Soil Biology & Biochemistry Division
Welcome! You can get involved with the Soil Biology & Biochemistry Division on the Discussion Board. On this page you'll find lectureship and award information.
FRANCIS E. CLARK DISTINGUISHED LECTURESHIP ON SOIL BIOLOGY
At each annual meeting, the Soil Biology & Biochemistry Division hosts the Francis E. Clark Distinguished Lectureship on Soil Biology. This lectureship honors Francis Clark's life-long commitment to the greater understanding of soil, plant, and microbial interactions and of nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The lectureship focuses on topics in soil biology that are of interest to teachers, researchers, and students. The lecture emphasizes new frontiers in all aspects of soil biology and the importance of soil biology in addressing agricultural, environmental, and socio-economic issues.
STUDENT PRESENTATION AWARDS
At each annual meeting, the Soil Biology & Biochemistry Division hosts a student poster/5-min rapid talk presentation competition. Prizes are $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third place. In January 2019, student prizes were kindly sponsored by Qiagen.
Our San Diego 2018/2019 year winners were:
1st Prize: Rachel Danielson (UC Davis) for " Linking the Genetic Signature of Free-Living Diazotrophs with Process Rates Under Land Use Conversion
2nd Prize: Rael Otuya (Texas Tech Univ.) "Soil Microbial Communities and Soil Health in Semi-Arid Pastures of the Texas Southern High Plains
3rd Prize: Zachery Leitner (North Dakota State Univ.) "Soil Biological Temporal Variability As Functions of Physiochemical States and Soil Management
At the San Antonio 2019 meeting, the student competition will include a session of 5-minute lightning talks (Monday at 1:35 rm 225B CC) followed by the poster session at 4:00 PM. The top division winners will advance to the to the society-wide competition on Wednesday.
Jeffrey L. Smith Graduate Student Travel Award
This award was established to commemorate the contributions of USDA-ARS scientist Dr. Jeffrey L. Smith, who having lived a full life, passed away on Jan. 25, 2014. Jeff was a decorated Vietnam Veteran, received a B.S. degree from University of California-Berkeley, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Soil Science from Washington State University. He returned to Berkeley as a post-doc, helping lead one of the largest ecosystem science projects funded by NSF. He then returned to Pullman as a soil microbiologist with the USDA-ARS from 1986-2013, serving as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Crops and Soil Sciences, where he lectured, advised, and was a mentor to numerous graduate students. Their professional and personal successes were his most prized accomplishments. Jeff was nationally and internationally known for his pioneering research on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling, and the impact of global climatic change on terrestrial ecosystems. He served as editor on several international scientific journals and as a leader on many ARS initiatives, including the Climate Change National Program and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement Network (GRACEnet). In 2007, Jeff was recognized for his scientific contribution to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He was a devoted member of SSSA, and an active participant in the Soil Biology & Biochemistry and Forest, Range & Wildland Soils Divisions.
The Soil Biology & Biochemistry and Forest, Range & Wildland Soils Divisions of the SSSA have long recognized the importance of graduate students to the health and vitality of our organization and have many programs in place to support and encourage graduate student participation in the meetings. An endowed fund in the Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) is established to award a travel grant each year to a deserving graduate student presenting research in these Divisions to honor Jeff’s contributions to SSSA, and to encourage future scholars to participate in the Soil Biology & Biochemistry and Forest, Range & Wildland Soils Divisions at the SSSA meetings.
Eligibility: Students must apply each year for this award and recipients will be selected based on the following criteria:
Students must be members of the Soil Biology & Biochemistry or the Forest, Range & Wildland Soils Divisions of SSSA, working broadly in the fields of soil biology, biogeochemistry or microbial ecology, and must have completed two semesters of graduate work leading to a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Natural Sciences.
Students must be the presenting author and have submitted an abstract for in-person presentation (oral or poster) at the annual meeting within the Soil Biology & Biochemistry or the Forest, Range & Wildland Soils Division of the Soil Science Society of America.
Academic performance, honors and awards (Undergraduate and Graduate School GPA, etc.) and demonstrated leadership in professional, social, or personal endeavors.
Prior scholarly activity (publications, abstracts, other instructional or extension activities).
Preference will be given to students in the final year of study for their M.S. or Ph.D. degrees, and those from underrepresented groups in the earth sciences.
Selection of a single award, valued at $3000, will be made by the leadership of the Soil Biology & Biochemistry and the Forest, Range & Wildland Soils Divisions of SSSA.
An individual graduate student may receive this award only once.
Submit application materials by July 15, 2025 on the Awards Hub
Applicants will be notified about the outcome of the review process by August 15, 2025. The successful applicant will be recognized during their presentation session, and in the Forest, Range and Wildland Soils and Soil Biology and Biochemistry division meetings. Travel funding will be provided by reimbursement after the meeting, requiring travel receipts and forms to be submitted to Society leadership.
