Annual Seminar on New StrategySelfoss, Iceland – May 2010

Ólafur Arnalds LBHI

Soil Soc – Network on Soil Science

SoilSoc network brings together teachers, students and researchers on the multidiciplinary field of soil

sciences.

Purpose for soil science in Nordic countries:• Increase and improve interaction among students, teachers and researchers.• Improve the diversity and quality of graduate education• Create a motivating study environment for Nordic students of soil science

SoilSoc encourages students to obtain degrees in Soil Science

Development and Annual Meetings

Meeting in Helsinki 2.3.2006, where SoilSoc was foundedMeeting in Iceland 16.-19.11.2006, where the outlines of the SoilSoc

collaboration where decided Meeting in Copenhagen 22.-23.11.2007, where future SoilSoc intensive

courses were planned and the outlines of the SoilSoc programme agreed on

Meeting in Uppsala 27.-28.11.2008, where the outcomes of the first two SoilSoc intensive courses and the SoilSoc minor at HU-AF were presented, and future courses and collaboration with graduate schools were planned

Meeting in Ås 26.-27.11.2009, where two new board members were acknowledged and both past and future courses were discussed and planned

Krisina Lindström (UH)

Anu Mikkonen (UH)

Importance of annual meetings

(Board) Meetings mostly funded by NOVA.

Meetings: key instruments for the development and the fruitful activity of the SoilSoc Network

Active student involvement in all meetings, from all member universities.

Several Courses

Bioinformatics for the environmental scientists

University of Helsinki

Soil Degradation, Erosion and Restoration

Microbial N transformations and NO/N2O emissons

UMB

Remediation of contaminated soils

KVL LIFE

Nova Prize 2009

• Very encouraging and helpful!• Money used for student mobility and helping

with annual meetings

DenmarkOle K. Borggaard, LIFE

Lis Jonge, Dr., Agroecology and Environment Karina K. Jessing, PhD student

Finland

Kristina Lindström, UH Tarja Lehto, Prof., Forest Soil Science

Anu Mikkonen, PhD student

IcelandÓlafur Arnalds, SoilSoc network leader

Taru Lehtinen, MSc student

NorwayTrond Borresen, UMB

Shahid Nadeem, PhD student

SwedenSara Hallin, SLU

Ella Wessén, PhD student and SoilSoc network secretary