The University of São Paulo´s (USP) Center of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA) and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) announced the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on the unequal distribution of nitrogen in the world and its consequence on the environmental sustainability under a scenario of climate changes.
The School was funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). Other collaborators were Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the University of Brasilia (UnB), and the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI). The 10-day course consisted of lectures, theoretical lessons, a technical fieldwork, literature discussion sessions, and student poster presentations.
Nitrogen plays a fundamental role in life. It is universally used as a fertilizer in agriculture. While in many countries it is used in large amounts, in parts of the developing world its use is limited and not enough nitrogen is available for optimal food production. Excess nitrogen causes contamination problems in terrestrial and in aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, the challenge is to supply nitrogen in a way that enhances and sustains food production without damage to the environment. This is especially important because the manufacture of nitrogen fertilizers consumes large amounts of energy in a world that is already facing pressures of climate and global changes.
The objective is to provide graduate students with knowledge on nitrogen cycling and related topics that crosscut questions of nitrogen availability, natural and anthropogenic processes, social-economic issues and public policy. The goal is to improve participants’ understanding of the changes in the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen, good practices in the use of nitrogen and its impacts on multiple sectors. The school has addressed the complex interactions among nitrogen, agriculture, sustainability and global changes.
About 100 graduate students, 50 from Brazil and 50 from other countries were selected to participate in this São Paulo School of Advanced Science. Applicants must be currently enrolled in a graduate program. We encourage applications from students from different academic disciplines (natural, social and human sciences, engineering) provided their academic work and study is related to nitrogen cycles and related topics.
• Challenges and opportunities of the nitrogen cycle (biological fixation, geochemical cycles, human modification of the N cycle);
• Nitrogen use and environmental consequences (nitrogen footprint, future use of nitrogen fertilizers, greenhouse gas emissions associated with N use, nitrogen cascade);
• Nitrogen in sustainable agriculture (agriculture systems that combine the use of mineral and organic nitrogen, microorganisms and the N cycle: reducing losses, biological nitrogen fixation in agriculture systems);
• The N cycle under different climatic stresses (illustrated with Brazilian biomes of the Amazon, Cerrado and Caatinga);
• Student poster presentations.• Challenges and opportunities of the nitrogen cycle (biological fixation, geochemical cycles, human modification of the N cycle);
• Nitrogen use and environmental consequences (nitrogen footprint, future use of nitrogen fertilizers, greenhouse gas emissions associated with N use, nitrogen cascade);
• Nitrogen in sustainable agriculture (agriculture systems that combine the use of mineral and organic nitrogen, microorganisms and the N cycle: reducing losses, biological nitrogen fixation in agriculture systems);
• The N cycle under different climatic stresses (illustrated with Brazilian biomes of the Amazon, Cerrado and Caatinga);
• Student poster presentations.
Participants have received a certificate from the University of São Paulo/CENA acknowledging their participation in the School, provided that they attend all sessions of the program.
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