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Soil Science Specialist
Career Program Area

Goals

  • The Soil Science Specialist Career Program Area is designed to:
  • Encourage the development of opportunities in soil science and natural resources systems.
  • Provide incentives to develop and improve curricular and instructional techniques.
  • Evaluate participant and program efficiency.
  • Recognize individual accomplishments and educational curriculum in the soil science and natural resources industry.
  • Encourage cooperation between education and industry.

 

General Rules

Participants will only be eligible to compete in one specialist area at the national level per year. No participant shall be allowed to compete in more than one specialist area.

 

Any participant who achieves 1st Place High Individual in the Soil Science Specialist program area at Nationals will not be eligible to participate in this program area in the coming years.  If that participant is a member of any team (no matter what their final official team position (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc) the 1st place individual will become ineligible, and the other team member may return with a different team member if they so choose.

 

All career program activity areas will be prepared by a non-affiliated representative or certification representative who, if they are available, will also administer the test. Power to select representatives will be under the direction of the Iowa PAS Executive Director.

 

Participants need to provide a non-programmable calculator, two No. 2 pencils and erasers. Calculators will not be provided; it will be the responsibility of participant to be prepared for the event. Cellular phones, Palm Pilots or any other type of programmable devices will not be allowed during the Soil Science Specialist event.

 

Though not required, each team is highly encouraged to write a general, un-sealed thank-you letter to the career program area sponsor of the Soil Science Specialist event area. Thank-you letters should be submitted to the Soil Science Specialist coordinator at the beginning of the competition. If possible, write thank you letters on local or state PAS stationary; therefore, participants will be responsible for their own thank-you stationery and their own writing utensils.

 

Procedures

  1. 1. The objective of this career program area is to evaluate the proficiency level of students interested in soils in the following ways:
    1.  Written Examination (100 multiple choice questions)
    2. Identification of Horizons using a Soil Monolith or Soil Core
    3. Problem Solving
  2.  Subject Matter Areas:
    1. Soil Genesis and Morphology
    2. Soil Physical Properties
    3. Soil and Water Conservation
    4. Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition
    5. Soil Sampling and Testing
    6. Tillage and Cropping Systems
    7. Soil Classification and Survey
    8. Government Agencies and Programs
  3.  Career program time schedule will be based on the following:
    1. Written Examination (1 hour)
    2. Identification of Horizons using a Soil Monolith/Soil Core (30 minutes)
    3. Problem Solving (1 hour)
  4. The total career program will last for 2.5 hours.
    1. Each participant will be evaluated on performance in each of the three activity areas:
    2. Written Examination 100 points (individual)
    3. Monolith/Core Identification 100 points (individual)
    4. Problem solving 100 points (team)
  5. Individual Total 300 points

    Team scoring will be based on:
    (2) Individual Written Exams = 200 pts
    (2) Individual ID scores  = 200 pts
    (1) Team (problem solving) score   = 100 pts

      Team Total 500 pts

 

Soil Science Specialist Specific Rules

1.   Each team will consist of two members. The participants will compete both individually and as a team.

2.   In the event of a tie for individuals, we will use three (3) pre-selected questions from the Written Exam and continue in the same sequence until a winner emerges.

3.   In the event of a tie for teams, the first criteria will be the highest team score and, if still tied, second criteria will be the same three pre-selected questions used to break individual ties as above.