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Welcome! I am a PhD s tudent at McGill University , Department of Mathematics and Statistics , supervised by Dr. David Alan Stephens .  

Currently I am working on projects involved in Bayesian computational methods applied in spatial point process. I am also interested in Bayesian population analysis, quantitative ecology, as well as missing data analysis. 

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Education: BSc (2020) McGill University, Statistics and Computer Science

                        MSc (2022) McGill University, Mathematics and Statistics

                        PhD (Expected 2027) McGill University, Mathematics and Statistics

Email: peiyuan DOT huang AT mail DOT mcgill DOT ca

A simulation of log Gaussian Cox process (LGCP) data with exponential correlation. The associated simulated random intensity functions are shown in grey scale. See Moller (2005) for more details. 

Comparison of multiple imputation and Bayesian method in mark-recapture-recovery model when covariates are missing not at random via simulation study with 10 years of annual follow up. Plot of fitted survival function at different age groups, using both multiple imputation (M1) and Bayesian methods (M1B). Notice that the black curves are fitted survival functions, and the red curve is the survival function under simulation. See Worthington et al (2014) for more details. 

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Mcgill university celebrates graduates and honorary doctorate recipients at 2024 spring convocation.

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As part of this year’s Spring Convocation celebrations, McGill University will confer honorary degrees upon ten inspirational individuals, five of whom are from Quebec.

Leaders in their respective fields, these honorary doctorates stand as examples of creativity, compassion, dedication, service, and a pioneering spirit. They represent a diverse array of leaders whose contributions span disciplines, industries, and continents.

McGill’s Spring 2024 honorary degree recipients are: Frederic Bertley, Edward Burtynsky, Chile Eboe-Osuji, Minnie Grey, Marcel Groleau, Carl James, Monique Leroux, Louis Lortie, Soumya Swaminathan and Shoshana Zuboff.

Here are the profiles of the Quebec honorees. To read the full profiles of all honorees , click here .

Frederic Bertley: Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.), Faculty of Science Born in Montreal, from a family of numerous McGill graduates, “Dr. B.” earned a B.Sc. in Physiology and Mathematics, and a PhD in Immunology from McGill. For the past eight years, Bertley has served as the President and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI). Under Bertley’s leadership, COSI has gained national prominence as one of the top science museums in the U.S., boasting the largest science outreach program in North America. Minnie Grey, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.), School of Continuing Studies Born in Kangirsuk, on the western shore of Ungava Bay, Minnie Grey has spent nearly 40 years advocating for the health and well-being of Inuit and the Inuit ways of life in various polar regions. As a former Vice-President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, as chief negotiator for the establishment of a Nunavik regional government, and as co-founder and board member of the National Aboriginal Health Organization, she has played a pivotal role at local and national levels. Marcel Groleau: Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.), Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Having grown up on the family dairy farm in Thetford Mines, Quebec, Marcel Groleau champions policies that support sustainable agriculture, rural development, and the well-being of farming communities. Groleau is currently the President of UPA DI – an international cooperative of 15 countries to promote a strong family agricultural sector. He is also President of the Feeding Humanity Sustainably Coalition, which brings together 60 member organizations and works to ensure food access and security. Monique Leroux: Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.), Desautels Faculty of Management Monique Leroux is a prominent Canadian business leader and advocate for corporate social responsibility. With a distinguished career spanning finance, insurance, and cooperative sectors, Leroux has left an indelible mark on the Canadian business landscape. Leroux was the first woman to lead a major Canadian financial institution, serving as Chair of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group from 2008 to 2016. Louis Lortie: Doctor of Music, honoris causa (D. Mus.), Schulich School of Music Montreal native Louis Lortie is a world-renowned pianist celebrated for his virtuosic performances and profound musical interpretations. Considered one of the leading pianists of his generation, Lortie has captivated audiences with his exceptional technique and artistic sensitivity. A prolific artist, he has produced more than 45 recordings for Chandos Records featuring the pillars of piano literature.

“The conferral of an honorary degree, McGill’s highest honour, is both a recognition of the transformative power of individual achievement and a celebration of the values and aspirations that unite our community,” said Deep Saini, President of McGill. “Each a poignant testament to the limitless possibilities of human endeavour, our honorary doctorate recipients are wonderful role models for the Class of 2024, and an inspiration to us all.”

Below is the full schedule of the McGill University Spring 2024 honorary doctorate recipients:

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 10:00 a.m. EST – Honorary degree: Dr. Soumya Swaminathan , F.A.Sc., F.N.A.Sc., F.A.M.S., F.N.A., F.Med.Sci., Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.), M.B.B.S. (Armed Forces Medical College), M.D. (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) Wednesday, May 29, 2024 10:00 a.m. EST – Honorary degree: Mrs. Monique Leroux , C.M., O.Q., FCPA, FCA, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.), D.E.S. (Conservatoire de Musique et d’Art dramatique du Québec), B.B.A. (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)   3:00 p.m. EST – Honorary degree: Mr. Chile Eboe-Osuji , Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.), LL.B. (University of Calabar), LL.M. (McGill University), LL.D. (University of Amsterdam) and Mr. Louis Lortie , O.C., C.Q., Doctor of Music, honoris causa (D. Mus.) Thursday, May 30, 2024 10:00 am EST – Honorary degree: Mrs. Shoshana Zuboff , Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.), B.A. (University of Chicago), Ph.D. (Harvard University)   3:00 pm EST – Honorary degree: Mr. Carl James , F.R.S.C., Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (D.Litt.), B.A. (Hon.), M.A., Ph.D. (York University) Friday, May 31, 2024 10:00 am EST – Honorary degree: Mr. Frederic Bertley , Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.), B.Sc., Ph.D. (McGill University) Monday, June 3, 2024 10:00 am EST – Honorary degree: Mr. Edward Burtynsky , O.C., R.C.A., Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (D.Litt.), B.A.A. (Toronto Metropolitan University) Tuesday, June 4, 2024 3:00 pm EST – Honorary degree: Mrs. Minnie Grey , C.M., C.Q., Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.) Wednesday, June 5, 2024 2:30 pm EST – Honorary degree: Mr. Marcel Groleau , Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.)

Click here to livestream the ceremonies.

About McGill University

Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill University is Canada’s top ranked medical doctoral university. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with research activities spanning three campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 39,000 students, including more than 10,400 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,000 international students making up 30% of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 20% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.

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Young Students Gravitate to Math. How Teachers Can Build on That Curiosity

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Zachary Champagne’s 3rd and 4th graders figure out early on that this math class will be different when their teacher tells them: “I don’t care about the answer.”

The goal is to shift his elementary students’ thinking from some numerical endgame toward the problem-solving process itself. In his more than two decades as a classroom teacher and math researcher, Champagne has found this strategy can be a balm for math anxiety, spur students’ creativity, and pique their curiosity about a subject many find boring and irrelevant.

Telling students the answer doesn’t matter—or throwing it out early on, then working backwards, another of Champagne’s go-to strategies—"can reframe the way we think about mathematics,” said Champagne, who teaches at The Discovery School, a private school in Jacksonville, Fla.

“If we’re thinking about math where the solving is actually the interesting, important part, it frees kids from the stigma of ‘I’m not good at this because I always get things wrong,’” said Champagne, who spent more than a decade working in Florida’s Duval County public schools and served as a math researcher at Florida State University.

This problem-solving or open-ended approach, which emphasizes flexible thinking and real-world situations, is a powerful strategy for engaging the youngest learners in math . Kindergarten through 5th grade is an important time for building students’ skills, confidence, and interest in math—the critical building blocks for middle- and high-school-level math and science, experts say.

Though the approach has been around for decades, districts are striving to incorporate more real-world problem-solving into math class in recent years. California, for instance, recently adopted a controversial framework that puts a heavy emphasis on the approach . And there’s new urgency to get students motivated in math as federal data show students’ math achievement plummeting.

The vast majority of educators—92 percent—say students are more motivated to learn math and science if teachers employ a problem-solving approach, according to a survey of 1,183 district and school leaders and teachers, conducted by the EdWeek Research Center in April. Despite the fact that this approach is highly popular among educators, many have not been trained in how to use it, the same survey found.

Does using real-world problems motivate students?

The Canadian province of Quebec has been using a problem-based approach for decades—and it helps students connect with math and understand how to use it in the real world, said Krista Muis, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, who has studied student perceptions of the teaching strategy.

“When you look at the motivational profiles of students who are just given traditional word problems, or more standard types of math problems, or math content, their motivation is really low when it comes to the value of what they’re learning,” Muis said. “The main question they ask is, ‘why should I care? How is this relevant to me? How am I ever going to use this?’”

But when students tackle common real problems—a favorite of Muis’ asks elementary schoolers to map out the trick-or-treating route that nets the most Halloween candy—they get excited.

“They see the value in it,” Muis said. “And they’re fun problems. They can do them in groups together collaboratively, they can do them individually.”

Quebec students’ higher motivation in math may explain why the province outperforms the rest of Canada—and the United States— on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study or TIMMS , Muis said.

In 2019, the most recent year the test was given, Quebec’s 4th graders didn’t perform statistically differently from their U.S. counterparts in math. But 8th graders from the province scored significantly better than their U.S. peers . One reason may be the increased motivation to learn math that Muis believes stems from exposing students to a problem-solving approach early on.

To be sure, a problem-based or open-ended approach to teaching math is often pitted against more traditional, procedural methods—think of the math worksheets full of equations without context.

But many experts and educators see value in exposing students to both strategies.

“I think, really, these things can mutually support one another. And both are necessary,” said Julia Aguirre, a professor and the faculty director of teacher certification programs at the University of Washington Tacoma. “I think we can all agree that a math class that’s only about worksheets would not be a very fulfilling or interesting math class.”

Promote young students’ natural curiosity and creativity

The approach is most effective when teachers apply it to students’ existing interests.

That’s especially important for elementary school students, who start school with a natural curiosity that often dissipates by the time they get to high school, said Molly Daley, a regional math coordinator for Education Service District 112, which serves about 30 districts near Vancouver, Wash.

Thinking about “math is a universal human behavior, and people of all ages engage in math for their own purposes,” Daley said.

Students are using math when they play games and make crafts, she said, or even just look at the landscape.

For instance, a preschool teacher might take a picture of the classroom shoe rack and ask students questions like: How many shoes are there? What patterns do you notice? What shapes do you see?

“If we can honor the math that kids are doing beyond the classroom, then we’re more likely to create a mathematical connection and really allow every person to see how math is not just useful but enjoyable,” Daley said.

In Champagne’s mixed age classroom of 3rd and 4th graders in Florida—which he co-teaches with another educator—students turn to math early in the day, the time when younger students tend to be most able to focus on the subject, in Champagne’s view.

Champagne typically kicks off with a 10- or 15-minute math routine as a warm-up. That might be a “number talk” in which Champagne will put an equation on the board, say 29 plus 15, and then students will solve the problem in their heads.

They’ll spend the next few minutes comparing strategies for finding a solution. One student might have added 30 plus 15 and subtracted one, while another might have added 9 and 5, then 30.

The exercise is aimed at promoting flexibility and the idea that there are multiple ways to solve a problem, Champagne said. It lets students know: “I don’t have to revert to just one strategy. I can think about it in different ways,” he said. The idea is to gives students a chance to use their creative thinking skills in math class.

Students still learn the basics, but lessons are structured so that students can see how seemingly simple problems play out in different, real-world contexts. For instance, if students are learning about dividing with remainders, they may consider how four people can share 31 balloons. In that case, each person gets seven balloons, with three left over.

But what if it were 31 dollars instead of balloons? How does that change the answer? Or what if 31 people needed to get somewhere in four cars? How could they divide up?

Problems can also get more complex—and interdisciplinary—as students advance in elementary school.

Teachers need more training in the problem-solving approach

Tackling big problems with no clear answer is another way to engage elementary school students in math.

Last school year, Aguirre worked with Janaki Nagarajan’s 3rd graders outside Seattle on a project involving a real-life problem with salmon the students had raised and planned to release.

Inexplicably, the fish began dying. So Nagarajan’s students used mathematical modeling to estimate how quickly they were losing salmon, answering questions like: Will we have enough salmon for each student on release day? What can we do if we don’t? Students worked on the problem in groups, and then presented their answers. The class voted on the solution they thought would work best.

The project was “really engaging,” said Nagarajan. She believes that students will be motivated to learn math if they “feel the skills have some purpose outside the classroom.”

But she thinks that many teachers don’t know how common procedures learned in math class could be applied in the real world, so they struggle to make those connections for their students.

Nagarajan began teaching in Renton, a different, Seattle-area school district this school year, largely because it provides more support for teachers to use the real-world problem-solving approach in elementary school math.

Though the approach was encouraged in her previous school, Nagarajan said her new district uses a curriculum that embraces problem-solving and provides coaches who can help her implement the strategy.

Professional development in the problem-solving approach remains uneven. About one in five educators said they “completely agree” that their districts have offered deep and sustained professional development into how to teach math and science from a problem-solving perspective, while just over 40 percent said they disagree—at least somewhat—that they’ve been offered that level of support.

That professional development can be particularly important for elementary school teachers who typically “aren’t math specialists, right? They are generalists,” said Muis of McGill University. “Often, teachers who are not comfortable with mathematics don’t necessarily understand it fully themselves. And so when you bring in complexity that scares them. And then you see teachers kind of stepping back going, ‘I can’t really teach this, I don’t really know what I’m doing.’”

And the approach requires teachers to respond to what students see or notice, which can be stressful for some, Daley said.

“We can get too hyper focused on ‘this is my goal’” in a particular lesson, she said. That can look like: “We’re learning about fractions, but the student made a comment about multiplication. I gotta ignore that.’”

Teachers need to learn not to be afraid if students go off script, Daley said. A problem-solving approach is about “creating more space for students’ ideas and students’ thinking versus just letting your own dominate.”

Making that shift isn’t easy. But if teachers are successful, they positively shape their students’ relationship with math, potentially for years, Daley said.

“Especially with younger learners, when we’re following their lead, that’s how we’re going to tap into their connection and their motivation to engage with math and build up their sense of themselves as a mathematician,” she said.

Coverage of problem solving and student motivation is supported in part by a grant from The Lemelson Foundation, at www.lemelson.org . Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

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Vanier Scholars 2024

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• Soil Science, PhD

The UW–Madison Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences is one of the oldest, largest, and most prominent soil science departments in the United States. It is globally renowned for its excellence in soil research and education. The department's mission is to provide instruction, research, and extension leadership in soil chemistry, physics, biology, and pedology to economic and sustainable land use. Programs are designed to improve basic understanding and practical management of soil resources in natural, agricultural, and urban ecosystems, and to serve local, state, national, and global interests. The department implements the Wisconsin Idea to the extended community and provides all generations with an appreciation of soil as a key natural resource and thorough understanding of the scientific basis of the environment and agriculture.

Soil science entails understanding soils and applying the principles of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology to the sustainable management of soil and the environment. Soil science deals with the effects of climate change and its interaction with the soil, with scarcity of water resources, and the increase of food production to feed 9 billion people. The link between soils and biodiversity as well as the effects of soils on biofuel production is widely researched in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences.

The department is committed to integrated programs of instruction, research, extension, and outreach that address societal goals of responsible stewardship of soil and water resources.

The importance of soils in crop production, environmental issues, turf and grounds management, soil conservation, global climate change, carbon sequestration, rural and urban planning, and waste disposal are integrated into the department's course offerings and research programs. Graduate study in soil science provides the basic and applied scientific training needed for teaching, research, and other professional work in the agricultural, earth, and environmental sciences. The department office provides information concerning career placement and available vacancies.

Graduates from the department occupy leading positions in industry, government, education, and research in agriculture, natural resources, and environmental science throughout the world. Of the more than 1,000 alumni of the department's graduate program, many are deans, directors, chairs, faculty, and staff at universities in the U.S. and other countries, or in leading positions in government, regulatory agencies, research institutions, agribusinesses, chemical industries, and recreational and conservation organizations.

The number of graduate students enrolled in the program over the past 10 years has averaged 20 per year, with about half pursuing master's degrees and half pursuing doctorates. International students generally comprise about 30% of the total. Department faculty also direct additional graduate students in multidisciplinary research in soils-related programs.

Faculty Research

Research in the department focuses on an improved understanding of the soil, as well as on interactions between soil and the people of Wisconsin. The faculty have extensive and long-term experience and knowledge about the soils of Wisconsin, their genesis, properties, and management. The department has an exciting suite of research activities ranging from the molecular level to the global. Research focuses on topical themes like climate change and soil changes to land use effects of biofuel production to DNA fingerprinting of soil life.

Many field research projects on soil and water problems are conducted in cooperation with state and federal agencies, agribusinesses, municipalities, and private farmers. The department cooperates closely with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Center, and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service in conducting soil surveys and addressing problems of groundwater shortages and contamination. Relationships between soils and forests are studied at tree nurseries and in state, private, and commercial forests throughout the state in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the pulp and paper industry.

Through a long commitment of our staff to international agriculture, the department has assisted in the creation of agricultural colleges in several developing countries and has attracted outstanding international graduate students. Current research involvement includes Brazil, Chile, China, Trinidad-Tobago, Spain, Australia, Argentina, and Antarctica.

Many department faculty have been recognized nationally and globally for their contributions to soil science. Three of only four soil scientists appointed to the National Academy of Sciences are from the UW–Madison Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences. Several faculty members have received local and national academic, professional-society, trade-association, and industrial prizes and awards for teaching, research, and extension education and serve on important state, national, and international committees. Many faculty members have been recognized for their contributions by election to honorary fellowship in the Soil Science Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, and allied professional societies.

Our faculty are heavily involved in cooperative interdisciplinary research undertakings with scientists and organizations within and beyond the university, such as UW–Madison's Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Center, Environmental Chemistry and Technology Program, and other science departments, state agencies, environmental consulting and service companies, agribusinesses, and trade organizations.

Research Facilities

Research in the department can be conducted in the field, in the laboratory, and behind the desktop, but is commonly conducted in a combination. The department is equipped with all necessary laboratory, computing, and field facilities for graduate training and research. State-of-the-art scientific instrumentation includes soil moisture tension apparatus; flame-emission and atomic-absorption spectrophotometers and gamma-ray spectrometers; neutron activation analysis equipment; an inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-emission spectrometer and an ICP-mass spectrometer; thin-layer, high-performance liquid, gas, and ion chromatographs; low-mass isotope ratio mass spectrometer; micro-respirometers; micro-titer-plate counters; infrared and ultraviolet spectrophotometers; phase-contrast, polarizing and epifluorescence microscopy and photomicrography equipment; eddy correlation systems for heat, moisture, and CO2 fluxes; ground-penetrating radar; high-resolution digital imaging; dynamic light scattering and particle electrophoresis equipment; flow field flow fractionation; and accelerated solvent extractor. Field equipment includes a truck-mounted hydraulic soil probe with well-drilling capabilities; a plot-field harvest combine; various production field equipment (planters, tillage equipment, rainfall simulator); differential-global position system; and particle counter.

Excellent data collection, data logging, computing, and networking facilities are available for basic research and graduate training. In addition to computing facilities maintained by individual researchers for their students, the department makes available to its graduate students a computer graphics facility for the production of sophisticated graphic output.

Specialized facilities are available for research in molecular biology, modern environmental microbiology, in vitro toxicology and bioassays, and contaminated-site remediation. Soils graduate students and faculty have shared access to major advanced physicochemical, x-ray, and electron microscopy analytical equipment through the Materials Science Center, National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison, National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratories, and other UW–Madison science and engineering departments. Facilities, vehicles, machinery, and instrumentation are available for conducting field experiments at ten strategically located UW Agricultural Research Stations and the O.J. Noer Turfgrass Research and Education Facility. Fieldwork for agricultural production and environmental protection is supported by daily information from the CALS agricultural weather station network as well as soils, crops, land-use, and natural resources analysis using land information systems and geographic information systems.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

Suggested Preparatory Coursework

A foundation in the basic sciences is essential for graduate study in soil science. Continuing undergraduate students are encouraged to select undergraduate courses carefully if they are considering advanced degrees in soil science. The program recommends applicants complete the suggested preparatory coursework (or equivalent) listed below. Admission without this suggested preparation is possible but may delay the completion of graduate studies. If this preparatory coursework has not been completed prior to admission, a student’s examination committee and/or advisor may require this coursework be completed during the PhD program depending on the student's academic, research, and career goal needs.

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Financial support is usually available to qualified students in the form of research assistantships, mostly funded from research grants; final decision for granting a research assistantship rests with the professor(s) supervising the research. Any assistantship for at least one-third time qualifies a student for remission of tuition (though students may be responsible for other administrative fees). The department does not offer teaching assistantships. A number of Graduate School fellowships are available to new students with outstanding records. The deadline for application for these competitive fellowships is early January of each year. The department selects the most qualified applicants and forwards their dossiers to a campus-wide selection committee. Support for graduate assistantships is available through two Wisconsin Distinguished Fellowships (the W.R. Kussow/Wisconsin Turfgrass Association and the Leo M. Walsh/Wisconsin Fertilizer and Chemical Association), the C.B. Tanner Agricultural Physics Award Fund, and the Charles and Alice Ream Soil and Water Protection Research Fund. In addition, there are two awards given annually to outstanding incoming graduate students, the O.N. Allen Graduate Fellowship for Agriculture and the Kelling Soil Fertility Award.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Major Requirements

Mode of instruction, mode of instruction definitions.

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

Curricular Requirements

Required courses.

Students who take SOIL SCI/​F&W ECOL  451 Environmental Biogeochemistry may count it as either Soil Chemistry or Soil Biology credits, but it cannot count towards both categories.

 All PhD candidates must present at least two seminars in SOIL SCI 728 . One of the seminars must be on the student's prospectus.

 All candidates pursuing a Soil Science PhD shall complete a minimum of 1 credit of SOIL SCI 799 . A written plan for satisfying this requirement shall be prepared by the student in conjunction with the advisor and approved by the Certification Committee. The type and level of effort required to earn one or more degree credits in SOIL SCI 799 shall be in accordance with the guidelines and standards set forth by the CALS Curriculum Committee and approved by the UW Divisional Committees in the Spring Semester 1981.

 PhD candidates are required to enroll in at least 1 credit of SOIL SCI 990 every semester.

Graduate School Policies

The  Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures  provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior coursework, graduate credits earned at other institutions .

With program approval, students are allowed to count up to 12 credits of graduate coursework taken during graduate study at other institutions. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements. Students may petition the department for an appeal of the ten-year limit on a case-by-case basis.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

With program approval, students are allowed to count up to 7 credits of graduate coursework numbered 300 or above from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree. The coursework may also count toward the 50% graduate coursework requirement if the courses are numbered 700 or above. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements. Students may petition the department for an appeal of the ten-year limit on a case-by-case basis.

Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Credits Earned as a University Special student at UW-Madison

With program approval, students are allowed to count up to 15 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a UW–Madison University Special student. The coursework may also count toward the 50% graduate coursework requirement if the courses are numbered 700 or above. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements. Students may petition the department for an appeal of the ten-year limit on a case-by-case basis.

Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.

Advisor / Committee

The Doctoral Committee, chosen by the student and major professor, is a committee of four or more members representing more than one graduate program, three of whom must be UW-Madison graduate faculty or former UW-Madison graduate faculty up to one year after resignation or retirement. At least one of the four members must be from outside of the student’s major program or major field (often the minor field) and approved by the Certification Committee. A minimum of two must be from the Soil Science faculty. At least three committee members must be designated as readers. Representation of the Minor Department (see Graduate Minor Requirements in the handbook) is at the option of the Minor Department, but the Department of Soil Science recommends that the Minor Professor be on the Committee.

The required fourth member of the Doctoral Committee, as well as any additional members, all retain voting rights. They may be from any of the following categories, as approved by the executive committee: graduate faculty, faculty from a department without a graduate program, academic staff (including emeritus faculty), visiting faculty, faculty from other institutions, scientists, research associates, and other individuals deemed qualified by the Executive Committee (or its equivalent) provided the individual has a PhD degree or its equivalent.

It is the responsibility of the student and the Major Professor to form a Doctoral Committee and schedule a meeting before the end of the second semester (not including summer sessions) of PhD graduate work.

A student who does not meet deadline requirements in this document will not be allowed to register in the subsequent semester until a written plan for meeting the requirements has been approved by their major advisor and the department Certification Committee.

Credits Per Term Allowed

Time limits.

Prospectus: The written prospectus and the prospectus seminar must be completed by the end of the third semester (not including summer sessions).

Preliminary exam: Students who obtain their MS degree in the department and who continue in the department for their doctorate must take the preliminary examination by the end of the fourth semester (not including summer sessions) of PhD graduate work. Candidates who are approved to retake a failed examination must have passed by the end of the fifth semester.

Candidates for the PhD degree who obtained an MS or MA degree elsewhere, must take the Preliminary Examination by the end of the fourth semester (not including summer sessions) of PhD graduate work. Candidates who are approved to retake a failed examination must have passed by the end of the fifth semester.

Candidates who do not adhere to this deadline must show justification for the delay to the department certification committee.

Final oral exam and deposit of dissertation: A candidate for a doctoral degree who fails to take the final oral examination and deposit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examination may by require to take another preliminary examination and to be admitted to candidacy a second time.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS)  (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: Grievance Policy  

In the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), any student who feels unfairly treated by a member of the CALS faculty or staff has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing. Some complaints may arise from misunderstandings or communication breakdowns and be easily resolved; others may require formal action. Complaints may concern any matter of perceived unfairness.

To ensure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect the rights of both the person complaining and the person at whom the complaint is directed, the following procedures are used in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Any student, undergraduate or graduate, may use these procedures, except employees whose complaints are covered under other campus policies.

• The student should first talk with the person at whom the complaint is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. Others may be resolved by established departmental procedures.
• If the complaint involves an academic department in CALS the student should proceed in accordance with item 3 below.
• If the grievance involves a unit in CALS that is not an academic department, the student should proceed in accordance with item 4 below.
• If informal mediation fails, the student can submit the grievance in writing to the grievance advisor within 10 working days of the date the student is informed of the failure of the mediation attempt by the grievance advisor. The grievance advisor will provide a copy to the person at whom the grievance is directed.
• The grievance advisor will refer the complaint to a department committee that will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, providing a copy to the student. Either party may request a hearing before the committee. The grievance advisor will provide both parties a written decision within 20 working days from the date of receipt of the written complaint.
• If the grievance involves the department chairperson, the grievance advisor or a member of the grievance committee, these persons may not participate in the review.
• If not satisfied with departmental action, either party has 10 working days from the date of notification of the departmental committee action to file a written appeal to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. A subcommittee of this committee will make a preliminary judgement as to whether the case merits further investigation and review. If the subcommittee unanimously determines that the case does not merit further investigation and review, its decision is final. If one or more members of the subcommittee determine that the case does merit further investigation and review, the subcommittee will investigate and seek to resolve the dispute through mediation. If this mediation attempt fails, the subcommittee will bring the case to the full committee. The committee may seek additional information from the parties or hold a hearing. The committee will present a written recommendation to the dean who will provide a final decision within 20 working days of receipt of the committee recommendation.
• If the alleged unfair treatment occurs in a CALS unit that is not an academic department, the student should, within 120 calendar days of the alleged incident, take his/her grievance directly to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The dean will attempt to resolve the problem informally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint. If this mediation attempt does not succeed the student may file a written complaint with the dean who will refer it to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. The committee will seek a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, subsequently following other steps delineated in item 3d above.

Financial support is available to qualified MS and PhD students in the form of research assistantships. Most assistantships are funded through research grants, and the final decision rests with the professor(s) supervising the research. A research assistantship for at least one-third time qualifies a student for remission of all tuition. The department offers a limited number of teaching assistantships. Graduate School fellowships are also available.

• Professional Development

Take advantage of the Graduate School's  professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

UW–Madison offers a wealth of resources intended to enrich your graduate studies and enhance your professional skills. Starting your very first year on campus, it is expected that you will take full advantage of the career and professional development resources that best fit your needs and support your goals. Since our alumni thrive not only in academia but also in industry, corporate, government, and non-profit arenas, we strive to be in tune, holistic, and innovative in our approach to meeting the diverse professional development needs of our students. By actively participating in these professional development opportunities, you will build the skills needed to succeed academically at UW–Madison and to thrive professionally in your chosen career.

• Learning Outcomes
• Articulates research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to theory and practice in soil science.
• Formulates ideas, concepts, designs, and/or techniques beyond the boundaries of soil science knowledge.
• Articulates testable hypotheses and conducts research that makes a substantive contribution to soil science.
• Communicates clearly in ways appropriate to the field, in oral and written forms, for scholarly and general public audiences.
• Fosters ethical and professional conduct, adhering to accepted standards such as that of the Soil Science Society of America.

Dr. Francisco Arriaga

Applied Soil Physics, Soil and Water Management and Conservation: Conservation agriculture systems; development of conservation tillage practices that enhance soil quality, soil hydraulic properties, and plant water use through the adoption of cover crops and non-inversion tillage for traditional cropping systems.

Dr. Nicholas Balster

Soil Ecology, Plant Physiological Ecology, and Education: Energy and material cycling in natural and anthropogenic soils including forests, grasslands, and urban ecosystems; stable isotope ecology; environmental education; nutrition management of nursery soils; tree physiology, production and response; ecosystem response to global change; urban ecosystem processes; invasive plant ecology; biodiversity.

Dr. Phillip Barak

Soil Chemistry and Plant Nutrition: Nutrient cycling; nutrient recovery from wastewater; molecular visualization of soil minerals and molecules; soil acidification.

Dr. Zachary Freedman

Soil microbiology, ecology and sustainability: Effects of environmental change on biogeochemical cycles; community ecology and trophic dynamics; forest soil ecology; soil organic matter dynamics; sustainable agroecosystems; bio-based product crop production on marginal lands.  

Dr. Alfred Hartemink

Pedology, Digital Soil Mapping: Pedology; soil carbon; digital soil mapping; tropical soils; history and philosophy of soil science.

Dr. Jingyi Huang

Soil Physics, Proximal and Remote Sensing, Soil Monitoring and Management, Digital Soil Mapping: Application of proximal and remote sensing technologies for understanding the movement of water, heat, gas, and solutes in soils across different spatial and temporal scales; application of physical and empirical models for monitoring, mapping, and managing soil changes due to natural processes and human activities.

Dr. Inna Popova

Environmental soil chemistry; understanding and mitigating the response of soil systems to the increased pressure of organic contaminants; application of biopesticides; development of novel separation and analyses methods for contaminants in environmental matrices.

Dr. Natasha Rayne

Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management: Manure placement, timing, and nitrogen credits; Organic soil amendments and nutrient cycling; Climate-smart and site-specific nitrogen management; Improvement of nitrogen use efficiency in cereal crop production.

Dr. Matthew Ruark

Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management: Soil fertility and management of grain biofuel, and vegetable crops; cover crop management; agricultural production and water quality; sustainability of dairy cropping systems; soil organic matter management.

Dr. Douglas Soldat

Turfgrass and Urban Soils—Turfgrass, urban soils, nutrient management, water resources, soil testing, landscape irrigation; soil contamination.

Dr. Thea Whitman

Soil Ecology, Microbiology, and Biogeochemistry: Soil microbial ecology; organic matter decomposition and carbon stabilization; global environmental change; stable isotopes; linking functional significance of microbial communities with ecosystem processes; fire effects on soil carbon and microbes; management and policy.

Dr. Xia Zhu-Barker

Soil Biogeochemistry, Land Management, and Environmental Sustainability:  Nitrogen and carbon biogeochemical cycles; greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions; nitrate leaching and runoff; innovative manure and nutrient utilization; composting; climate change mitigation and adaptation; ecosystem services and carbon markets; dairy environmental sustainability; novel methods in isotopic techniques; mechanistic exploration of soil-plant-microbe interactions; process-based modelling. The specific research topics include:

• Microbial and abiotic processes involved in the production and consumption of nitrogen and carbon gases (N 2 O, NO X , NH 3 , CO 2 , CH 4 )
• Land management practices (e.g., compost, fertilizer, cover crops, irrigation, and tillage) that change soil health, nitrogen use efficiency, crop productivity, nitrogen losses, carbon turnover.
• Process oriented modelling of carbon/nitrogen turnover in agricultural ecosystems.
• Environmental changes on the sustainability and resilience of agricultural ecosystems especially dairy production systems.
• Requirements

Contact Information

Soil and Environmental Sciences College of Agricultural and Life Sciences soils.wisc.edu

Carol Duffy, Graduate Admissions [email protected] 608-262-2633 Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences 1525 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI 53706

Julie Garvin, Graduate Coordinator [email protected] 608-262-2239 Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences 1525 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI 53706

Doug Soldat, Director of Graduate Study [email protected] Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences 1525 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI 53706

Graduate School [email protected]

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