Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for the SOIL-COP project is students enrolled at participating institutions who are interested in pursuing studies in soil science or related disciplines (e.g., agronomy, environmental sciences, geology, and natural resources management). This includes students enrolled in two-year programs, four-year BS programs, and graduate MS and PhD programs. The program was widely advertised to potential participants at each institution, and students who applied were then considered for enrollment. We devised five types of support for students under SOIL COP. The first two are for graduate students at research institutions (UCDavis, Texas A&M University, and Cal Poly SLO) and consider stipend or tuition support as well as tailored internship programs. Likewise, the programs have been considered for undergraduates at 4-year and 2-year schools. These include an internship program, stipend support, and research support for materials. Additionally, the program supports students in attending presentations at regional or national scientific and professional meetings. All student applications have been managed through an online application system available at https://www.soilcop.org/apply.html. The first application for support was received in December 2025 for a student enrolled in a PhD program under the mentorship of the project's PI. The student was interviewed and evaluated using the attached rubric used by the entire PI team. The student was selected and began receiving support in the Fall Semester of 2025 (01/2025). Applications for undergraduate and graduate students for internships and student support were reopened in March of 2025. Applications to the three other student support programs were received until April of 2025; selection and awards were made available starting in May of this year. The first cohort of summer interns and students receiving support began in the summer term of 2025 (May/June 2025). 23 students have been enrolled to receive support for our internship and tuition and fees support, which represents 55% of our total expected outcome goal for the project. From these students, 3 are pursuing a two-year program or other certificates (Community college), 16 are undergraduate (BS), 3 are MS, and 2 are PhD students, which respectively represent 17%, 123%, 33%, and 100% of our expected outcomes. 6 students were identified as male and 17 as female. 7students are currently completing Soil Science Summer Internships, 4 are receiving Tuition & Fees or Stipend Support, and 8 are receiving Student Support (scholarships). The second application period is currently open. Changes/Problems:The only significant issue we faced was uncertainty about potential internship placement with our federal and private collaborators. Most of our partners have indicated that it is unclear whether they can host interns in their labs, as the situation regarding federal budget resolutions and travel restrictions for employees remains fluid. We anticipate that this situation will improve in the coming months. Another issue we have faced is the difficulty in identifying professionals who can create the course materials we proposed for the new open introductory course outlined in our syllabus (see attached product). We have decided to develop this material through a cross-supervised and co-developed approach, involving graduate students from TAMU, UC Davis, and Cal Poly. We believe this approach will provide our graduate students with a highly enriching experience, enabling them to collaboratively develop teaching materials and acquire critical skills for their careers. It will also allow us to have more control over the production timing, quality, and adequacy of the material created by this group. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided support for students to carry out summer internships atour 3 research-focused partner institutions. 6 students are currently completing their summer internships at TAMU (3 from SHSU, 1 from TAMU, 1 from Blinn College, and 1 from Austin Community College), 1 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 1 at UC Davis, and 1 at UIW. The students are working in diverse research projects from assessing coastal flooding impacts on soils, fire ant bioturbation dynamics in urban soils (2), use of MIR for predicting soil properties (1), enhancing weathering for carbon capture (3), biochar as soil amendment for crops (1), wildfire retardants impact on soil chemistry (1), agrivoltaics impacts on soil health (1). All students are expected to deliver a poster presentation next semester highlighting the main findings and experiences during their internships. The student with the best poster will be supported to participate in local and national conferences. We have initiated the intercollegiate mentorship and leadership program. Student mentors have been identified at the three institutions currently managing graduate programs in soil sciences (Texas A&M University, UC Davis, and Cal Poly). These graduate students provide direct guidance to undergraduate interns as they contribute to their research. Graduate student mentors receive direct mentorship from their PIs. The first cohort of interns has been supported by local mentors at the institutions where they are completing their internships. There have been multiple meetings for graduate students' mentors and the PD at Texas A&M. Student interns at UC Davis and Cal Poly are being directly mentored by the co-PD or other hosting faculty at those institutions. In addition, we have completed one online training workshop across institutions focused on leadership as stated in our plan of work. This workshop was delivered by Dr. Rafael Landaverde, Assistant Professor of the Department of Agriculture Leadership and Education at Texas A&M University. A total of 24 people attended this event, including co-PDs and students from all partner institutions. The next event is planned for September 2025 and will focus on career opportunities (round table with young professionals from federal, state, ONG and extension agencies). We initiated coordination for internships with our local partners at NRCS; however, due to recent restructuring of the offices and federal budget issues, these internships were not possible at this time. We are working towards making these opportunities available next summer. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Promotion started at the end of the fall semester of 2024, focused on sharing information with students enrolled in soil science, agriculture, environmental sciences, and natural resource management-related classes across campuses of partnered institutions. Additionally, flyers were posted both physically and digitally in various buildings across campus. We have also begun working on Objective 3 to establish a program of internships across institutions, in collaboration with our potential hiring partners. We have held conversations with collaborators like USDA-NRCS, the Soil Health Institute, and Texas A&M Extension Service to plan for internship opportunities for next summer. The project team has developed an evaluation of a rubric and promotional materials to support student enrollment, retention, and career pursuits in soil sciences, as outlined in objective 2. The team also worked to create a first draft of a shareable syllabus for an online class based on the existing syllabus and available literature.This syllabus is included as an attachment (other products). The online class material is expected to be made available between quarters 11 and 14 of year 3 as stated in the plan of work. We are also presenting the preliminary results and promoting the program at the upcoming 2025 CANVAS meeting in Salt Lake City, which brings together professional scientists and students from the Crop Science Society, the Agronomy Society, and the Soil Science Society of America. The poster has been submitted under the title "SOIL-COP Empowering soil education and career opportunities in soil sciences" to the SSSA Soil Education and Outreach Division. Additionally, promotional materials for the SOIL-COP will be included in the Texas A&M Soil and Crop Sciences Department booth. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to operate under the same structure and adhere to the plan of work outlined in the proposal. Next year, we plan to expand our support opportunities, particularly for students attending community colleges in California. We also plan to complete all course material by the end of year 2.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The Soil-Cop consortium aims to attract underserved students to pursue soil science careers by increasing their enrollment and retention in undergraduate and graduate education through a coordinated multistate collaborative program of emerging and Hispanic-serving higher education institutions. To advance project goals, we have established a multistate soil science education and career opportunity program through an integrated network of higher education HSI institutions and career placement partners in Texas and California. Objective 1 was to create a support program to attract and retain undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups interested in pursuing careers in soil sciences. Since September 01, 2024, the project teamhasworked on initiating this partnership, including finalizing all subcontracts with partnered institutions. Texas A&M University is the lead institution and coordinates the activities of the other seven partner institutions, including UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Riverside City College, the University of the Incarnate Word, Sam Houston State University, Blinn College, and Austin Community College. We also have two state-level coordinators, Dr. Gordon Rees at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Dr. Shyam Nair at Sam Houston State University. The team has also prepared promotional materialsas well as documentation andevaluation rubrics, to begin recruiting students. We hold bi-weekly meetings with all members and, when required, additional ad-hoc meetings with state coordinators. We have successfully created a SOIL-COP brand with a logo and website for this program. The program webpage was published on www.soilcop.org.We have also created printed and digital promotional materials, which were delivered to partners. This material will be used during the extension of this program and in all activities supported by SOIL-COP. The first cohort of students is about to finalize their first semester under the support of SOIL-COP this summer. From this cohort, we know of one community college student who decided to transfer to a soil science program at TAMU and two senior undergraduate students working in their internships who chose to continue their graduate education in soil sciences (1 at TAMU and 1 at UC Davis). Applications for the new cohort are already open and available online at https://www.soilcop.org/apply.html. The next round of applications will close in September and October for Texas and California, respectively. The program has three different types of support for undergraduate students (Undergraduate Support Fund, Lab Material Support Award, and Undergraduate Competitive Internship) and two for graduate students (Stipend and Tuition and Internship Award). Between June and July of this year, the project director visited all institutions in California, where he met with all co-PD at California (Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Riverside City College). During this visit, the PD and Co-PD met with all selected students and then interviewed students individually. This meeting was essential for getting to know this cohort of students, understanding their background and expectations, and planning better support for their career goals. We also conducted a meeting with all interns at TAMU, where most students are carrying out their internships. Graduate student mentors showcased their research, and a preliminary group evaluation of the intern experience was discussed. Interns are expected to deliver poster presentations by the end of September.

Publications