Wilford Gardner IUSS Congress Fellowship Program; Philadelphia, PA; July 9-15, 2006

第18届世界土壤科学大会将于2006年7月9日至15日在宾夕法尼亚州费城举行。美国国家科学院土壤科学委员会为在大会上发表论文的学生和早期职业科学家提出了一个奖学金计划。将尽一切努力选择一个种族和科学多样化的获奖者群体，他们将代表土壤科学的所有领域，包括生态系统科学和地球科学。这次大会由美国国家委员会和美国土壤科学学会主办。有关大会的一般信息可在网站www.18wcss.org上找到。世界大会每四年举行一次，2002年在中国北京举行。上一次在美国举行是在1960年。这些大会为来自世界各地的科学家提供了一个论坛，展示和讨论最近的研究成果，并为未来的研究工作确定方向。预计大会将吸引来自世界各地不同领域的权威人士。国际会议的智力价值包含在它们提供的交流思想、培养工作关系、建立网络和教育研究生的环境中。尽管因特网使信息的交换实质上是即时的，但面对面的对话和讨论是不可替代的。这种相互作用使思想的发展能够利用有关各方的智力优势。除了来自世界各地的研究人员相互交流所带来的智力价值外，奖学金项目还能产生更广泛的影响。研究生和青年科学家是未来科学进步和国家技术福祉的基础。他们参加大会将使他们接触到土壤科学的最新发展，使他们能够与该领域的许多领导者和先驱互动，帮助他们加强对基本原理的理解，为土壤科学的未来成长和发展播下种子，并使他们能够与同龄人建立更多的个人关系。这项拨款将使所有美国科学家更多地参与其中，这将加强美国土壤科学研究，并有助于建立该学科的未来。

PETERSONEAR-0624063The 18th World Congress of Soil Science will be held July 9-15, 2006 in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. The U.S. National Committee for Soil Science of the National Academies proposes a fellowship program for students and early career scientists presenting papers at the congress. Every effort will be made to select both an ethnically and scientifically diverse group of recipients that will represent all areas of soil science, including ecosystem science and earth sciences.The congress is being hosted by the U.S. National Committee and the Soil Science Society of America. General information on the congress can be found at the web site www.18wcss.org. The World Congress is held every four years - in 2002 it was held in Beijing, China. The last one held in the United States was in 1960.These congresses provide a forum for scientists from around the world to present and discuss recent research findings and to define directions for future research work. The congress is expected to attract leading authorities in different fields from all over the world. The intellectual merit of international congresses is encompassed in the setting they provide for the exchange of ideas, the cultivation of working relationships, networking, and the education of graduate students. Even though the Internet has enabled the essentially instantaneous exchange of information, there is no substitute for face-to-face dialogue and discussions. Such interaction enables the development of ideas that exploit the intellectual strengths of the parties involved.In addition to the intellectual merit of the interactions of researchers from around the world, there are also broader impacts achieved through a fellowship program. Graduate students and young scientists are the foundations on which future scientific advances and the technical well-being of the nation rest. Their attendance at the congress will expose them to the latest developments in soil science, enable them to interact with many of the leaders and pioneers in the field, help strengthen their understanding of basic principles, implant seeds for the future growth and development of soil science, and enable them to establish a more personal relationship with their peers. The increased involvement of all scientists from the United States that this grant will enable will strengthen U.S. soil science research and help build the future of the discipline.