My Story
Hi, I’m Liz! I graduated Virginia Tech in 2025 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and minors in Crop and Soil Sciences and Geosciences. I joined the Soil Judging Team my freshman year and immediately fell in love with soils. During my sophomore year, I joined an environmental microbiology lab and have enjoyed the research process ever since. Through mentoring students in soil judging and working as a TA, I also discovered how much I enjoy teaching and helping others learn.
What I love most about soils is the way they bring together biology, geology, chemistry, and hydrology when analyzing a profile. Soils are like a puzzle-no matter how confident you are about how they formed or their morphology, you’ll never truly know the full story. That mystery is what makes them fun- debating the soil characteristics and defending your own perspective with physical and chemical evidence.
I'm currently pursuing a Master's degree under Dr. Judy Turk, studying soil change in the Great Plains due to human impacts, while also helping coach the UNL Soil Judging Team.