Barbara Kishchuk says the best part of her job is the variety
of subjects she gets to cover in any given day. "I enjoy the research aspect
of this job very much," says Kishchuk, who is a researcher with the forestry
service. "I get the chance to develop questions relevant to the industry.
Then I have to figure out how to answer them."
Kishchuk says she didn't set out to become a soil scientist, but she
found the field intriguing. "I started to get interested toward the end of
my undergrad degree," says Kishchuk, who has a PhD in soil science. "I saw
that soil is part of a whole complex system and it's affected by physical
properties. That's when I knew I wanted to get involved in the research
part of things."
Kishchuk advises students who might be interested in soil science not to
expect a narrow range of duties. "Soil science encompasses a broad range of
things -- everything from agriculture to forestry to reclamation from mining.
The work is very flexible and marketable these days. It's a resource-type
industry, everything relates to soil. That makes it a very interesting job."
If you're thinking about this field as a possible career choice, Kishchuk
says it's never too late to start embracing science. "People might be
a little put off by the physics and chemistry courses," she says. "But if
you stick with it, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the outcome."
Ivan Fernandez believes his job is one of the world's best-kept secrets.
As a soil scientist, Fernandez says he often encounters raised eyebrows when
he tells people what he does for a living.
"Nobody I know even knew soil science was a real discipline, let alone
a real job," says Fernandez.
He doesn't blame people for not knowing about soil science. He says
soil is a subject that is often unjustly overlooked because, well, it's
dirt. He says we don't make a direct connection between soil and the
benefits we receive from it.
"We don't learn about it in grade school because it's too easy
to ignore," he says. "We see the crops which produce the food on our plate,
we see trees growing in the woods, and we are involved with water in so many
ways, so we learn about plants and fish. However, all of those things we 'see'
reflect the soils that support them."
Fernandez himself was actually knee-deep in soil science by the time he
found out about this missing link. Even after graduating with a bachelor's
degree in biology and chemistry, and in spite of an interest in environmental
issues, Fernandez says he was still not aware of the importance of soil science.
"From my studies in biology and ecosystems, I knew that soils played a
part in what type of ecosystems developed in differing areas," he says. "I
went to graduate school not fully aware of just how much a part [soil played].
In addition, I didn't know just how much work needed to be done in management
of soils. The more I learned while in graduate school, the more I enjoyed
it."
Discovering soil at the root of everything was the deciding factor for
Fernandez. It was this knowledge that inspired him to embark on a career as
a soil scientist.
"I realized that 'the missing link' to understanding our natural
resources and ecosystems are the soils," he explains.
A 15-year veteran of soil science, Fernandez studies human and natural
effects on soils, and the chemical, physical and biological properties of
soils, and uses that information to create management plans. It's an
important job -- a responsibility Fernandez doesn't take lightly.
"As we rely more and more on limited resources with an ever-increasing
demand, we will continue to need to be technically competent in our management
of limited natural resources," he says. "Soil science is a big part of this."
One doesn't normally think of soil as a fragile resource needing careful
management. However, Fernandez says if a soil is mismanaged and the nutrients
are lost, the value of that soil will be gone for two whole generations.
"In other words, only during your great-grandchildren's lifetime will
that soil be able to do its job," says Fernandez.
The purpose of soil is to decompose organic litter, like compost, and release
its nutrients back to the soil for plant roots. Soils also provide the physical
support for buildings and roads, and clean our waters as solutions percolate
through them.
The soil scientist's job, says Fernandez, is to mediate the effect
of human factors on soil. The ecosystem -- the relationship between living
and non-living organisms on the planet -- is a delicate balance. This balance
can be offset when human beings alter their environment, so soil scientists
try to restore it.
"Soil scientists are key players in managing the ecosystem. Landfills,
septic tanks, wetlands mismanagement, hazardous waste, buildings, dams, farming
[and] roads can alter the balance. The list seems endless," says Fernandez.
"As a soils researcher, when research findings from my studies have contributed
directly to the development of state and federal environmental laws, and as
a soils manager, when plans I've designed have made a difference to the
ecological balance in a particular area, it's an enormously gratifying
feeling," says Fernandez.