The 91¸£Àûµ¼º½-Platteville Collegiate Soils Team attended the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Judging Conference, hosted by West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, from April 9–12.
Eighty-seven students from 15 universities competed in the four-year division of the contest. During the competition, students described and classified soils and landforms using tools and techniques employed by professional soil scientists. The skills developed through practice and competition are directly applicable to careers in soil mapping, conservation planning, ecological site classification and wetland delineation. Contestants were scored based on how closely their descriptions and classifications aligned with those of the professional soil scientists serving as official judges.
Representing UW-Platteville, the team of juniors Luke Van Donsel, Brock Stringfield, Alia Meiners and freshman Jake Scheckel placed third in the team portion of the contest. Additional participants from UW-Platteville included juniors Aubrey Jothen, Andrea Noll and freshman Emily Lovett.
The team sincerely appreciates the support provided by the Segregated University Fees Allocation Commission, the Doug and Jean Buhler Student Travel Grant and generous donations from alumni and friends through the UW–Platteville Foundation – Soils and Crops Teams Endowment Fund.
The team is coached by Dr. Chris Baxter, professor of Ecological Restoration and Resource Management and Soil and Crop Science.
For more information, contact Chris Baxter at or visit .