International Year of Soils 2015 celebrated with exhibition at KU Museum (2-13 September 2015)

From 2 through 13 September, the Kyoto University Museum hosted a traveling exhibition, "Soils: What Are They?", designed by the Saitama Museum of Rivers to mark the United Nations International Year of Soils 2015. Kyoto University's Graduate Schools of Global Environmental Studies and Agriculture, the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, and the Japanese Society of Pedology, together with the KU Museum, collaborated with the Saitama Museum on the show.

A total 1,640 visitors viewed the 11-day exhibition highlighting the attractions of soils, which, despite their unassuming appearances, play a vital role in sustaining life on Earth, including human life.

During the show period, the Museum hosted a special lecture by Professor Emeritus Kazutake Kyuma, "Pedology in Japan: Early History", which drew some 70 attendees, and a hands-on program, "Let's Make Shiny Mud Balls", which attracted around 160 participants, many of them small children.