The School of Soil and Water Conservation recently welcomed two distinguished soil scientists for the Guan Junwei Academic Lecture Series. Professor Evgeniya Blagodatskaya, Editor‑in‑Chief of Soil Biology & Biochemistry and senior scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, alongside Dr. Sergey Blagodatskiy of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, delivered keynote addresses on soil microbial ecology and greenhouse gas emissions. The event drew over 80 faculty members and students from across the university.

Professor Blagodatskaya presented her latest research on the relationship between soil microbial community composition and ecosystem function, focusing on how different sampling strategies affect the representativeness of pooled samples and the reliability of long‑term forest monitoring.

Dr. Blagodatskiy discussed the key role of soil microorganisms in regulating greenhouse gas emissions, examining how land‑use change affects soil carbon sequestration and offering new perspectives on ecosystem management in the context of global change.

Both lectures covered the preceding topics in soil science and ecology, including soil carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental impacts of land-use change, generating lively discussion, with participants engaging the speakers on topics including microbial activity, sampling design, carbon storage, and emissions dynamics. The event provided a valuable platform for international academic exchange and strengthened collaboration in soil biogeochemistry and carbon cycling research.

Written by Wang Guan
Translated by Chen Ruirui
Edited by Song He
Reviewed by Yu Yangyang