EACSS13

This course provides students with the fundamentals of soil geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to understand soil distribution across the landscape. The New England region is home to an extraordinary landscape diversity that offers an excellent natural laboratory to examine the interactions among geology, geomorphology, and soil development. This course includes visits to the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, coastal areas, and a farm field in Maine. Topics include soil morphology and soil genesis, soils of New England, land use, and introduction to GIS. This course includes a community-engaged activity, in which students develop a hands-on project to create soil and land management maps, in collaboration with Liberation Farms, the Harward Center, and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Students learn field techniques and GIS tools, and enhance communication skills that are useful in many careers.