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NEW SOILS COURSE OFFERED BY ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT

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Contributed by: Robin Koestoyo on 7/29/2008

Food security, environmental quality-- and how these topics relate to soils--will be primary topics of discussion in a new course to be offered by University of Florida Associate Professor Dr. Zhenli He, based at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center near Fort Pierce. The course, Soil Quality, is scheduled for fall semester, 2008, to begin August 25, and will continue through mid-December. Participants will attend class electronically, at times convenient them, and will participate in online sessions with the professor and fellow students. The graduate-level course is available to graduate students and to those who work within environmental protection and management careers.

"The course is for students pursuing a career as a manager and specialist for soils for agro-ecosystems and environmental quality," said Dr. He. "County and government employees or those who wish to gain professional development in these areas will benefit greatly from course material. Upon completion of the course, students will possess the most current knowledge for soils in our local ecosystems."

Dr. He, Associate Professor of Soil Fertility and Environmental Chemistry, is a world-renowned soils scientist and a central figure in the statewide Best Management Practices movement to preserve the environment and sustain agricultural and natural resources industries. An award-winning, widely-published and internationally-recognized scientist, Zhenli He has served as a scientist and as a professor at institutions in England, Scotland and in China. His work has garnered more than $2 million in research grants from organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, The International Science Foundation and the Natural Science Foundation of China.

Dr. He said soil quality is one of the rapidly-developing frontiers in soil and environmental sciences and that the course will include many new concepts, principles, and test and evaluative methods.

"Those who complete the course will have the capability to assess and evaluate soil quality as it relates to agricultural and environmental quality," said Dr. He.

Specific topics of study will include soil components, quality indicators, quality assessment, measurement, physical, chemical, microbiological and biochemical parameters. Emphasis will be upon management of soils for water, air, plant and animal health, and for food safety.

To enroll in Soil Quality, or for more information about University of Florida degree, certificate or course offerings contact Jackie White at: (772) 468-3922, Ext. 148, or by e-mail at: jkwhite@ufl.edu.

For specific inquiries about course content contact Dr. Zhenli He at: (772) 468-3922, Ext. 109, or by e-mail at: zhe@ufl.edu.

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