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.
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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Congratulations to a team of STEPS researchers on receiving a ReDDDoT Phase 1 Planning Grant!
❔ Their Treatment Technologies for Phosphorus Mitigation (T2PM) project aims to identify promising treatment technologies for P capture & potential recovery in high-volume, low-concentration hydrologic systems, such as the Stormwater Treatment Areas of South Florida via a combination of laboratory & literature research and stakeholder engagement.
☀️ This project was a direct result of our retreat in early January.
#phosphorus #grant #florida
Congratulations to a team of STEPS researchers on receiving a ReDDDoT Phase 1 Planning Grant!
❔ Their Treatment Technologies for Phosphorus Mitigation (T2PM) project aims to identify promising treatment technologies for P capture & potential recovery in high-volume, low-concentration hydrologic systems, such as the Stormwater Treatment Areas of South Florida via a combination of laboratory & literature research and stakeholder engagement.
☀️ This project was a direct result of our retreat in early January.
#phosphorus #grant #florida
We are sad to say farewell to Dr. Ashton Merck, a postdoctoral scholar in STEPS!
Ashton has been instrumental in the first three years of STEPS, working diligently with our stakeholders, publishing numerous papers, and mentoring STEPS scholars.
A group of us gathered today to celebrate her contributions and wish her well in her next endeavor. Thanks for everything, Ashton! 👋
We are sad to say farewell to Dr. Ashton Merck, a postdoctoral scholar in STEPS!
Ashton has been instrumental in the first three years of STEPS, working diligently with our stakeholders, publishing numerous papers, and mentoring STEPS scholars.
A group of us gathered today to celebrate her contributions and wish her well in her next endeavor. Thanks for everything, Ashton! 👋
At this year`s International Network for the Science of Team Science (INSciTS) annual conference, STEPS post-doctoral researchers Kimberly Bourne and Alison Deviney were awarded best poster!
👥 As a convergence center, STEPS is a leader in innovative teamwork and changing how complex problems are solved through research.
💡 This poster highlights the success of our recent team retreat at the South Florida Triple Bottom Line Scenario Site and the novel ways we have visualized the results of our brainstorming session.
#convergence #phosphorus #Florida #retreat #teamscience #conference #poster #award
At this year`s International Network for the Science of Team Science (INSciTS) annual conference, STEPS post-doctoral researchers Kimberly Bourne and Alison Deviney were awarded best poster!
👥 As a convergence center, STEPS is a leader in innovative teamwork and changing how complex problems are solved through research.
💡 This poster highlights the success of our recent team retreat at the South Florida Triple Bottom Line Scenario Site and the novel ways we have visualized the results of our brainstorming session.
#convergence #phosphorus #Florida #retreat #teamscience #conference #poster #award
#TBT to July`s Nanotechnology Convergence for Sustainable Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Health in Casablanca, Morocco. 🌍
💡Director Jacob Jones gave a keynote talk on leveraging nanotechnology applications for climate change.
🔬Several STEPS scholars presented their research. Pictured third is Ke`Shan Lighty, who shared his work on how nanofibers have shown enhanced bioseparation capabilities and have the potential for phosphorus remediation and adsorption.
#TBT to July`s Nanotechnology Convergence for Sustainable Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Health in Casablanca, Morocco. 🌍
💡Director Jacob Jones gave a keynote talk on leveraging nanotechnology applications for climate change.
🔬Several STEPS scholars presented their research. Pictured third is Ke`Shan Lighty, who shared his work on how nanofibers have shown enhanced bioseparation capabilities and have the potential for phosphorus remediation and adsorption.
🏆Congratulations to STEPS scholar Hector Fajardo for winning 2nd place in @ncstate annual Envisioning Research image contest! Fajardo won for his submission capturing a team member collecting samples from the Salt River in AZ in their work identifying sources of phosphorus pollution. Nice job, Hector! See all the contest winners in the online winners gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ncstate-gradschool/albums/72177720319280294/with/53895725806.
🏆Congratulations to STEPS scholar Hector Fajardo for winning 2nd place in @ncstate annual Envisioning Research image contest! Fajardo won for his submission capturing a team member collecting samples from the Salt River in AZ in their work identifying sources of phosphorus pollution. Nice job, Hector! See all the contest winners in the online winners gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ncstate-gradschool/albums/72177720319280294/with/53895725806.
🥁 Introducing our new YouTube series... STEPS Research Video Abstracts! Our goal is to share our work in an engaging, accessible way so more people can learn about phosphorus sustainability and the solutions our team is working on. Our first video, featuring Drs. Khara Grieger and Ashton Merck, explains their recent publication studying stakeholder views of phosphorus recovery systems.
📹 Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJcMhXmsh3M
🔔 Like and subscribe so you get notified when our next one comes out!
🥁 Introducing our new YouTube series... STEPS Research Video Abstracts! Our goal is to share our work in an engaging, accessible way so more people can learn about phosphorus sustainability and the solutions our team is working on. Our first video, featuring Drs. Khara Grieger and Ashton Merck, explains their recent publication studying stakeholder views of phosphorus recovery systems.
📹 Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJcMhXmsh3M
🔔 Like and subscribe so you get notified when our next one comes out!
🚨 New publication! 🚨 STEPS researchers have published "Environmental Impacts of Selected Metal Cations for Phosphorus Capture in Natural Waters: A Synthesis" in Chemosphere. They review known environmental effects linked to use of metal-cation-based P-capturing materials under eutrophic conditions in freshwaters. P-capturing materials with functional cations based on aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), lanthanum (La), and magnesium (Mg) were reviewed in terms of their ecotoxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation-standard criteria used to evaluate environmental risks of chemical substances. Their work underscores the need for additional studies to characterize the environmental impacts of P-capturing materials. Great work, STEPS team!
➡️ Read the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653524020599?via%3Dihub
#phosphorus #ecotoxicity #review
🚨 New publication! 🚨 STEPS researchers have published "Environmental Impacts of Selected Metal Cations for Phosphorus Capture in Natural Waters: A Synthesis" in Chemosphere. They review known environmental effects linked to use of metal-cation-based P-capturing materials under eutrophic conditions in freshwaters. P-capturing materials with functional cations based on aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), lanthanum (La), and magnesium (Mg) were reviewed in terms of their ecotoxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation-standard criteria used to evaluate environmental risks of chemical substances. Their work underscores the need for additional studies to characterize the environmental impacts of P-capturing materials. Great work, STEPS team!
➡️ Read the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653524020599?via%3Dihub
#phosphorus #ecotoxicity #review
🚨 New publication alert! 🚨 "Stakeholders Views of Science and Technologies for #Phosphorus #Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Three Case Studies in Phosphorus Recovery in the US" is out now in Society & Natural Resources!
💡 Even the most promising technology can fail if it does not meet the needs of the people and organizations who will use it. STEPS researchers conducted a comparative case study of three STEPS research projects focused on P recovery: urine diversion, biological P removal, and stable isotope source tracking. Our findings shed light on how STEPS (Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability) Center researchers could better meet the needs of stakeholders, and identify any common trends that might be relevant for all P sustainability innovations.
🔬 A key finding of this study is that P sustainability researchers should pay close attention to regulatory, social, and economic barriers, rather than just assuming that the problem could be solved with technological improvements. Importantly, some barriers could become drivers if conditions changed (for example, if the price of phosphate rock went up, and made recovered P products more competitive).
📑 Read the entire article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08941920.2024.2389806
🚨 New publication alert! 🚨 "Stakeholders Views of Science and Technologies for #Phosphorus #Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Three Case Studies in Phosphorus Recovery in the US" is out now in Society & Natural Resources!
💡 Even the most promising technology can fail if it does not meet the needs of the people and organizations who will use it. STEPS researchers conducted a comparative case study of three STEPS research projects focused on P recovery: urine diversion, biological P removal, and stable isotope source tracking. Our findings shed light on how STEPS (Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability) Center researchers could better meet the needs of stakeholders, and identify any common trends that might be relevant for all P sustainability innovations.
🔬 A key finding of this study is that P sustainability researchers should pay close attention to regulatory, social, and economic barriers, rather than just assuming that the problem could be solved with technological improvements. Importantly, some barriers could become drivers if conditions changed (for example, if the price of phosphate rock went up, and made recovered P products more competitive).
📑 Read the entire article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08941920.2024.2389806
Happy national tell a joke day!
#phosphorus #nationaltellajokeday #jokes
#TBT to #ASABE24! Several STEPS team members joined fellow biological and agricultural engineers in Anaheim, CA in July. One team presented their work on developing an urban watershed modeling framework for arid regions. Go STEPS!
#TBT to #ASABE24! Several STEPS team members joined fellow biological and agricultural engineers in Anaheim, CA in July. One team presented their work on developing an urban watershed modeling framework for arid regions. Go STEPS!
🚨New publication alert!🚨 STEPS researchers Drs. Eric McLamore and Geisianny Moreira published their recent work examining batch-to-batch variation in laser-inscribed graphene (LIG) electrodes for #electrochemical #sensing.
📖Read the open access article here: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/7/874
📷(Pictured: Dr. McLamore (R) mentors young engineers in sensor development at our annual summer camp!)
🚨New publication alert!🚨 STEPS researchers Drs. Eric McLamore and Geisianny Moreira published their recent work examining batch-to-batch variation in laser-inscribed graphene (LIG) electrodes for #electrochemical #sensing.
📖Read the open access article here: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/7/874
📷(Pictured: Dr. McLamore (R) mentors young engineers in sensor development at our annual summer camp!)
💡When can flooding be good? When it`s used to grow rice and preserve the nutrient-rich soils in the Everglades region. Read more about this practice from STEPS PI Dr. Jango Bhadha in his piece in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/good-flooding-scientists-use-rice-cultivation-to-preserve-soil-in-floridas-everglades-agricultural-area-235077
💡When can flooding be good? When it`s used to grow rice and preserve the nutrient-rich soils in the Everglades region. Read more about this practice from STEPS PI Dr. Jango Bhadha in his piece in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/good-flooding-scientists-use-rice-cultivation-to-preserve-soil-in-floridas-everglades-agricultural-area-235077
