Fertilizer overuse is leading to algal blooms, fishkills and other environmental issues as rain carries excess phosphorus into our lakes and waterways. At the same time, our world’s mineable phosphorus supply is dwindling, potentially leading to worldwide economic and political instability in the not-too-distant future.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers across NC State and partner universities will address both ends of these issues through a new $25 million NSF-funded Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center headquartered at NC State. The center is anchored by an ambitious “25-in-25” goal, which calls for a 25% reduction in phosphate loss and a 25% reduction in phosphorus dependence over the next 25 years.
Enter Khara Grieger, NC State assistant professor and extension specialist in environmental health and risk assessment in the Department of Applied Ecology. She will co-lead a knowledge transfer team to reach those goals by building a strong line of two-way communication between STEPS Center researchers, external stakeholders, and community members who can help make these goals a reality.
“There’s a growing recognition that we need to innovate better – and in a way that takes into account societal perceptions and needs,” Grieger said. “Knowledge Transfer helps ensure the responsible innovation of new technologies and materials by factoring in stakeholder perspectives within early innovation stages. We will apply this thinking to STEPS.”
By leveraging her expertise in risk analysis and the broader field of risk governance, Grieger and her team will help STEPS researchers and stakeholders create phosphorus management solutions together.
“Most of my research has focused on understanding the potential risks and impacts of new materials and technologies on health, society, and the environment,” Grieger said. “My involvement with Knowledge Transfer is an extension of this work: to support the development of responsible innovations, technologies and materials that incorporate stakeholder perceptions and needs as early as possible in the process.”
Grieger and STEPS Knowledge Transfer group co-leader Matt Scholz, Senior Project Manager at Arizona State University’s Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance, will reach stakeholders through five key avenues: community groups, technical working groups, state agriculture extension services, the Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance, and “triple bottom line” research sites, which investigate phosphorus sustainability from more than an environmental and health, perspective, but societal and techno-economic perspectives as well.