The Soil Health Lab is working hard to maintain services despite COVID-19 restrictions, which limit the number of workers that can be in the Lab at the same time. In addition to these restrictions, we are currently working to hire a new Lab Manager. Together, these constraints prevent us currently from training graduate students to perform their own analyses in the Lab. We hope to return to normal operations by the end of winter term 2021. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Student work in OSU-SHL

  • We can help you decide which soil analyses are best for your research situation
  • Students can submit samples for SHL to analyze, or SHL can train students to do their own analyses. If the student does their own analyses with the oversight, support, supplies, and equipment from SHL, they are eligible for the discounted student research price.
  • Before a student may do any work in SHL, they must have completed the OSU EH&S Comprehensive Laboratory Safety Training modules, gone through the SHL safety tour, and have a signed safety training sheet on file. The safety tour is ideally done in person, but can also be completed by watching a video. Please contact the lab for more details.

Student research price list

OSU Course Support

  • OSU-SHL is available to support courses throughout the university.
  • Hands-on soil activities or tours/demos can be planned for a course lab section.
  • If you are an instructor for a course and would like to work with SHL, please contact the lab.

Summer tour

  • OSU-SHL organizes and runs two graduate level courses that are taken together during the summer: SOIL 512 and SOIL 514.
  • These courses were planned for Summer Term 2020, but due to COVID19, they will be postponed until Summer Term 2021. Sites will be in southern Oregon.
  • SOIL 512 is a week-long field methods course that introduces students with an interest in soil to methods used in the field to assess soil properties. This course involves going to 4-5 sites in Oregon to investigate the soil and learn what is possible from the soil itself and the landscape it is in. Individual sites and the region of focus change from year to year.
  • SOIL 514 is a week-long laboratory methods course that introduces students to many of the soil analysis methods used in OSU-SHL. Students use the soil samples taken during SOIL 512 for the analyses. At the end, a report comparing the information gleaned from the field and lab courses is produced.

Safety in the Soil Health Lab

The Soil Health Lab is home to many hazardous materials and situations. Anyone working in the lab is required to have completed OSU EH&S L-CLAB comprehensive laboratory safety training and the Soil Health Lab laboratory-specific training, and must agree to follow safety protocols.

   SHL’S Lab-Specific Safety Protocols

WATCH THE SHL LAB SAFETY TOUR