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Essential Element

Phosphorus is an essential element to life, underpinning many critical biological processes and driving the productivity and sustainability of global food systems.

The Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center is a convergence research community of diverse and leading scientists that addresses the complex challenges in phosphorus sustainability by integrating disciplinary contributions across the physical, life, social, and economic sciences. The STEPS vision is to facilitate a 25% reduction in human dependence on mined phosphates and a 25% reduction in losses of point and non-point sources of phosphorus to soils and water resources within 25 years, leading to enhanced resilience of food systems and reduced environmental damage.

A Roadmap to Phosphorus Sustainability

STEPS Announces a Roadmap Toward U.S. Phosphorus Sustainability

STEPS is pleased to share “25-in-25: A Roadmap Toward U.S. Phosphorus Sustainability,” a project led by our partner institution RTI. This roadmap serves as a guide for the actions needed to improve sustainable management of phosphorus (P) in the United States. We outline current P management problems and their impact on stakeholders and organize sets of actions into Impact Opportunities. This roadmap is the result of collaboration between STEPS and external stakeholders, including industry representatives, policymakers, and others.

Roadmap cover image
REU students taking soil samples at Tidewater Research Station

STEPS REU Program

STEPS will support 15 students for ten weeks during Summer 2025 through a multi-institutional Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.

Multi-institutional Research Experience

Convergence research through a collaborative cohort project.

Projects that align research and career interests.

📣 Publication Alert 📣
Drs Duckworth, Obenour, Nelson and team recently published "Relationships between soil test phosphorus and county-level agricultural surplus phosphorus"!

📈 Using several statistical tests, they looked at the relationship between STP and surplus phosphorus in 3 states. 

💡Results suggest surplus P moderately correlations with STP concentrations, but aggregation periods and location specific factors influence the relationship 

#phosphorus #publication #agriculture #soil

📣 Publication Alert 📣
Drs Duckworth, Obenour, Nelson and team recently published "Relationships between soil test phosphorus and county-level agricultural surplus phosphorus"!

📈 Using several statistical tests, they looked at the relationship between STP and surplus phosphorus in 3 states.

💡Results suggest surplus P moderately correlations with STP concentrations, but aggregation periods and location specific factors influence the relationship

#phosphorus #publication #agriculture #soil
...

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💡Positioning Nanotechnology to Address Climate Change 💡 

👩‍🔬 STEPS' faculty are national leaders in #nanotechnology research. Their latest perspectives article explores necessary avenues for nanotechnology research processes and structures to help the field address the pressing issue of climate change. 

➡️ Read the open access article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10669-024-09991-w

#climatechange #research #nsffunded #nsfstories #convergence

💡Positioning Nanotechnology to Address Climate Change 💡

👩‍🔬 STEPS` faculty are national leaders in #nanotechnology research. Their latest perspectives article explores necessary avenues for nanotechnology research processes and structures to help the field address the pressing issue of climate change.

➡️ Read the open access article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10669-024-09991-w

#climatechange #research #nsffunded #nsfstories #convergence
...

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STEPS is also in Pittsburgh, PA this week at the Materials Science and Technology conference #MST24. Dr. Khara Grieger, our co-director of Knowledge Transfer, presented our research on lanthanum materials for P capture, as well as our extensive work on stakeholder engagement. Be sure to say hi if you see her there!

STEPS is also in Pittsburgh, PA this week at the Materials Science and Technology conference #MST24. Dr. Khara Grieger, our co-director of Knowledge Transfer, presented our research on lanthanum materials for P capture, as well as our extensive work on stakeholder engagement. Be sure to say hi if you see her there! ...

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🏆 Congratulations to our postdoctoral scholar Ike Onwuka on winning 3rd place in the second annual Postdoc 2-Minute Elevator Pitch Competition! He presented his work on phosphorus modeling and mapping. 

#elevatorpitch #phosphorus #datascience #modeling

🏆 Congratulations to our postdoctoral scholar Ike Onwuka on winning 3rd place in the second annual Postdoc 2-Minute Elevator Pitch Competition! He presented his work on phosphorus modeling and mapping.

#elevatorpitch #phosphorus #datascience #modeling
...

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STEPS is thrilled to announce three winners of our 2024-2025 Director's Fellowship! Learn more about this fellowship and our winners in our latest news article: https://steps-center.org/2024/10/03/steps-2024-2025-directors-fellows/

STEPS is thrilled to announce three winners of our 2024-2025 Director`s Fellowship! Learn more about this fellowship and our winners in our latest news article: https://steps-center.org/2024/10/03/steps-2024-2025-directors-fellows/ ...

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Our director has been traveling for work recently 🤔

Where in the world is STEPS Director Jacob Jones? Give us your best guess below and check back this afternoon to find out! ⏬

#travel #phosphorus

Our director has been traveling for work recently 🤔

Where in the world is STEPS Director Jacob Jones? Give us your best guess below and check back this afternoon to find out! ⏬

#travel #phosphorus
...

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🎉 Introducing our newest postdoctoral scholar, Dr.Chanheung Cho! he received his Ph.D in Economics from NC State where he was a graduate student scholar with us.

📊 His research focuses on decision-making under uncertainty in environmental & resource economics, particularly in sustainable management of phosphorus. His research uses dynamic decision models to explore how stakeholders manage legacy phosphorus & fertilizer application with imperfect information. 

#postdoc #research #welcome

🎉 Introducing our newest postdoctoral scholar, Dr.Chanheung Cho! he received his Ph.D in Economics from NC State where he was a graduate student scholar with us.

📊 His research focuses on decision-making under uncertainty in environmental & resource economics, particularly in sustainable management of phosphorus. His research uses dynamic decision models to explore how stakeholders manage legacy phosphorus & fertilizer application with imperfect information.

#postdoc #research #welcome
...

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✈️ STEPS is going abroad! Next week, Dr.Scholz will be speaking at the 5th European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference in Lleida Spain. This conference provides a place for experts and stakeholder to collaborate and share insights by addressing 4 key factors - organic agriculture, water reuse, eutrophication & P budging, and energy transition. This year’s conference focused on the Mediterranean context, but the outcomes of the conference will contribute to a more sustainable global future. 

#ESPC5 #phosphorus

✈️ STEPS is going abroad! Next week, Dr.Scholz will be speaking at the 5th European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference in Lleida Spain. This conference provides a place for experts and stakeholder to collaborate and share insights by addressing 4 key factors - organic agriculture, water reuse, eutrophication & P budging, and energy transition. This year’s conference focused on the Mediterranean context, but the outcomes of the conference will contribute to a more sustainable global future.

#ESPC5 #phosphorus
...

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