Soil and Waste Resources at UW-Stevens Point
Kelly Adlington, a junior from Menomonee Falls, Wis., chose UW-Stevens Point because of its sustainability focus and natural resources program.

Soil, waste resources studies grow at UW-Stevens Point

If you like working with your hands, being outdoors rather than at a desk, are good at science and not afraid of math, you may be interested in one of the fastest growing natural resources fields: Soil and waste resources.
 
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is believed to offer the only comprehensive waste-management program in North America and has the largest undergraduate soil science program.
 
Both have nearly 100 percent job placement, according to Jacob Prater, assistant professor and discipline coordinator.
 
“Either way, you get a bachelor’s degree, and it gives you a career,” Prater said.
 
Students gain broad knowledge of natural resources and refined knowledge of soils and waste management, he said. Mandatory paid internships give students good hands-on experience and a foot in the door at various businesses or government agencies.
 
“It helps to be curious and to be comfortable not knowing all the answers,” Prater said. “You have to be zoomed in and zoomed out at the same time.”
 
Soil science is a complex field, varying greatly with the landscape, ecosystem changes, hydrology, vegetation and weather, Prater said. Students learn about minerals, organic matter and the countless organisms that support life from single-cell protozoa to animals, and how they interact.
 
Interested in wildlife? “One of the best ways to impact wildlife is to work in agriculture, the largest managed ecosystem,” Prater said. Birds and animals depend on the food and habitat of soil resources. “It holds the potential for everything you’re going to do with a piece of land,” he added.
 
Interested in job security? “Waste management is an up-and-coming field because we will always have waste,” said Rob Michitsch, assistant professor of soil science and waste management. “It’s growing in every direction.”
 
Jobs in the waste management option range from operating wastewater treatment plants and landfills to a variety of recycling niches, such as plastics, electronics, medical waste, bio-waste or waste-to-energy projects and composting. Many work with industry in environmental health and safety roles, or as private consultants doing education, research and public outreach.
 
High-demand jobs in the soil science or soil and land management options are in the agribusiness field. They include crop advising, tillage techniques, nutrient and water management, sustainable crop production, environmental consulting and wetlands mitigation and delineation. Other career paths include land-use planning, zoning, soil conservation, sanitation and soil testing.
 
In 2005, 11 students were enrolled in soil science and waste management, Michitsch said. In 2014-15, nearly 70 students majored in it.
 
Some students are interested in the field because they’ve heard about good salaries and strong job prospects. Others become interested after taking introductory courses in soils and water, Michitsch said.
 
Erik Halverson, of Prairie Du Chien, was interested in natural resources but concerned about job prospects. When he learned that soils had high job-placement rates and the coursework was interesting, he pursued the soil and land-management option. “It is such an interesting field and with the job placement and potential for high salary, it seems perfect.”
 
A junior, Halverson is doing field research with Prater this summer. “Being involved, being active in research and getting to know the professors has already opened so many doors for me. Not only have they built up my resume, but they have led to great connections and contacts, job opportunities in my major and exciting internship possibilities.”
 
Interested in changing the world? “I’m in waste management because if you want to change something, you have to know how it works,” said Kelly Adlington, a junior from Menomonee Falls. “I never really dreamt of working at a landfill, but I am interested in sustainability and recycling. The best way to live sustainably is to reduce waste.”
 
Adlington wants to find better ways to manage waste, and help people minimize waste. Growing your own food or buying it at local markets is one way to reduce the need for packaging, which generally enters the waste stream, she noted. Growing food also helps people be more independent.
 
Compostable packaging is another way to minimize waste. Adlington is working in the Wisconsin Institute of Sustainable Technology’s Compostability Lab this summer, testing whether packaging materials developed by private firms can be composted.
 
Adlington chose UW-Stevens Point because of its sustainability focus and natural resources program. “I want to help people and help the environment. Those seemed like two different passions.
 
“Only in the last year did I understand how they fit together,” Adlington said. “The health of the environment and the health of the population are directly related.”