What can the rise & fall of ancient civilizations teach us? Soil scientist M.C. Ricker 🐲 says it's often about natural resource use - or misuse. Read how interdisciplinary collaboration revealed new insights about Maya water management at El Perú-Waká. cals.ncsu.edu/crop-and-soil-…

Check out my new paper in Earth-Science Reviews on "Connecting soils to life in conservation planning, nutrient cycling, and planetary science." This review stemmed from excellent advice I received to define my "vision" for soil science. What a journey! sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Had a successful South Region Coastal Zone Soil Workshop N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative this week. 3 days of talking about coastal soils, wetlands, and agriculture. Not pictured Maria Williams alwood @thejuliafleiner and all of our Zoom participants #NCSTATECASM

Going to write my thesis like

We have a bracket!! #MinCup23 is coming fast and we’re scrambling to get ready. Our website has this year’s mineral list, starting bracket, and even a test vote if you want to warm up your polling muscles: mineralcup.org

Round 2 of #MinCup23 has to go to #Quartz! It's the 2nd most abundant mineral in the continental crust, it defines a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, it is piezoelectric making it an important component of electronics, and it comes in so many beautiful colors #MEA410

It's National Suicide Prevention Week. Did you know that the rate of suicide among farmers is three and a half times higher than among the general population? NC has great farm stress resources for farmers, farm families, and farm workers. ncfarmstress.org

We're exceeding hellish 1.5°C of global warming earlier than expected as the Extinction Economy's emissions rise to all-time highs. Trillions are being invested in new oil & gas. The major culprits? The US & Canada. Species won't avoid the worst effects of abrupt climate change.

Beautiful day to judge some soils in West Virginia…day 1 regional practice.

NCSU placed 2nd in the region and punched our ticket to nationals in the spring. #1 individual judger was Sarah Bailey, a true freshman. #8 was Lexi . Go pack! Thanks to WVU for hosting a great contest!

This will live rent free in my mind for the next week: #miamiOH 💅🏻

Made my own pumpkin purée for some baked goods this week 🤩 saved the seeds for roasting + planting in the spring 🌱

Absolutely honored to be awarded the Women In #SoilScience Prize by The Story Exchange! This recognition fuels our commitment to advancing #soilhealth. Join me in congratulating awardees Liz Koziol Sara Perl Egendorf @xingonaDirtSci Lydia Jennings, Ph.D. ✵✷Julia Janson✷✵ thestoryexchange.org/2023-women-in-…

My MIL gave me the most incredible Christmas gift this year- the largest stand mixer that KitchenAid makes 😭 she knows how much I bake for fun and for my department NC State Crop & Soil Sciences at NC State- I CANNOT wait to use it!! ❤️ (last pic old vs new mixer for size comparison 😳)

🎉👏 Congratulations to Ph.D. student Julia Janson for winning a 2023 Women In Science prize! Her research lays the groundwork for grower field tools to make in-season decisions about soil salinity. And she's reinvesting the prize money. #NCSTATECASM cals.ncsu.edu/crop-and-soil-…

I'm so thankful for the work ✵✷Julia Janson✷✵ and the CASM team are doing for our farmers! M.C. Ricker 🐲 Congrats Julia!!

Yesterday after 3 yrs of hard work, studying, and timeline setbacks, I successfully passed my oral prelim to become a PhD candidate 🤎 I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, friends, and my amazing PI (M.C. Ricker 🐲) + lab mates (Marissa A. Dellinger Jacob Cheers)!