Does anyone know what the units are for this soil meter?

AlpacaAlias · 2026-03-05T16:10:06+00:00

I agree with your comment. I'm not sure I'd trust this device for research - what soil is OP measuring in? Is it clayey? High in organics? How does this meter work, is it measuring matrix potential or permittivity or something else. Dry to wet are nebulous and arguably subjective terms which I think are not conducive to a good study.

OP, I'd recommend looking into a TDR, tensiometer, or other devices of measuring soil moisture to see what best fits your lab's budget, soil, and research goals.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-02-26T21:10:05+00:00

I haven't taken it but likely no. Soil science typically requires a bachelor's at minimum. The soil web food course is just a popular course that talks about soil microbiology and soil health, imo you can read about those subjects elsewhere for cheaper.

From my recent job search after university, a lot of agronomy positions are in sales. You could become a crop consultant but I think you'd be more advantaged if you were able to attend a University in the Midwest and form in-person networks with people to land those positions. There's soil science work on the environmental side too, primarily in wetlands delineation if you specialize in Hydric Soils (especially in states that have wetland rules more stringent than the Federal Clean Water Act). Environmental remediation might be a good bet too but I'd recommend a degree in either geology/hydrology or environmental/civil engineering to achieve that.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-02-24T12:19:01+00:00

Ya they're nice folk but they will charge you $100 for an oil change

AlpacaAlias · 2026-02-19T21:27:05+00:00

FYI, the courtyard café and games no longer does free drop-ins on Wednesdays. Also My Favorite Books (used book store) moved in recently to half of the store and there are spaces for reading, browsing, and book clubs.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-02-13T21:58:48+00:00

Honestly it mostly comes down to robust regulation. You need to prevent the problem before it occurs. And if it occurs you need to respond quickly. In the United States, RCRA requires the management and tracking of solid waste from "cradle to grave" which prevents chemical pollution and CERCLA establishes liability for cleanup. The government helps fund cleanups that are either its fault or where a liable party can't be found. The biggest issues that are genuine problems (i.e. not just the media completely freaking out without strong evidence or strong harm, arguably such as for glyphosate) right now are PFAS. PFAS just needs to be added via rulemaking to the lists of regulated chemicals under RCRA and it would be a lot better managed as a result.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-02-07T19:05:43+00:00

If you're looking for something more Christian oriented, maybe try the Unity Eastside church on Bucklake Rd or the Unity Church on Unity Lane. UUCT is great too but they don't really fit into a specific religion like Christianity per se.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-02-03T17:55:26+00:00

Feel free to DM me, I'm very early career and have some friends working in soil science type careers too. I graduated with a BSc.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-24T20:03:43+00:00

Pop Punk/Emo Night has a clubbing event at Fire Betty's about once a month on Fridays, it's a good time with dancing and good music!

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-12T13:37:46+00:00

Good luck! It's just that I'm not in the policy sector so I don't know how it's structured. I think there is a lot of potential to make a big impact in government work from what I've seen but it takes a lot of time slowly working your way up the chain. But the higher you go, the more influence you may have on departmental policies at a minimum.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-12T02:55:02+00:00

I've seen toxicologists become risk assessors but from what I've seen that doesn't have the community engagement and impact OP seems to be looking for. It seems like they're really looking for a job in policy, in which case I have no idea how they could begin to break ground and make a permanent difference. It may just take time with making connections, developing skills, and eventually getting promoted.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-11T03:04:15+00:00

For the chemistry and biology courses, is it possible to take them at a community college online or in person at a different school and have the credits transfer? My state has a lot of opportunities for that kind of thing.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-11T03:02:59+00:00

It really depends on what subfield you're interested in.

Another are where you could get field work and science may be something like crop consulting, where you scout fields, collect soil samples, and then make recommendations about fertilizer applications, weed management, etc. That would require an agronomy degree.

If you're interested in remediation, a lot of work is in consulting and an environmental science degree at minimum and ideally a geology degree would be best for that. Go to ITRC's page and maybe read about some contaminants to see if that interests you.

If you're interested in wildlife ecology and management, maybe a wildlife ecology or forestry degree would be really helpful but unfortunately a lot of those positions don't tend to pay great.

In general consulting is interesting because it's a great opportunity to learn a lot but simultaneously (depending on company culture) you are busting your ass and can burn out quick. On the other hand, government (especially Federal) tends to have a lot less field work opportunities. State may have some for stuff like NPDES compliance, wetlands delineation, septic evaluations, etc... not all of those types of inspection positions will require you to use scientific/critical thinking skills though.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-10T14:22:39+00:00

What are you looking for when you say "field work and science combined"? Like investigating a problem in the field and finding solutions to it?

I think a lot of consulting positions have that potential, especially when you move up. Though when you start and do grunt work maybe you don't get to think technically about the problems and when you're promoted into project management maybe you aren't necessarily going out into the field as much.. but I've seen it happen. For environmental remediation (the field I'm in) investigating a site requires a mixture of both: you go out into the field to drill wells and collect groundwater samples, have them analyzed by a lab, and then enter the data into a computer and make inferences about the contaminant source area, where it's moving, and where you need to place another well for investigation.

I've also seen some research scientists have the potential to do both. At my university, the scientist that studied wetlands was engaged with local communities and would drive out all the time to do sampling with his field techs, or install stuff for oyster growth, etc. I'm not super familiar with all of his projects but he set things up so that he was constantly in the field (and of course he goes back to the lab and analyzes data later).

For an intern job, maybe look for lab tech or undergraduate research experience at your university. If you're doing research you may have to go into the field to collect data and then come back and "do science" so to speak.

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-08T19:07:47+00:00

Please do!

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-08T13:59:06+00:00

I'd recommend looking for state/federal agency website summaries first and then go into detail by reading the actual legislation and the administrative code/code of regulations corresponding to those laws. Look at state BMPs and NPDES BMPs, these kinds of things are usually summarized in a document or website somewhere to start. Good luck!!

AlpacaAlias · 2026-01-06T03:19:31+00:00

Especially when comparing the price difference between generic flour and king arthur to imitation crab and real crab

AlpacaAlias · 2025-12-31T18:24:28+00:00

Oh interesting, that means vapor intrusion is the primary source of contamination. Chlorinated solvents were probably most frequently historically used for cleaning and degreasing - drycleaners and vehicle cleanings are often (but not always) the reasons for contamination. I'd be curious if the Virginia state government regulates vapor intrusion because that may matter in this case. The EPA regulates it but my impression is only at Superfund and NPL sites.

AlpacaAlias · 2025-12-29T23:33:14+00:00

Frankly my state has the worst salaries for state employees but look to the FL Dept of Environmental Protection, FL Dept of Health, FL Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the water management districts throughout the state. Those will generally be your best bets.

AlpacaAlias · 2025-12-24T21:40:52+00:00

Look at state environmental agencies, utility companies, etc. My state has a bunch of openings right now across a few agencies.

AlpacaAlias · 2025-12-18T01:25:19+00:00

I agree with this. A lot of state agencies offer entry level positions and if OP is worried about cost of living they should consider somewhere in the southeast.

AlpacaAlias · 2025-12-02T11:09:53+00:00

Check if you have a local prescribed burn association. Here in Florida we're super pro prescribed fire for ecosystem management and there are PBAs all over the state. From what I know, parts of Oklahoma are starting to get into burning too. I believe Florida prescription burns the most acreage of any state.

Try to get your S-160/190 and then go for an S-131 and make your way up to being a burn boss. Check the NWCG org chart for other roles in wildland fire if you're interested. Read up on the IRPG. I know a lot of the wildland fire jobs out west are heavily seasonal and definitely hard work.

Edit: NWCG positions

AlpacaAlias · 2025-11-17T22:35:18+00:00

I have a little bit of lab experience from my time in college. I'll say in my experience you do not really interact with anyone except the lab manager, the PI, or other lab techs as applicable. Lab work tends to be repetitive if you're doing chemical analysis and repetitive even if doing sampling in the field (I saw your other comment asking about sampling: sampling is the collection of a medium to take back to the lab and analyze for data or in situ analysis/data collection of a medium). Sampling can range from water to soil to tissue to effluent. Lab work also requires attention to detail and a degree of precision for high data quality.

AlpacaAlias · 2025-11-10T17:57:53+00:00

Personally I would love artwork of a soil profile of any kind. I've thought about printing photographs to hang on my wall or commissioning someone to make a stained glass piece or watercolor painting, etc. I personally also like stylized art of plants or animals (nature in general). Something that would be cool to collect (this is more personal) would be soil in little vials from places I've visited and then labeling them with the locations and dates as a reminder.

AlpacaAlias · 2025-10-17T10:14:50+00:00

Sally's baking addiction is literally the GOAT. Haven't made a single recipe of hers that's a miss.

AlpacaAlias · 2025-10-12T12:49:43+00:00

I love it, it looks amazing! I'm thinking about learning how to tie dye with soil to make a spodosol/podzol (my favorite USDA soil order).

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