee registration will open shortly.
Date: 13 August 2015. This is an annual event that is highly relevant for IYS and which will have additional branding and activities in this area. Information about the event can be found here. Attendee registration will open in April. The event will be held at Balruddery Farm, near Dundee.
The Dirt Doctors
A collection of blogs from soil scientists about soil. Click on the logo to find out more:
Most recent blog: A catch up from the North!
Links to previous blogs:
"Dirt Science" - British Society of Soil Science introduction to Soil System Science
"The Dirt Doctors: Soil data, soil information and soil maps"
Contact details
For more information about the Institute’s activities during the International Year of Soil, please contact Matt Aitkenhead
