Bright Endeavors Now (BEN) located in Tanzania, East Africa was started by Biology professor Dr. Regina Herbert, PhD and her husband, an Electrical Engineer, Ricardo R. Herbert, MUP, MBA.
The BEN program provides an environment where budding engineers, designers, scientists and doctors are introduced to concepts in the sciences, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM), through engaging, developmentally-appropriate activities.
Bright Endeavors Now classroom
Bright Endeavors Now (BEN) located in Tanzania, East Africa was started by Biology professor Dr. Regina Herbert, PhD and her husband, an Electrical Engineer, Ricardo R. Herbert, MUP, MBA.
The BEN program provides an environment where budding engineers, designers, scientists and doctors are introduced to concepts in the sciences, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM), through engaging, developmentally-appropriate activities. Preschool, weekday, weekend and summer programs for children ages 3 to 16 are offered. BEN aspires to travel around the globe providing STEAM education.
Recently, microBIOMETER® was utilized as part of the “Soil and Microorganisms” series in their multi-age science class with students aged 3 to 15. Earlier in the school year, the students established Winogradsky Columns to observe microbial communities. The students then tested the soil with microBIOMETER® to see how specific ratios of fungi and bacteria can have an impact on soil health. In addition, it helped lead to a discussion on how different types of soil can have different ratios which can have an impact on how they grow plants and crops.
We love the microBIOMETER® soil test kit and will continue to test different samples with students as we travel to the US.” – Regina Herbert
David Purdy, Territory Business Manager at John Deere and Soil Health Specialist, utilized the microBIOMETER® soil test in his study titled Assessment of the mircoBIOMETER Soil Biology Test for Agrovista LTD.
Background:
There is an increased level of interest in soil health and a greater demand for more analytical approaches, in particularly for soil biology, for its assessment from farmers and advisors. This short report reviews the use of a recently developed rapid on-site soil microbial carbon testing tool called microBIOMETER® using a replicated 5 year cover crop experiment.
Location:
The experiment was carried out at the location of the Agrovista LTD. trials site is near Lamport in Northamptonshire about 8 miles north of Northampton in the UK. It has a longitude of 52.372234, and latitude of -0.874273. The field site history is of arable farming rotations on a slightly southerly sloping topography.
“The tests, although time consuming, provided an “in field” test that when conducted well seems to suggest it is a reliable, consistent, replicable, and relatively simple test to evaluate soil biological activity.” – David Purdy
Here’s a story from our friends at Kiss the Ground about regenerative southwest wheat farmer Yadi Wang at Oatman Flats Ranch home of Regenerate AZ 2023. He is working on a seemingly impossible mission to transform a degraded oat farm into the first large-scale, regenerative farm in one of the hottest and driest climates in the country, Arizona.
Founded in 2008, Applied Bio-Minerals, Inc. specializes in managing naturally present microbiomes using mixtures of mined minerals.
The company’s operating mode is based on observations, and a close collaboration with the customer. The holistic approach enables farmers to use microbes already present on their farm to their benefit by lowering their inputs and maximizing their revenues, all naturally. As part of the service provided to customers, the company regularly measures progress to ensure the farmer’s goals are met.
Their approach is to examine the entire living soil profile and record its evolution from a baseline set before the application of products. Among the many variables one is essential, the amount of living micro-organisms, and the ratio between bacteria and fungi, at various soil depths.
That is where microBIOMETER® comes in. They have been utilizing the microBIOMETER® soil test in their business since 2020.
“microBIOMETER® is a very convenient tool to have a quick result (in the field) on microbes and allows decisions and adjustments in conducting the field as the season progresses or from one season to the next. Microbial life might sometimes be surprisingly active in depth (here a vineyard). The importance of checking compost quality also underlines the usefulness of the microBIOMETER®” – Herve Bonin, co-founder and managing partner of Applied Bio-Minerals, Inc.
About Applied Bio-Minerals, Inc.
Data from Applied Bio-Minerals, Inc. customer in Virginia
We first had the pleasure of working with Briana Alfaro and Soul Fire Farm in 2021 when they began testing soil with farmers in their network as part of their SARE research project, Soil Carbon Capture for Diverse Farmers; Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous and other farmers and farm workers of color take the lead in testing soil carbon sequestration strategies and measurement protocols and disseminate those findings to the farming community in both English and Spanish.
Every two years the Soul Fire Farm team takes a closer look at the soil ecosystem and assesses how healthy their soil is. They do this by performing a series of in-field tests. Long before the western study of soil science, Indigenous communities practiced–and still practice–methods of evaluating soil health using characteristics such as color or the presence of specific plants or insects that tell us something about the system as a whole. On their soil testing days, they count the number of earthworms, perform a slake test to observe aggregate stability, look at soil color as an indicator of organic matter, and use the microBIOMETER® field kit to assess soil biology.
You can learn more in their Guide to In-Field Soil Health Measurement Protocols: How Alive is My Soil (English) & ¿Qué tan vivo está mi suelo? (Español), and by watching their Liberation on Land skill share videos: Soil Carbon part 1, Soil Carbon part 2 & Investigating Soil with an Auger.
Hypatia I is an interdisciplinary and multigenerational team of Catalan female scientists who journeyed to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah in April 2023 for an analog mission to determine if there is life on Mars. At MDRS, they performed high-quality space-related research in a simulated environment, in which they also conducted outreach and science-based communication programs. Most importantly, their work aims to inspire the next generation of young girls interested in pursuing STEM-related careers.
For about 2 weeks, the Hypatia I crew conducted their research while contributing to the understanding of what living and working on Mars would be like. Throughout their time at MDRS, each crew member conducted experiments relating to their individual specialties. Some of the experiments included the development of an iron-based battery using materials in the environment surrounding MDRS, and a comparative seed experiment to study the potential effects of space travel on tomato seeds.
Additionally, the crew collected soil samples from the surrounding desert and, using the microBIOMETER®, tested the soil for evidence of life. The team found that the microBIOMETER® could detect life in 7 of the 11 different desert plots. While the microbial biomass levels were low, with a range of 50-120 ugC/g, the existence of any bacteria or fungi was exciting to see. Hypatia I’s analog mission shows promise for future studies relating to space biology.
Hypatia I is an interdisciplinary and multigenerational team of Catalan female scientists who journeyed to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah in April 2023 for an analog mission to determine if there is life on Mars. At MDRS, they performed high-quality space-related research in a simulated environment, in which they also conducted outreach and science-based communication programs. Most importantly, their work aims to inspire the next generation of young girls interested in pursuing STEM-related careers.
Andrew Turnbull is the owner of SouthWest Agronomy Ltd (SWA) located in Tavistock, England. His company offers advisory and consultancy services to golf courses and sports turf facilities.
One issue the company faced was how to prove to their customers that their recommended treatments were actually having a positive influence on the soil microbes.
Kenley Mitchell, a 5th grader at Sargent Elementary School, utilized microBIOMETER® in her science fair project titled “Getting Dirty: Does Soil Affect a Dog’s Microbiome?” Kenley won first prize in her category and received the overall best project award for the San Luis Valley Regional in Alamosa, CO!
Project Abstract:
For my project, I tested a dog’s microbiome and compared it to the health of the dog’s soil. I also looked at the time the dog spends in the soil. I ran two samples. The first sample was a stool sample. The second sample was a soil sample. Both were taken at the same time. I tested dogs that are in the city vs. country dogs. I found out that farm dogs have a healthier microbiome, but city dogs have healthier soil. The farm dogs’ average microbial biomass in the soil is 221.0 ug C/g. The city dogs’ average microbial biomass in the soil is 273.4 ug C/g. Farm dogs average for F% is 20%. City dogs average for F% is 32%. Farm dogs average for B% is 80%. City dogs average for B% is 68%. The farm dogs were outside in the soil for longer periods of time. The farm dogs might be healthier due to spending more time in the soil.
