governance
Committees
The Society has six committees who meet regularly to exchange knowledge and ideas.
Early Careers Committee
The Early Careers Committee is a small, friendly committee made up of Early Career members of the Society. The Committee’s role is to provide Early Career members with the support they need to access Society benefits, work with other Society committees to ensure services offered meet the needs of Early Career members and provide relevant information to Board and Council which may support the delivery of the Society’s strategic priorities.
The Early Careers Committee is currently working on the delivery of the Early Career’s Conference, which will be held in Belfast on Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 December.
If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact us or for information regarding the committee’s activities, please contact the committee directly or follow the committee on Twitter.
The Committee Terms of Reference can be found here.
Thank you to the members of this committee: Danielle Roche, Kirsty Charles, Chris McCloskey, Christina Van Midden, Isobel Lloyd, James Dowers, Jaylie Ryan, Jessica Potts, Jessica Brook and Louisa Moor.
outreach Committee
The Outreach Committee comprises individuals from all categories of Society membership. Our members are passionate about soil science and on raising awareness amongst allied disciplines such as farmers, agronomists, land managers or industry and amongst the general public.
The committee works closely with teachers to provide support and resources to those interested in teaching soil science to school children.
Recently the committee has reviewed and redesigned its existing education resources, responded to the OCR Consultation on the Natural History GCSE and worked with LEAF to support Open Farm Sunday.
We are always interested in hearing from members interested in joining the committee, or with ideas on how we can support education in soil science.
The Committee Terms of Reference can be found here.
Thank you to the members of this committee: Lois Philipps, Emma Duley, Lizzie Sagoo, Mark Nason, and Sarah George.
Grants and Awards Committee
Our Grants and Awards Committee is made up of individuals from all categories of Society membership. Its members are passionate about making an impact and supporting individuals and groups in accessing grants and awards that support our charitable objectives.
The Committee reviews and assesses the applications received for each of our grants and works with grantees to promote the Society’s involvement in their projects and share the knowledge gained from the grants via our website, members magazine and at our conferences. It also works with a number of colleges and universities in the UK which offer a British Society of Soil Science award to their highest achieving students in the discipline of soil science.
We are always interested in hearing from members interested in joining the committee, or with ideas on how we can increase the profile of our grants.
The Committee Terms of Reference can be found here.
Thank you to the members of this committee: Bruce Lascelles, Hannah Cooper, Lizzie Sagoo, Marcos Paradelo Pérez, Michael Goss, Paul Newell Price and Xavier Portell.
Professional Practice and development Committee
Our Professional Practice and Development Committee (PPDC) has two key roles for the Society: firstly approving membership applications and awarding and monitoring Chartered Scientist to our members. Secondly, developing guidance for members and responding to professional consultations where the outcome will impact our members in the way of guidance or legislation.
Recently this has included developing guidance notes for those working within a planning or surveying context.
The committee is made up of individuals from across our membership categories and we are always interested in hearing from members interested in joining the committee, or with ideas on potential guidance notes or consultations which we should respond to.
The Committee Terms of Reference can be found here.
Thank you to the members of this committee: Eleanor Reed, Chris Cantle, David Tompkins, Dick Thompson, Lucy Gilbert, Matthew Barker, Michael Palmer, Paul Newell Price and Robin Truslove.
Publications Committee
Our Publications Committee is a closed committee made up of our Presidential Team, Journal Editors and Executive Officer. The Publication Committee’s remit is to ensure the continued development of the Society’s journals, raise the profile of the journals and ensure their future security.
Although the committee is not recruiting members, we are always interested in hearing your thoughts about our two journals and how we can continue to improve our readers’ experiences.
The Committee Terms of Reference can be found here.
Thank you to the members of this committee: Bruce Lascelles, Deyi Hou, Jack Hannam, Jennifer Dungait and Paul Hallett.
Join us
Become a member today
The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) is an established international membership organisation committed to the study of soil in its widest aspects.