UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s student Soil Judging Team recently captured third place overall in a regional competition to qualify for the national championships next spring.
The universities of Maryland and Rhode Island finished first and second, respectively.
In the competition, which was hosted by Bloomsburg University and held at Camp Lavigne — a Boy Scouts of America facility north of Benton — Penn State finished second in the “Group” category. The camp challenged students with glacial and periglacial soils.
Penn State students participating in the event were MaryBeth Gavin, Jacksonville, North Carolina; Megan Kownurko, Washington Crossing; Lauren Turner, Philipsburg; Macauley Beard, Myerstown; Rylie Wang, New Bern, North Carolina; Dana Sanchez, Reading; Chris Orndorff, Kennett Square; and Jacob Yost, Exton.
Beard finished fifth overall and Turner finished 13th out of 57 students.
The team is coached by Patrick Drohan, professor of pedology, and Chyvonne Jessick, a doctoral degree student in ecology.
“The students put in a lot of preparation for the contest this year and performed very well,” Drohan said. “We are all very excited to see the soils of Oklahoma. The National Contest is in April of 2023 and will be hosted by Oklahoma State University.”