Mission Statement
Vision: Soil and Water
as two natural resources of environment, act as the life support systems of our
planet. These are now considered as a fundamental subject with applications in
agriculture, forestry and engineering. These sciences comprise breadth and
depth of expertise in research, teaching and extension of environmental
science, defined here as basic to applied science of the Earth’s terrestrial
surface – including regions affected by human activity. It focuses on that
portion of the Earth’s near surface termed the “critical zone” that extends
from the lower atmospheric boundary to the lower depth of circulating groundwater,
and which includes vegetation and/or urban infrastructure, soil, sediment,
vadose and saturated zones.
Our vision includes research, teaching and extension programs that address societal needs pertaining to problems of agricultural production, water quality, natural resource management, and environmental remediation, in a rapidly changing world. Overall vision is achieving excellence in teaching, research, and community service to ensure quality of soil, water and environment and its sustainable use to support food security, human health and habitation.
Mission:
The
MISSION of SWED is to develop knowledge of basic Soil and Water Science
and the interrelationships with plant nutrition and environmental quality; to
apply this knowledge to advance environmentally sound soil, plant, and water
management technologies; to improve the quality of life by providing
research-based information and educational opportunities on the appropriate use
and management of land resources; to prepare undergraduate students with an
understanding of and ability to apply fundamental principles of soil science,
agronomy, environment, and natural resource management; and to prepare graduate
students to conduct basic and applied research that will be used to solve
problems for the advancement of science.
It is our central mission to
provide: i) training and education for future generations of scientists, land
and water resource managers, engineers, agricultural producers, and policy
makers to address a wide range of issues facing environmental systems and their
intersection with human health and well-being.