Full Time MLRA Soil Survey Leader GS-470-11/12  Pierre, South Dakota

The 11th edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy, as well as a summary of all changes for this new version of the Keys is available at: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/classification/tax_keys/

NSCSS has received two inquiries in the last week from soil scientist owned firms seeking leads to qualified soil scientists.  Both firms are located in Western states.  Formal job descriptions have not been prepared yet.

SEO BASICS

Author: Cindy Woudenberg

If you are a business owner with a website, you know that everyone is talking about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and the positive impact it can have on your business. Is SEO alone enough to increase sales? Can you do the work yourself, or should you hire an SEO consultant? You don’t need to be proficient in web development or a marketing expert to make an educated decision about small business SEO.

After rising steadily until May, 2009, private sector job opportunities for soil scientists drifted lower until the end of August, but not really that low. Since August soil science job listings have increased strongly, reaching a new high of 34 on October 27, 2009. Previously weak, the agricultural sector is gaining strength. Environmental sector listings are now as strong as anything we have seen in the past.

The Soil Science Society of America's (SSSA) new Scientific Expertise Directory includes a search of 128 areas of scientific expertise, and can include city, state, and country to narrow the results. Members self-identify areas of expertise in agronomy, crops, soils, and environmental sciences.

The NSCSS Job Opportunities page has been updated in support of members actively seeking new employment opportunities.

Andy Kleinschmidt has started to live stream some of his field consulting work, posting to qik.com.

Two $1000 NSCSS Scholarships will be presented at the SSSA Awards Reception and Program, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 5:30 – 7:00 pm in the Convention Center, Spirit of Pittsburgh Ballroom A, Third Floor. SSSA President Paul Bertsch will be announcing the scholarship recipients. The presentation will be aided by a PowerPoint presentation, showcasing each recipient as they are announced. The students will receive a certificate as a recognition for receiving the scholarship.

The Consulting Soil Scientists of the Carolinas approached NSCSS with a grand idea: a chapter website as part of the national society website. John Williams (CSSC President), David Crouse (NCSU, soil-science.info webmaster), Philip Small (NSCSS webmaster), and Stuart Gaston (korlon.com, website designer) convened a teleconference August 7 to discuss needs and solutions. Currently, CSSC uses a Yahoo! Group as a website, however, as a private site it doesn't accommodate a public presence. A CSSC website should be able to handle both private and public discussions and host files for download.

Two new pages from Soil-science.info to link to:

• Soil-science.info/jobs
• Soil-science.info/photos

Via David Crouse.