Where soil science meets ballet

If you ask Anneli Chow, Earth Systems ’26, what inspired her passion for land management and conservation, she can point to places all across the Stanford campus. She has collected nectar samples from flowers at the Dish, learned carbon sampling techniques at the O’Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm, and analyzed soil at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma).

Through her classes, field labs, internships, and research opportunities, Chow has discovered how applicable soil science is to understanding ecosystems, natural resources, and environmental resilience.

She first developed this interest through an internship with American Rivers through the Bill Lane Center for the American West, where she worked on flood plain restoration, public access, and ecological education at Great Valley Grasslands State Park in California. 

“Working on such a large, multifaceted project showed me how many people and processes are involved in conservation work,” Chow said.

An interest in this work grew into a deeper curiosity for soil science in a course led by Professor Scott Fendorf. In EARTHSYS 155: Science of Soils, Chow worked alongside classmates and community partners to analyze soil from a native plant demonstration site. Her group collected samples from different soil horizons and brought them back to the lab to test pH, nutrient levels, and other key properties that influence plant health and ecosystem function.

“Our sampling helped identify where the weak points were and what could be improved to support the plants,” she said.

Encouraged by that experience, Chow is now working with PhD student Katie Huy to study how prescribed burns influence soil nutrients and ecosystem recovery at Jasper Ridge. By analyzing carbon, nitrogen, and microbial communities, she helps researchers better understand how vegetation regenerates after burns. She hopes to apply this research to local land management plans, particularly exploring how prescribed burns and fuel management can help mitigate extreme wildfires and strengthen resilience in California.

But Chow’s time at Stanford hasn’t been defined by science alone. When she’s not analyzing soil samples in the field or back in the lab, Chow taps into her creative side.

A longtime dancer, she has been involved for all four years at Stanford in the Cardinal Ballet Company, where she now serves as a co-artistic director. In this role, she brings each performance to life, learning every piece of choreography, leading rehearsals, and teaching the dances. 

“From an artistic director point of view, I enjoy being in a position where I can give people the opportunity to learn new things,” she said.

For Chow, creativity and science aren’t separate pursuits but complementary ways of understanding and engaging with the world. In addition to her involvement with the ballet company, she also works as a tutor at the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking, where she helps students across disciplines develop their ideas and find their voice.

“Environmental issues are inevitably interdisciplinary,” she said. “Working with writers from different disciplines allows me to learn about the world with people who see it differently.”

Next year, Chow will further this exploration through her coterminal master’s in Earth Systems, where she hopes to further integrate soil science, land management, and spatial analysis while continuing her involvement in the arts community.

“My time at Stanford has been defined by taking things from one experience to the next – there was never a four-year plan. And the best part was the people I was lucky enough to meet when I did.”