Center for Advancing Sustainable & Distributed Fertilizer Production

This week, we were excited to welcome Felipe Troncoso from the Millennium Institute on Green Ammonia as Energy Vector (MIGA) to our CASFER headquarters!

MIGA is at the forefront of researching green ammonia production in Chile and beyond. We have been thrilled to host Felipe over this past week, showcasing our facilities and allowing him a chance to share his expertise. Our researchers had the chance to discuss groundbreaking ideas centered around ammonia production, which is invaluable for the work we do at CASFER, developing next generation fertilizer!

We look forward to learning from his insights and exploring opportunities for collaboration!

Big things are growing at CASFER!

These daisies are thriving thanks to our innovative new fertilizer, E-GROW™ N+. From the lab to the field, we're engineering a brighter and better future for agriculture.

Stay tuned all summer to watch our plants take root and sprout up! And feel free to ask us your questions about E-GROW™ and how we're changing the world one seed at a time.

Recently, some of our CASFER scholars had a chance to tour the X-FAB facility in Lubbock, Texas. This was a great opportunity for our students to get a behind-the-scenes look at semiconductor manufacturing and learn more about the industry.

The tour was fantastic and invigorated our students with fresh new perspectives and ideas!

Olatunde Akanbi is a PhD candidate using cutting-edge tech to enhance agricultural systems and promote the future of agriculture. His research harnesses large-scale datasets—from satellites to river sensors—to track soil health, reduce fertilizer waste, and protect our waterways.

With support from the Freedman Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University, Olatunde is helping CASFER pave the way for precision agriculture that boosts crop yields and optimizes resource use.

Olatunde represents some of the incredible work that our scholars do everyday. He is an invaluable asset to CASFER and continues to push the development of technologies that are vital for the future of agriculture.

Researcher Using Advanced Computing to Support Sustainable Agriculture | The Daily Olatunde Akanbi, PhD candidate at Case Western Reserve University, is researching how advanced computing can support sustainable agriculture.

Want to improve your soil while reducing the need for conventional fertilizer? Join us for this free session May 29 in Lubbock to explore biosolids as soil amendments and discover new bio-based alternatives.

You’ll hear from farmers and experts from the Soil Health Institute, TTU Department of Plant and Soil Science, and the Center for Advancing Sustainable & Distributed Fertilizer Production.

Lunch is provided but space is limited, so please RSVP today!

CASFER Brings Scientific Innovation to Capitol Hill

Earlier this week, we represented CASFER at the Congressional Showcase of National Science Foundation (NSF)-powered Research in Washington, D.C.

Hosted by the Coalition for National Science Funding, this bipartisan event gathered 20+ NSF-funded initiatives under one roof. As lawmakers and policy experts toured the showcase, we demonstrated how CASFER's breakthrough work transforms theoretical concepts into practical solutions that strengthen communities and advance American innovation.

The atmosphere was energizing—watching representatives from across the political spectrum engage with cutting-edge science reminded us of research's unique power to unite through shared pursuit of progress.

Standing near the Capitol, explaining our work to those who shape national science policy, was both humbling and motivating. We've returned with fresh perspectives and renewed determination.

We're immensely proud of CASFER's contributions and grateful for the opportunity to showcase them on such a significant stage.

Help us in congratulating the new Student Leadership Council Officers!!

The Student Leadership Council (SLC) is an integral part of the CASFER community. The SLC is a student-run and student-minded organization that collaborates in the creation of CASFER's programs and activities and offers students the opportunity to develop leadership skills. It seeks to serve CASFER students both academically and personally as we build the CASFER community together.

The new SLC Officers are:

President - Katherine Coyle
Vice President - Vibha Mandayam
Treasurer - Kathryn Langston
Safety Lead - Terril Vallikalam
Education and Outreach Lead - Okoye Ogonna Francis
Outreach and Engagement Lead - Sergio A. Arias
Events Lead - Ehsan Abbasi
Career Development Lead - Sharon Ulate Chacon

Come visit the CASFER booth at the Waste to Worth conference hosted by Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Community in Boise, Idaho. Stop by and learn more about the incredible work that CASFER is doing and how you can help enable research that will feed the future!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

We were ecstatic that Chris French, from CASFER industry partner Inside Out, got a chance to facilitate discussion with one of Dr. Kay Millerick's classes. He got to share his expertise on sludge and biosolids, while also providing students with invaluable insight and a global perspective.

CASFER strives to connect students with industry professionals and to give students the skills they need to flourish upon graduation. We hope for all CASFER students to have an active network of industry and academic professionals, and events like this help us make these connections.

We have an exciting opportunity for CASFER students and postdocs! With the help of Effective Team Dynamics Initiative, we are hosting an Effective Teams workshop on Friday, March 28.

This workshop is designed to help students/postdocs in developing their individual talents and strengths, while simultaneously learning how to share their talents with their team.

We look forward to seeing you all and strengthening the CASFER Team!

We want to congratulate one of our young scholars, Felipe de Farias, for the incredible work that he has done. Under our education development programs, Felipe has worked closely with CASFER researchers and received guidance on several science projects.

Recently, Felipe won 1st place in 11th-grade Physical at the science fair in Lubbock, qualifying him for the State Fair of Texas! He got the ACS top award, the Stockholm Water Qualifier Award, and an HPWD Outstanding Water Project 3rd place.

Even more exciting, he received a silver medal and was selected as one of only two students to be a representative at the International Science Fair in Ohio this May.

We couldn't be more proud of the incredible work that Felipe is doing and we can't wait to see what he accomplishes next!

Very excited about the upcoming CASFER Convergence Research Seminar, which will be held this Friday, February 28. Our speaker is Dr. Jennifer Guelfo, who will present her talk "Residual Challenges: Occurrence and Transport of PFAS in Land Applied Biosolids."

We can't wait to see this incredible presentation and learn more about her research!