Greetings from Alfred State College in Alfred, New York!
We are very excited to be participating in the NASA SMAP soil moisture sampling project. The project here is overseen by Jessica Hutchison, Instructor in the Department of Agriculture and Veterinary Technology. Two Agriculture Technology students, Kayana Fonseca and Peter Meyer, take samples and input data. We have one site, located right outside the greenhouse next to the agriculture building so we don't have to travel far to get a sample in bad weather. We are lucky to have a soils laboratory and sampling equipment right in the building so taking samples has been fun.
The students take breaks from milking cows at the college dairy to take as many samples as they can before the ground freezes. Peter Meyer says that his family doesn't believe he's working on a project with NASA. It is a break from our routine and we have had fun participating!
