The Importance of Soil

It is probably one of ICTP's more unusual scientific activities, but the College on Soil Physics has been going strong; this year marks the 30th anniversary of the College and it ran from 25 February to 1 March. Donald Gabriels, Emeritus Professor of the Department of Soil Management, Faculty of BioSciences Engineering of Ghent University, Belgium, who has been a course director since the activity's inception in 1983, says that soil physics has become more relevant today than ever before. "The fields of interests have widened. Today, soil physics finds application in fields ranging from climatology, hydrology, and agriculture," he says.

The idea to establish an activity in soil physics was the result of a chance encounter between Abdus Salam and Gabriels. Although the theme was slightly outside the purview of theoretical physics, Salam quickly realized the importance of the field to the developing world. "Once Salam understood how important soil physics is to developing countries, he gave his complete support to the programme," says Gabriels. The college has trained more than 850 participants from developing countries over the past three decades.

Ildefonso Pla Sentis, Universitat de Lleida, Spain, also a course director since the 1980s, says that the college has served as a link between theory and practical application in physics. "Now, applications of soil physics has become more environmentally directed," he says. "It is not just about soil, but the interactions between soil, water, atmosphere and climate." Scientists in ICTP's Earth System Physics section (ESP) now work in fields that overlap with themes covered by soil physics. "Over the years, we have developed an important connection with the climate scientists at ICTP because of issues such as desertification, deforestation, urbanization, and climate change," says Gabriels.

GianCarlo Ghirardi, quantum mechanics researcher and consultant at ICTP, has been associated with the college as a local organizer. " I am not a soil physicist, he says, "but from my 'outsiders' perspective', I can say that this is an activity where I have always seen excellent interaction between the directors, lecturers, speakers, and participants." Gabriels and Pla Sentis say that as directors they try and ensure maximum participation from all participants. Participants showcased their research through oral and poster presentations. "We hope that the activity continues and that we find new people to take the lead," says Gabriels.