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 REU Program
STEPS will support 15 students for ten weeks during Summer 2024 through a multi-institutional Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.
The STEPS Summer 2024 REU Program Begins in May.
Multi-institutional Research Experience
Convergence research through a collaborative cohort project.
Projects that align research and career interests.
PHOSPHORUS IN THE NEWS
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🏆 BIG NEWS!🏆 STEPS won Insight into Diversity`s 2024 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award. This award honors our commitment to inclusion & belonging in STEM. We are so proud of our Broadening Participation team for their outstanding work and dedication to supporting scholars.
Learn more about this award: https://steps-center.org/2024/07/18/steps-center-receives-insight-into-diversity-magazines-2024-inspiring-programs-in-stem-award/
#nsffunded #nsfstories #inclusion #STEM
cc: @NCStateEngr @NCStateCALS
🏆 BIG NEWS!🏆 STEPS won Insight into Diversity`s 2024 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award. This award honors our commitment to inclusion & belonging in STEM. We are so proud of our Broadening Participation team for their outstanding work and dedication to supporting scholars.
Learn more about this award: https://steps-center.org/2024/07/18/steps-center-receives-insight-into-diversity-magazines-2024-inspiring-programs-in-stem-award/
#nsffunded #nsfstories #inclusion #STEM
cc: @NCStateEngr @NCStateCALS
What do you get when you mix:
🎓 Outstanding students with a passion for STEM
🤩 All-star faculty and staff
🌟 Innovative ideas for tackling P sustainability?
Answer❓ExPlorers 2024, our summer camp introducing students to our mission and convergence research.
➡️ Learn more in our news story recapping this year: https://steps-center.org/2024/07/16/steps-explorers-summer-2024-program-recap/
#nsffunded #nsfstories #convergence #research #sustainability #inclusion #STEM
What do you get when you mix:
🎓 Outstanding students with a passion for STEM
🤩 All-star faculty and staff
🌟 Innovative ideas for tackling P sustainability?
Answer❓ExPlorers 2024, our summer camp introducing students to our mission and convergence research.
➡️ Learn more in our news story recapping this year: https://steps-center.org/2024/07/16/steps-explorers-summer-2024-program-recap/
#nsffunded #nsfstories #convergence #research #sustainability #inclusion #STEM
🌍 STEPS scholar Quintino Medi represented STEPS this week at the Nanotechnology Convergence for Sustainable Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Health in Casablanca, Morocco. He shared his team`s work on developing better ortho-P sensors. Congratulations, Quintino!
#nsffunded #nsfstories
🌍 STEPS scholar Quintino Medi represented STEPS this week at the Nanotechnology Convergence for Sustainable Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Health in Casablanca, Morocco. He shared his team`s work on developing better ortho-P sensors. Congratulations, Quintino!
#nsffunded #nsfstories
🚽 Recovering P from waste through urine diversion systems is a key area of our convergence research portfolio. From the technical to the social, we`re digging deeply into this promising P sustainability solution. 🤩Learn more about our recent publications in our latest news article: https://steps-center.org/2024/07/10/new-steps-publications-on-urine-diversion-for-p-recovery/
#nsfstories #nsffunded #convergenceresearch #phosphorus #sustainability
🚽 Recovering P from waste through urine diversion systems is a key area of our convergence research portfolio. From the technical to the social, we`re digging deeply into this promising P sustainability solution. 🤩Learn more about our recent publications in our latest news article: https://steps-center.org/2024/07/10/new-steps-publications-on-urine-diversion-for-p-recovery/
#nsfstories #nsffunded #convergenceresearch #phosphorus #sustainability
🌽 Can we grow #corn with less #fertilizer? STEPS researchers are finding out how ancient strains of #maize hold clues for how we can do this in modern farming. Read more in American Scientist blog, written by our scholar Alison Deviney: https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/from-the-staff/ancient-maize-yields-clues-to-more-resilient-corn
#farming #nutrients #nitrogen #phosphorus #research #scicomm
🌽 Can we grow #corn with less #fertilizer? STEPS researchers are finding out how ancient strains of #maize hold clues for how we can do this in modern farming. Read more in American Scientist blog, written by our scholar Alison Deviney: https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/from-the-staff/ancient-maize-yields-clues-to-more-resilient-corn
#farming #nutrients #nitrogen #phosphorus #research #scicomm
🚨New publication alert!🚨 STEPS researchers have a new paper in Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, "Researchers must address regulatory regimes to scale up adoption of urine diversion systems in the U.S."
💡Key insights:
- #Urine #diversion systems can positively impact P recovery and are generally viewed positively, but adoption remains low.
- Prior STEPS research has identified that regulations may be a major barrier to adoption.
- This paper provides a schematic and an inventory of the laws and regulations that apply to urine diversion systems in the U.S., and outlines each one from the point of collection to beneficial reuse.
- This work is written for environmental engineers and other scientific experts in the field who may be less familiar with the importance of laws and regulations but seeking to explore UD systems as a solution.
📄Read the full text here: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2634-4505/ad59c3
🚨New publication alert!🚨 STEPS researchers have a new paper in Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, "Researchers must address regulatory regimes to scale up adoption of urine diversion systems in the U.S."
💡Key insights:
- #Urine #diversion systems can positively impact P recovery and are generally viewed positively, but adoption remains low.
- Prior STEPS research has identified that regulations may be a major barrier to adoption.
- This paper provides a schematic and an inventory of the laws and regulations that apply to urine diversion systems in the U.S., and outlines each one from the point of collection to beneficial reuse.
- This work is written for environmental engineers and other scientific experts in the field who may be less familiar with the importance of laws and regulations but seeking to explore UD systems as a solution.
📄Read the full text here: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2634-4505/ad59c3
🔬Attention future scientists! Want to learn about phosphorus sustainability in a highly engaging summer camp? Join STEPS ExPlorers July 8-12 at the Joint School for Nanoscience & Nanoengineering in Greensboro, NC. The best part? Our summer camp is FREE! Learn more and apply online: https://jsnn.ncat.uncg.edu/steps-explorers/.
🔬Attention future scientists! Want to learn about phosphorus sustainability in a highly engaging summer camp? Join STEPS ExPlorers July 8-12 at the Joint School for Nanoscience & Nanoengineering in Greensboro, NC. The best part? Our summer camp is FREE! Learn more and apply online: https://jsnn.ncat.uncg.edu/steps-explorers/.
🌽Are you a grower or extension agent looking to learn more about phosphorus sustainability? We invite you to take a FREE online course, developed by STEPS & University of Florida faculty member Dr. Jango Bhadha, about this essential nutrient`s fate, transport, and conservation.
➡️Enroll here: https://ifas-sws.catalog.instructure.com/browse/steps/courses/science-technologies-for-phosphorus-sustainability.
🌟Bonus: This course offers 3 CCA continuing education credits!
🌽Are you a grower or extension agent looking to learn more about phosphorus sustainability? We invite you to take a FREE online course, developed by STEPS & University of Florida faculty member Dr. Jango Bhadha, about this essential nutrient`s fate, transport, and conservation.
➡️Enroll here: https://ifas-sws.catalog.instructure.com/browse/steps/courses/science-technologies-for-phosphorus-sustainability.
🌟Bonus: This course offers 3 CCA continuing education credits!
Last week STEPS scholars visited our research site at Goshen Creek near @appstate in Boone, NC to learn more about our Center`s research into P flow in the High Country. Say, "P sustainability!"
Last week STEPS scholars visited our research site at Goshen Creek near @appstate in Boone, NC to learn more about our Center`s research into P flow in the High Country. Say, "P sustainability!"
🚨New publication alert!🚨 STEPS researchers continue to lead in the area of #urine #diversion research. Their latest work produces benchmarks for urine volume generation and #phosphorus mass recovery in commercial and institutional buildings. 🔑 Key finding: Urine diversion is most viable in commercial and institutional buildings. Read the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589914724000173?via%3Dihub
🚨New publication alert!🚨 STEPS researchers continue to lead in the area of #urine #diversion research. Their latest work produces benchmarks for urine volume generation and #phosphorus mass recovery in commercial and institutional buildings. 🔑 Key finding: Urine diversion is most viable in commercial and institutional buildings. Read the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589914724000173?via%3Dihub
Algal blooms—when beautiful blue lakes turn bright green due to algae growth—occur when excess nutrients run off into the water. These blooms are increasingly occurring and costing local economies, which lose recreational opportunities due to these toxic blooms. This Guardian article shows how Clear Lake in California is so green it`s visible from space: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/31/california-clear-lake-green-space-images
Photo credit: @NASA
Algal blooms—when beautiful blue lakes turn bright green due to algae growth—occur when excess nutrients run off into the water. These blooms are increasingly occurring and costing local economies, which lose recreational opportunities due to these toxic blooms. This Guardian article shows how Clear Lake in California is so green it`s visible from space: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/31/california-clear-lake-green-space-images
Photo credit: @NASA
🚨New publication alert!🚨 STEPS researchers have published a paper characterizing spatiotemporal variability in phosphorus export across the United States using Bayesian hierarchical modeling. They find precipitation important in determining hydrologic export rates and emphasize the importance of P from geogenic sources in overall river export. Read online: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c07479
🚨New publication alert!🚨 STEPS researchers have published a paper characterizing spatiotemporal variability in phosphorus export across the United States using Bayesian hierarchical modeling. They find precipitation important in determining hydrologic export rates and emphasize the importance of P from geogenic sources in overall river export. Read online: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c07479
