Grantee Research Project Results
Sensor on Wheels (SOW): A Field-Deployable Environmental Pathogen Detection Tool
EPA Grant Number: SU840682Title: Sensor on Wheels (SOW): A Field-Deployable Environmental Pathogen Detection Tool
Investigators: Guo, Huiyuan , McKenney, Peter
Institution: The State University of New York at Binghamton
EPA Project Officer: Cunniff, Sydney
Phase: I
Project Period: January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025
Project Amount: $75,000
RFA: 20th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet Request for Applications (RFA) (2023) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Description:
Infections from waterborne bacteria consistently increase after natural disasters, but methods to monitor their levels on-site reliably and rapidly are severely lacking.
Objective:
The first objective of this project is to develop and validate the Sensor on Wheels (SOW) system as a rapid, sensitive, and affordable sensor in a laboratory setting, and our second objective is to apply and evaluate the SOW system to on-site pathogen detection in real environmental samples.
Approach:
Flooding frequently results in the spread of fecal matter, either from agricultural areas or overburdened wastewater treatment facilities, so tracking a group of indicator bacteria is a comprehensive way to monitor the contamination of fecal bacteria during natural disasters. Our sensor will act as an indicator system for contamination by a group of fecal bacteria and/or individual pathogenic bacteria strains that are common after flooding events and pose a significant threat to human and environmental health.
Expected Results:
Our research provides a highly accurate and cost-effective way for stakeholders, such as wastewater treatment facilities, drinking water treatment facilities and suppliers, private well owners, and environmental scientists to assess bacterial exposure risks in water samples. This will help to better inform emergency measures taken, i.e., boil water advisories, and overall increase the public’s confidence in water safety.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
bacterial pathogen detection, extreme weather events, water contamination, public health crises, biosensor, environmental matricesProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.