Thirty early-career soil researchers from across Europe took part in the Summer School—primarily from Germany and France, but also from Scotland, Sweden, Austria, and Switzerland. For some participants, this was even their first in-person event since starting their PhD. Right from the beginning, the exchange of ideas on diverse research topics—such as hedge planting, pyrogenic carbon, and modeling soil organic carbon dynamics—sparked lively scientific discussions.
The program continued with a keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, which inspired thought-provoking conceptual debates on the spatial and temporal dimensions of organic matter interactions with soil minerals. The following day, participants gained hands-on insights during an extensive lab tour at the Chair of Soil Science at TUM, exploring various methodological approaches and current research. This was complemented by field visits to local soil profile pits and discussions on applied agricultural science with Dr. Peter Schad and PD Dr. Martin Wiesmeier.
Several TUM researchers introduced participants to detailed soil science lab techniques: Dr. Noelia Garcia-Franco and Christopher Just presented density and aggregate fractionation methods, while Dr. Carmen Höschen, Dr. Steffen Schweizer, and Dr. Julien Guigue discussed spatial analysis at micro- and macro-scales. On day three, Dr. Frederic Rees (ECOSYS, INRAE) explored the fascinating world of root-soil interactions and carbon transfer in the rhizosphere. Dr. Naoise Nunan (IEES-Paris/CNRS) provided insights into cost-benefit calculations to better understand soil microbial processes and hotspot dynamics.
Day four focused on soil microbes and their role in producing exo- and lipopolysaccharides, presented by Dr. Stefanie Schulz (Helmholtz Zentrum München), followed by discussions on metagenomic analysis in soil science. Prof. Dr. Michaela Dippold (University of Tübingen) then highlighted the use of plant and microbial biomarkers and isotope labeling to unravel nutrient cycles in soils.
On the fifth day, Dr. Pierre Barré (École Normale Supérieure de Paris) addressed scaling up temporal and spatial processes through dynamic modeling of soil carbon pools. Interactive exercises throughout the program reinforced key concepts and provided practical tips for data analysis—such as root image analysis, microbial hotspot modeling in R, DNA and PLFA dataset evaluation, and simulating soil carbon dynamics using AMG modeling.
Beyond the lectures and exercises, participants explored the city’s brewing heritage during a guided tour and, on Saturday, hiked to the Brunnenkopfalm to visit a grazing experiment site—part of the BonaRes project led by KIT, TUM, and other partners.
In times of limited communication opportunities, we hope this event fostered lasting connections among early-career soil researchers and enriched collaboration within the soil science community. The #DySOM21 Summer School was made possible thanks to the generous support of DBG Commissions II and III, as well as the Franco-German University and the Bavarian-French University Center.