The inaugural international conference for the establishment of the International Soil Modeling Consortium (ISMC)—whose mission is to integrate and advance soil systems modeling, data gathering, and observational capabilities—took place March 29–April 1 at the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG). More than 110 scientists from over 25 countries participated in the event, which featured over 40 presentations and 80 posters covering a broad range of soil modeling activities. Four working groups addressed key topics dealing with (1) the mission and governance of the ISMC and outreach, (2) model development and intercomparison, (3) linking data with models, and (4) cross-cutting issues in soil research and modeling.
The ISMC was officially founded on March 31, with Harry Vereecken (of Forschungszentrum Juelich, a national laboratory in Germany) and Bureau associate director Michael Young elected to 2-year terms as chair and co-chair, respectively. The next day, the first working meeting of the group took place, establishing an executive board, a scientific advisory board, and five science panels. Information on the outcome of the working groups and details on the science panels and executive board will be posted on the ISMC website.
Members of the inaugural conference of the International Soil Modeling Consortium (ISMC)
