STEPS (Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability) Center

Congratulations to 4 of our faculty members on being named a NC State University Faculty Scholar! This designation is for early and mid career faculty in recognition of their academic achievements and contributions to the university. ?? Congratulations to Dr. Luke Gatiboni, Dr. Khara Grieger, PhD, Dr. Cheryl Xu, and Dr. Justin Baker! #NCstate?#faculty?#scholar

How can materials science drive sustainability? How do advanced X-ray and neutron techniques revolutionize our understanding of functional materials? In this episode, we sit down with Jacob Jones, Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor at NC State and Director of the STEPS (Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability) Center , to explore groundbreaking research in phosphorus sustainability, nanotechnology, and advanced materials. ?? As Principal Investigator of the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN), Jacob highlights the power of international collaboration and science communication in bridging research and industry—ensuring that cutting-edge discoveries translate into real-world impact. ?? Watch now to gain expert insights from a leading innovator in materials science! #MaterialsScience #Sustainability #Nanotechnology #Phosphorus #Innovation #STEPSCenter #ScienceWeek2025 #StorySchool

We would like to welcome Dr. Yicheng Yang to the STEPS Center as a postdoctoral researcher! He will be working at the University of Florida on P mitigation treatment technologies applied in South Florida! Welcome Yicheng! #UF #postdoc #NSFfunded #NSFstories

We are thrilled to be a new member of the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP)! We can't wait to get more involved with the network and participate in the future of sustainable phosphorus management! #ESPP #phosphorus

STEPS had an incredible visit for #ScienceWeek at UM6P - University Mohammed VI Polytechnic! We are grateful for the opportunity to share our important work in #phosphorus #sustainability and convergence research. Welcome to all our new followers! We are glad you're here and connected with us! ?? As our director Jacob Jones said last week, we can accomplish much more together than we can apart. We look forward to continued collaboration and cooperation with our partners at home and around the globe. ??

Thursday was another incredible day for STEPS at #ScienceWeek at UM6P - University Mohammed VI Polytechnic. Our faculty enjoyed attending sessions led by the College of Agriculture and touring UM6P's research facilities. Highlights of the visit included going to the phenotyping platform and the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI). Our faculty were impressed by the field trials, testing scale and capabilities, and library of over 85,000 soil types from around Morocco! ???? We want to express our sincere gratitude for the wonderful hospitality by everyone at UM6P during this amazing week. We appreciate our important collaborations on phosphorus sustainability and look forward to continuing to work together!

How would we describe STEPS' Day 2 at #ScienceWeek at UM6P - University Mohammed VI Polytechnic? JAM-PACKED! This morning, Maude Cuchiara and Meagan Kittle Autry, Ph.D. gave a Masterclass to PhD students and faculty on STEPS' convergence research approach. We enjoyed this session so much, and learned a lot about African research experiences and challenges from participants! In the afternoon, our faculty gave talks hosted by Global Critical Zone Science Chair Hudson de Carvahlo. Ross Sozzani gave her talk, Biomaterials and Proteins to Improve Phosphate Bioavailability to Plant Cells." Rubén Rellán álvarez spoke on "Using Crop Natural Genetic Variation to Improve Phosphorus Efficiency." Amy Grunden amazed the crowd with "Biotechnological Application of Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture." Our faculty will be back for Day 4 to participate in College of Agriculture sessions!

STEPS had an incredible first day at #ScienceWeek2025 at UM6P - University Mohammed VI Polytechnic in Benguerir, Morocco! Our director, Jacob Jones, gave one of the morning's keynote addresses, "Shaping Our Future with Phosphorus." Our team appreciated the wonderful hospitality of the UM6P community, enjoying a tour of the innovative campus. Come and see us on Day 2! Maude Cuchiara and Meagan Kittle Autry, Ph.D. are giving a Masterclass on convergence research at 10am, and Ross Sozzani, Rubén Rellán álvarez, and Amy Grunden will give research talks on our phosphorus-related work starting at 2:30pm in the Ighil Room.

?? Happy Pal-entines Day! Who is your Pal-entines today?

This Monday, several post-doc and graduate student scholars presented their work at the University of Florida's Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Research Forum! 1- MD Shakil Uddin presenting "Solubilization of Soil Legacy Phosphorus using Metal Chelating Agents" 2- Flavia Santos presenting "Improving Phosphorus Use Efficiency with Biofertilizers" 3- MD Anik Mahmund presenting "Decoding the Speciation of Legacy Phosphorus in Acidic, Organic, and Calcareous soils Using Hedley Fractionation, Total Soil Phosphorus Storage Capacity, Solution P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Spectrometry" 4- Yicheng Yang presenting "Responsible Design, Development, & Deployment of Phosphorus Treatment Technologies" #SoilWaterSci #UF #EvergladesREC