A USDA-funded 1-year collaborative project will study coronaviruses on contact surfaces at farmers markets, determine safe practices, and provide guidance to small producers to improve local health and safety.

As part of the University’s “Arizona Institutes for Resilience (AIR),” WEST Center is one of numerous stand-out programs and facilities dedicated to solving environmental challenges and ensuring community health and sustainability.

In Episode 251 of NPR Arizona Science, Dr. Luisa Ikner from WEST Center discusses anti-viral chemicals that can be applied and remain effective against SARS-CoV-2 for days instead of hours. Dr. Ikner speaks with Tim Swindle, director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, in this 5 minute interview.

Sounding an early warning, WEST Center helped stop a potential coronavirus outbreak at UArizona through testing campus wastewater.

As the University of Arizona opens for classes and research this fall, a team from WEST Center will monitor wastewater for early detection of COVID-19 on campus.

Scientists are searching for evidence of the coronavirus everywhere, including sewage treatment plants. In an interview for NPR's Arizona Science, WEST Center director Ian Pepper says looking for COVID-19 in this unlikely location could help predict when and where to expect the next outbreak.

The complete advanced water purification system - formerly part of the Pima County Water Innovation Challenge "beer truck" - was moved into WEST Center in late July 2020.  The technology will be available for a variety of experiments at the University of Arizona facility.

In an article published in World Water in July/Aug 2020, WEST researchers explain how coronavirus form contributes to function, and confirm that coronaviruses are eliminated more easily by wastewater treatment processes than viruses traditionally associated with waterborne disease.

In a recent study at WEST Center, researchers Aidan Foster and Dr. Ian Pepper examined the potential for magnetic fields to reduce chlorine demand in water disinfection.  Findings are especially significant as they can reduce costs for homeowners and commercial pools.

By Tony Davis, Arizona Daily Star

Researchers at University of Arizona WEST Center are developing an early warning system for the coronavirus - testing wastewater.