Using a soil probe to collect samples from 0-30cm from the soil profile.
Three thousand eight hundred forty—that’s the number of soil cores that have been taken at the Soil Quality lab at the University of Maryland since I joined in September 2024. Thankfully, I work with a team of bright undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral assistants, and Dr. Ray Weil and Eni Ballibari, who have all helped to collect and test these samples with me while educating me in lab protocols and techniques to help me learn more about the soil we work with and the natural processes driving the data we collect. When not in the field, most of my time was spent processing or testing soil and water samples. Over the summer, I also fulfilled the role of a lab manager and spent time organizing, cleaning, and inventorying some of our lab spaces.
My favorite part of my internship was assisting in a soil incubation experiment done with two undergraduate ENST students for their capstone project. This was done during the spring 2025 semester, and it was the first time I saw and interacted with the development, construction, and execution of an experiment like this. The project entailed the preparation of 600 individual centrifuge-style tubes filled with one of six hand-selected soils and with varying rates of rock added (metabasalt, olivine, lime, and control) to see the different effects of those rocks and various soils on the soil pH. This was certainly more complex than previous experiments I have been a part of, and the testing and maintenance of the progression of this incubation is still ongoing and will end sometime between September and October 2025, almost seven months since the experiment began.
My time at the Soil Quality lab has been the most fulfilling professional experience in my time at UMD, and I look forward to continuing my employment with the lab and working as a part-time assistant during the school year. I am now enrolled in ENST 200 (Fundamentals of Soil Science) to learn more about the complex world of soil, and now I am considering minoring in soil science in addition to my IAA certificate in Agricultural Leadership and Communication and degree in Agribusiness from AREC. I still have plenty to learn in this area, especially regarding soil science and lab techniques; I hope my ongoing role at the Soil Quality lab continues to help me grow and become a more well-rounded student of agriculture.
