The scholarship is for $4,000. The goal of this scholarship is to “bring assistance to students doing compost-related research and to spark interest in future careers in the composting industry,” explains CCREF. “Ideal candidates will have an interest in improving the compost process.” Examples of research projects include: application and utilization of finished compost to increase drought tolerance; soil nutrient content; reducing erosion and water pollution; and increasing carbon storage in soils to combat climate change. The deadline for applications is April 10, 2020, midnight (P/T).

Two student research scholarships were awarded by CCREF in the 2019/2020 cycle. Anaya Hall (UC Berkeley, Energy and Resources Group) is developing a spatial model for the state of California to connect organic waste streams with composting infrastructure and working lands in order to critically evaluate the feasibility and anticipated abatement costs of using composted municipally-generated organic waste as a soil amendment to both sequester carbon and meet state-level diversion requirements.

Anne Hallee (The Evergreen State College) is investigating phosphorus (P) availability in composts of varying feedstocks.  She is assessing the amounts of soluble, plant available P typical of compost samples from static aerated composting facilities targeting three groups of feedstock types: manure-based, green waste-based and food scrap-based composts when applied to a low fertility soil.

A North Carolina-specific scholarship (awarded by the NC Composting Council) was given to Onnr Grogan (North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Biological Engineering) to determine how the method and schedule of turning a compost affects the temperature profile, nutrient contents, and time required for production of the compost.