Professor Terry Cooper is teaching his students to be detectives. Their crime scene: dugout pits. Their suspects: tills, clays and silts.
Since 1980, Cooper has taught University of Minnesota students to solve mystery soils as coach of the soil judging team. Students on the squad examine soil characteristics and write descriptions at regional and national competitions, held at rotating sites throughout the United States. The students' ability to distinguish a soil's color, texture and other features - as compared to the judges' assessments - determines how their team scores.
Cooper says the contests are a great opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to a hands-on scenario and interact with students from around the country.
"Any time you can more readily relate to what you're reading about, it's a good thing," he says. "For our students, it's definitely a good experience. They get to meet students from other schools."
Cooper has coached the soil judging team to five first-place finishes at the regional competition (1983, 1985, 1989, 1992 and 1997). He also coordinated and served as a judge for the 2002 National Soil Contest, hosted by the University of Minnesota. More than 115 students from 21 schools, 27 states and three countries converged on Red Wing, Minn. to compete for the national title.
Cooper's own interest in the outdoors stems from his boyhood days of hunting and trout fishing in Clare, Mich. - a small, rural community in the central part of the state. Cooper graduated from Clare High School alongside 90 classmates and soon decided it was time for something a little bigger. He headed south an hour and a half to East Lansing and Michigan State University.
"At the time I was interested in engineering but I really didn't know much about it," he says.
Cooper started to take an interest in soils during his sophomore year in college when he worked in a greenhouse. There, he conducted experiments on different soil mixes for a soil science professor. A few years later he graduated with honors from Michigan State with a degree in soil science. He says his most memorable moments as an undergraduate came as a member of the school's soil judging team. Cooper stayed in East Lansing and completed his masters in soil science. He then left for two years of service with the U.S. Marine Corp during the Vietnam conflict before returning to Michigan State, where he finished up his doctorate in 1975.
In addition to teaching at the University of Minnesota, Cooper has also worked as a soil scientist for the Natural Resource and Conservation Service and the U.S. Forest Service. He says he is very interested in how soils can be protected so they are sustainable resources. Much of his research has centered on environmental issues, associated with everything from urban planning to fertilizing lawns.
"I was interested in better education for home owners on the nutrient status of home lawns," Cooper says. "Most people were over-applying phosphorus on lawns in the Twin Cities."
The research contributed to a growing body of information about the dangers of phosphorus runoff, including threats to the fish population. State policy-makers heeded such reports and passed legislation that bans or limits phosphorus applications to lawns in the Metro area. Beginning Jan. 1, 2005, a law will require residents throughout the entire state to use phosphorus-free fertilizers on established lawns.
Now, Cooper is investigating the effectiveness of environmental assessments as protective measures. He teaches students to consider the environmental impact from all sorts of projects. Cooper says it is important to conduct environmental assessments on projects as small as a new mountain bike trail or as large as the construction on a new on-campus football stadium.
Cooper teaches several classes, including Basic Soil Science and Environmental Impact Statements, and says he enjoys getting students excited about soils - a subject many students find unexpectedly interesting. He adds that he is always looking to engage students in practical exercises to complement classroom work.
"Everyone is required to take the same courses," he says, "and most people will get a GPA between 2.2 and 3.8. If I'm an employer, I'm going to look for what else you did."
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