Laura van der Pol

Laura van der Pol, Ph.D, was a long-time resident of Colorado prior to moving to Kansas to join The Land Institute as Lead Scientist in the Soil Ecology Program. Her structured education began when she attended the same school for K-12 in Houston, TX, which gave her some motivation to see a different part of the US for college. Laura studied environmental science at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA, where she received her undergraduate degree. She also had several intensive training courses with the US Coast Guard and became a science teacher in Colorado. Most recently, Laura had the great privilege to study soil ecology at Colorado State University, where she received her Ph.D. Most relevant to The Land Institute is her research studying soil organic matter dynamics in perennial and annual grain agroecosystems. Her work has helped further our understanding of how incorporating legumes into a rotation or as an intercrop, as well as the intermediate wheatgrass Kernza, influences soil organic matter in the semi-arid regions of Colorado and Kansas.