Soil Science Graduate Program

Oregon is an excellent place to study soils because of its diverse topography, climate, and ecosystems.  Ten of the world’s twelve soil orders are found in Oregon.  Rainfall ranges from over 100 inches at some coastal locations to less than 8 inches per year in the eastern Oregon desert.  Over 160 crops are grown in the state.  Soil science research at Oregon State University cuts across agricultural, forestry, and natural ecosystems.  Ecological and environmental research is a major research component of the program that includes:  fate of plant nutrients and groundwater contamination; C sequestration in soils; sources and sinks of CO2; impact of environmental change on plant-soil-microbe interactions; and recycling waste products in soils.  Other research includes fundamentals of chemical/biochemical reactions in wetland soils, biological mediated processes in soils, soil microbial community structure, and landscape analysis.

The graduate program in Soil Science offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the subdisciplines of biology, chemistry, physics, pedology and fertility. 

Soil Biology
David Myrold studies nitrogen cycling in forest and agricultural ecosystems, the use of stable isotopes in soil science and the functional diversity of soil microbial communities.  Peter Bottomley studies soil microbial ecology with particular emphasis on microbes involved in the N cycle and with the biodegradation of soil and groundwater pollutants. Research on plant-soil microbe interactions and the ecology of soilborne diseases  is being done by Jennifer Parkewhose current research is on Phytophthora as a causal agent of sudden oak death. 

Soil Chemistry
John Baham is focused on redox reactions of hydric soils, the chemistry of soil formation, phosphorus availability, and viticultural soils.  Markus Kleberis interested in the functioning of the mineral organic interface. He looks at both mineral and organic materials and at the processes connecting these to understand how soil organic matter organic associates with the mineral matrix.

Soil Physics
http://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/research/soils.html
Research on soil physics emphasizes the physical properties of soil and the transport of energy, water, solutes, and gases. Soil physics is important to proper soil and agronomic management, related to issues of tillage, erosion, irrigation, and drainage; it also plays a central role in environmental problems, such as water quality and climate change.
Maria Dragila conducts research on the movement of soil water through highly heterogeneous porous media focusing on the physics of preferential paths, evaporation and salinity, and pore scale fluid mechanics. Rich Roseberg, located at Klamath Falls, performs research on crop water use, irrigation, water quality, and crop management in semi-arid environments. Don Wysocki, located at Pendleton, studies soil management in dryland wheat systems.

Pedology
Jay Noller studies soil across landscapes and through time to constrain regional and global scale evolutionary pathways of ecosystems.  Research on soil landscape relationships includes the study of pedogenic processes, the description and mapping of soils, and the application of soils information. 

Soil Fertility
Dan Sullivan does research on environmentally sound utilization of wastes as soil amendments and sources of plant nutrients.  He is also developing composting technologies. John Hart is an extension specialist in nutrient management and studies fertilizer requirements of a diverse array of crops, such as cranberries, mint, and sweet corn. 
 

Soil Science Graduate Student Options and Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are available each year for the thesis M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.  Although most applications come in the late fall or winter, we accept applications throughout the year.  Thesis M.S. degrees normally take two to two and one-half years whereas Ph.D. degrees take from three to four years to complete.
Assistantships largely result from grants obtained by faculty. Thus the subdisciplines in which assistantships are available vary over time depending on the suite of grants awarded to faculty that year.  Two Merit Research Scholarships are available each year to the most qualified applicants (deadline is February 1) and are awarded independent of the student’s area of research interest. The Merit Scholarship provides one year of funding.  Often a professor will have funding to support the remainder of the Merit awardee’s program or the student may work with a professor to secure grant funding or another scholarship.
 

Undergraduate Preparation

Most entering graduate students will have completed courses in mathematics (analytical geometry for M.S. and one year of calculus for Ph.D.), organic chemistry, physics, biology, geology, microbiology, and plant physiology or ecology.  Some of these courses may be taken at the beginning of the graduate program.  Specific details of background course requirements can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook in the Undergraduate Preparation section
To obtain more information contact any faculty member or:
Soil Science Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Crop and Soil Science
Oregon State University
3017 Ag and Life Sciences Bldg
Corvallis, OR 97331-7306
Phone: (541) 737-5737
Fax: (541) 737-5725
Email: david.myrold@oregonstate.edu