CSSI at the University of Miskolc

On World Soil Day, 5 December 2018, the University of Miskolc hosted a soil investigation competition. Students were gathered into teams of three and their mission was to solve a (simulated) theft with the help of laboratory analysis of soil samples from rubber boots and a spade left behind at the scene.

Thirty talented students assisted the CSSI’s (Crime Scene Soil Investigation) work. They were chosen from students of Herman Otto Gimnáium (Miskolc), Salesian St. Francis Secondary Grammar School (Kazincbarcika), Szent László High School and Economics Secondary School (Mezőkövesd), Alternative Lifelong Primary School, Grammar School and Elementary School of Art, Váci Mihály Gimnazium, Secondary School and College (Encs) and the Faculty of Earth Science and Engineering of the University of Miskolc.

The end of the competition, which was full of both exciting and humorous scenes, took place at the UV Hill on campus, where the stolen box of prizes was discovered and the “thief” was caught, too. The memorable investigation ended with placing a wreath at the new soil investigation trial pit, unveiling the Bükk National Park Directorate’s freshly prepared presentation board, drinking tea and mulled juice or wine and eating the “soil monolithic cake”.
Among the organisers, the GROW Observatory international project was the main sponsor, while the Institute of Geology and Geoinformatics at ME and the Hungarian Soil Science Society supported the event as professional sponsors. The event was linked to the World Soil Day announced by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), which is 5 December each year.