FieldSound - The official UW College of the Environment podcast
Season 1 Launches May 4, 2023
Welcome to FieldSound, the official UW College of the Environment podcast.
Through immersive, narrative storytelling, host Sarah Smith explores the field of environmental science together with researchers at the University of Washington College of the Environment.
Interviews and anecdotes connect listeners to the College’s global impact as guests share stories of their exciting, groundbreaking and influential discoveries. FieldSound entertains and educates listeners while kindling personal connection to the world around them.
Tune into FieldSound for new episodes each week, and be sure to like, share and subscribe!
Visit environment.uw.edu/podcast
FieldSound - The official UW College of the Environment podcast
S2 E5: David Montgomery and Soil Health
David Montgomery is a geomorphologist who looks at the processes shaping Earth’s surface and how they affect ecological systems — and human societies. He has studied everything from the ways that landslides and glaciers influence the height of mountain ranges to the way that soils have shaped human civilizations, both now and in the past. He has worked in mountain ranges throughout the world, from the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest to the Andes in South America and Tibet, and the Himalaya in Central Asia.
In addition to his academic work, Montgomery has written a number of popular science books, three of which won the Washington State Book Award. He is an elected fellow of the American Geophysical Union and has received many awards throughout his career, including a MacArthur Fellowship and the Vega Medal.
In this episode, Montgomery discusses his career trajectory, which began with a fascination for maps as a child and led him to become a geomorphologist studying Earth's surface features. He describes his transition from biology to geology during college.
Montgomery also shares insights from his research on soil erosion and its impact on civilizations, as well as his collaboration with his wife, Anne Biklé, on books about soil health and regenerative farming. Listen to learn more about the importance of soil microbiology for crop health and human nutrition. You can also catch some music by his band, Big Dirt.
Related: UW Magazine published this recent feature on Montgomery.
