Systems-level approaches are required for addressing the world's major challenges at the food-energy-water nexus. Taking on complex issues, such as rising food insecurity, malnutrition, and food waste, concomitant with unprecedented levels of stress on environmental systems, will necessitate that future scholars and decision makers be prepared…

Enrollment in soil science courses at land grant universities in the United States has been stagnant or declining for the last 20 years and this trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a newly developed course in drinking water and human health (DWHH) that was designed to widen soil science…

Millions of ha of sodic soils exist around the world and the movement of water through these soils is most directly dictated by the concentration of Na and overall electrical conductivity of the soil, and minerology of the clay. Helping farmers, land managers, crop advisors, and students better understand why water moves or does not move in these…

Water resources are a critical issue across the United States. Addressing water issues requires public understanding, acceptance, support, and participation. This study compared the public's perceptions and knowledge of Oklahoma water over time. A 53-item paper questionnaire was administered to a randomly sampled mailing list of Oklahoma residents…

The rising cost of textbooks is a barrier to higher education for many students. Open textbooks are one potential solution, though few open textbooks exist for agriculture and natural science disciplines. Here, I present a case study examining my selection of assigned reading material for a college course on soil and water conservation. Potential…

Transdisciplinary approaches increasingly are needed to address complex environmental problems. Students can benefit from research and learning opportunities in which they investigate issues, integrate knowledge across disciplines, engage with stakeholders, collaborate with others, and devise solutions. This paper presents information on a 1-week…

As the impacts of water quality on human health become better understood, universities have an opportunity to equip students to become more informed and responsible citizens. We define "water literacy" as possessing the scientific knowledge to understand the links between water availability and usage, and being equipped to constructively…

Water movement in soil is often difficult for students to understand, particularly when soil texture changes within the profile. Students in introductory soil science courses may be able to define concepts of water movement, but not be able to apply the information in real scenarios due to reliance on intuition rather than fundamental concepts. To…

In recent years there have been concerted efforts among water science educators to increase the number and quality of interactive classroom, field, and lab experiences in undergraduate water resource courses. This article reviews the transformation of a traditional lecture-based hydrology course with a global emphasis to a field-based, integrated…

Most students entering universities in the United States have established views on water resource issues. The purpose of this 25-year study was to measure the impact of science-based education on student opinions of water quality, water quantity, and drinking water issues. A total of 8523 students enrolled in the introductory environmental science…

Growing human populations place increasing demands on our planet, resulting in an array of challenges with both scientific and non-scientific dimensions. These challenges are collectively known as socio-scientific issues (SSIs). It is essential to understand how students learn to use values to reason about SSIs, particularly when dealing with…

The world population is expected to reach 9.2 billion by the year 2050. Farmers are faced with the daily challenge of how to feed these people while availability of land and water is dwindling. The growth rates of global agricultural production and crop yields have slowed in the last couple of years, raising fears that the world may not be able to…