Monday, 6 October 2008: 2:55 PM
George R. Brown Convention Center, 360DE
D. L. Lindbo, Soil Science, NC State University, Williams Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695, Laurel Hartley, Michigan State University, 3700 East Gull Lake Dr., Hickory Corners, MI 49060, Wendy Greenberg, Bemidji State Univ., Bemidji State University, 20045 Windsurf Dr., Bemidji, MN 56601, John Havlin, 3414 Williams Hall Po Box 7619, North Carolina State University, North Carolina State University, Department of Soil Science, Raleigh, NC 27695-7619, Thomas Loynachan, 100 Osborn, Iowa State University, Department of Agronomy, Ames, IA 50011-1010, Monday Mbila, Alabama A&M University, 4900 Meridian Street, Department Of Plant & Soil Science, Normal, AL 35762, Bianca Moebius-Clune, 1015 Bradfield, Cornell University, Cornell University, Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14853, Emily Stockman, University of Massachusetts, University of Massachussetts, 107 West Street, Plainfield, MA 01070 and Dennis Osborne, North Carolina State University, 711 E Whitaker Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27608
In July 2008 the Smithsonian Intuition’s National Museum of Natural History opened “Dig It: The Secrets of Soils”, an exhibit dedicated to soils. In conjunction with this exhibit a subcommittee of the SSSA’s K12 committee undertook the task of developing a kid friendly book to highlight soils. The committee had a wide soils background so was able to develop rough materials to cover most aspects of soil science. The book outline was driven by the ever changing SI exhibit’s outline. This in itself presented challenges for the subcommittee. Eventually it was decided that a book designer and editor needed to be brought on board. These individuals took the information and images the subcommittee developed and molded them into a book that would be appealing to children while still presenting solid soil science. At numerous stages of the compilation the book draft was field tested to 4th grade classes (the target age group) to determine what was working or not working. This type of peer-review is a departure from what many on the subcommittee were comfortable with but it did improve the overall book. In the end a high quality, visually attractive, scientifically accurate book was produced.
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