As illustrated below, the Water Team focuses on several water treatments to combat various microbial threats. We use multiple cutting-edge cellular and molecular biology and data analysis tools in addition to traditional and modern water quality analyses to achieve our targets. The Water TEAM investigates sustainable engineering of water microbiology to protect human and environmental health. Fundamental scale research focuses on optimizing physical ultraviolet light treatment and cellular/enzymatic biological water treatment to combat microbial threats. This includes developing or increasing understanding of methods to detect microorganisms or their biomolecules, determining mechanisms of disinfection or damage to viral and bacterial pathogens or their biomolecules, decreasing antimicrobial resistance, investigating metabolism of natural microbial communities participating in degrading cyanotoxins or in concrete biomineralization, and destroying toxins produced during harmful algal blooms. System scale research investigates links between water microbiomes and human health, and between engineering and human factors on Appalachian water systems.
We focus on all aspects of water quality and sustainability from various sources, through various conventional and advanced treatments, and finally through intricate storage and distribution systems to ensure water is healthy and safe for all exposures. Our main objectives for water systems are to determine better microbial indicators that correspond to safe water, design better sensors for those indicators, and optimize precision water treatments to reduce pathogens and dangerous microbial byproducts to safe levels.
