The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a five-year, $22 million renewal to the Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center, building on an initial $25 million award. The renewed funding will support continued research on phosphorus sustainability.
Matt Scholz, Research Professor with the Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, serves as a co-investigator on the STEPS Center.
The STEPS Center brings together researchers from multiple disciplines to develop sustainable solutions for phosphorus management, helping ensure the long-term availability of this essential resource while protecting water quality and supporting resilient agricultural systems.
Says Scholz: The five-year funding renewal allows us to continue to advance phosphorus sustainability research across the diverse disciplines that our convergence research center comprises and helps us train scholars to become the next generation of contributors to the field. Perhaps equally important, the renewal underscores the federal government's appreciation for the importance of these issues to national security, agricultural productivity, economic growth, and water quality.
Scholz also recognized the contribution of fellow ASU investigators whose expertise strengthens the university's role in the STEPS Center:
Paul Westerhoff
Bruce Rittmann
Treavor Boyer
James Elser
Chris Muhich
Scholz offers the following acknowledgments:
National Science Foundation and members of the Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance