Broadening Participation

Engaging and expanding all forms of participation is a fundamental value underpinning STEPS and our commitment to fostering scientific innovation, workforce development, and creativity. The STEPS Center aims to sustain excellence and equal opportunity by integrating all participants across a variety of research perspectives.

Our Objectives

Recruitment

Our team actively builds partnerships with student-serving organizations and non-R1 institutions to expand opportunities for students in phosphorus sustainability. Through collaborations with organizations and institutions, STEPS has successfully increased our participation and engagement over the first four years.

Retention

At STEPS, we strive to cultivate an environment where scholars, faculty, and research staff develop leadership skills not only in their disciplines but also in collaboration, convergence, and team science. Through seminars, workshops, and hands-on learning experiences, STEPS is equipping the next generation of researchers with the skills and confidence to have an impact in phosphorus sustainability.

Engagement

We are committed to providing resources that foster awareness, collaboration, and meaningful engagement in phosphorus sustainability. Our goal is to create pathways for involvement at all levels, from K-12 students and educators to university administrators and external community partners. These efforts are rooted in community-engaged research, ensuring mutual collaboration and progress toward STEPS’ 25 in 25 vision.

Scholars

Our scholars represent a range of interdisciplinary researchers and experiences. We seek to foster scholar engagement, mentorship, research innovation, and leadership through convergence science and a broad research lens. Our team is dedicated to advancing the next generation of convergence researchers and promoting P sustainability.

Research Staff

As a catalyst for community building within the center, our research staff play a key role in promoting scholarly activities, facilitating external communication, and supporting recruitment and transitions into research. Our team helps cultivate a dynamic community of researchers, scholars, and faculty, fostering collaboration and academic excellence.

Faculty

Faculty at STEPS lead pioneering research in P sustainability while actively engaging with stakeholders and supporting scholar success. Our team promotes faculty research collaboration, student engagement, and the adoption of best practices to ensure impactful research outcomes.

K-12 Students and Teachers

K-12 students and teachers play a foundational role in scientific discovery. STEPS recognizes the critical need for K-12 outreach to inspire the next generation in STEM and P sustainability. In collaboration with the Education and Human Resource Development Team, our team develops pathways for students to gain real-world experience in the classroom and beyond. Learn more about our signature program, STEPS ExPlorers.

Stakeholders

STEPS engages with a broad range of stakeholders across industry, government, and education. In partnership with Knowledge Transfer Team, the our team creates opportunities for effective engagement, collaboration, and communication to drive innovation and impact across all sectors. STEPS welcomes new stakeholder partners, visit Partners with STEPS to connect.

University Administrators

As a cross-institutional partnership, STEPS relies on the support of our ten university administrators for its success. The our team fosters open dialogue between STEPS institutions and external partners to enhance impacts in P sustainability. If you are interested in joining the conversation, visit Partners with STEPS.

STEPS Participants Spotlights

The success of the STEPS Center relies on the dedication and contributions of our participants as we work toward our 25-in-25 vision. From students to faculty to community partners, each member of our team plays a vital role in advancing P-sustainability. Explore the impactful work happening across our network and see how our participants are driving meaningful change.