News

Demonstrating the valuable cooperation of engineers and microbiologists at WEST Center, a new publication out of UArizona WEST looks at membrane distillation’s effectiveness as a barrier to Coronavirus and Bacteriophage.

For the fifth year in a row, the University of Arizona has earned the top spot in the U.S. for its work in the field of water resources. UArizona is again ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 2 globally in water resources in ShanghaiRanking's 2021 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. Read the full story by Nick Prevenas in UA News.

Arriving from Pakistan in February 2021, Sabir Nawaz performed molecular analysis of antibiotic resistance genes during his six months at WEST Center.

During the Spring 2021 semester, UArizona's WEST Center welcomed Dr. Joan Rose as a visiting professor. In a special public talk, premiering on May 5 at 4 PM, Dr. Rose offers a look into her career from earning her PhD at the University of Arizona to her significant contributions to the understanding of water microbiology and its use in monitoring water quality to improve public health. The talk will continue to be available on YouTube after May 5th.

WEST Director, Dr. Ian Pepper, was among 6 University of Arizona faculty members confirmed as Regents Professors by the Arizona Board of Regents on April 15, 2021. The designation of Regents Professor is an honored position reserved for faculty scholars of exceptional ability who have achieved national or international distinction. Congratulations to Dr. Pepper!

In the third episode of the Mrs. Green's World podcast series Impact Earth: A Roadmap to Resilience, Dr. Ian Pepper from WEST Center talks about human waste, COVID testing, organic material recycled from sewage and man-made chemicals known as PFAS.

In 2020, WEST worked with Boeing on research to inform airplane disinfection protocols, improving travel safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future.

Working with Pima County Wastewater, WEST Center conducted a PFAS study to evaluate contamination of soils and groundwater due to biosolid land application.  Results helped lift a moratorium on land application, with multiple benefits to the local community.

A short documentary produced by students in the University of Arizona's School of Theatre, Film & Television follows the COVID-19 wastewater monitoring work of WEST Center faculty and staff.

Dr. Joan Rose, winner of the Stockholm Water Prize and Professor at Michigan State University, will spend the Spring 2021 semester at WEST Center.  Dr. Rose is an international authority on water microbiology, water quality, and public health safety, and is actively engaged in work to advance the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater.