Kennedy Water Lab

Shifts in microbial community composition can occur because of local or site-to-site variations or system-scale changes that affect the whole distribution system. Intentional disturbances from drinking water treatment facility operations improve water quality in the long-term, but can have unintended consequences. The goal of this project is to investigate the effect of disturbances on microbial communities in distribution systems and inform management practices.

Advanced-treated wastewater can be used as a source of drinking water through direct potable reuse. WBE can help ensure ingestion of recycled water does not result in increased enteric diseases in the contributing community. The goal of this project is to quantify and compare pathogen occurrence in the engineered water cycle for communities with direct, indirect, and de facto potable reuse, and develop a inform monitoring strategies for potable reuse.

Enteric viruses in the engineered water cycle are generally quantified via culture methods or molecular methods. While culture methods are ideal for quantifying infectious viruses, molecular methods are still commonly used because they tend to have higher sensitivity and faster turnaround times and not all viruses are easily culturable. The goal of this project is to develop and evaluate molecular methods to assess enteric virus inactivation mechanisms and persistence in the engineered water cycle.

Enhanced methods of microbial assessment include methods for microbial abundance (e.g., flow cytometry-based cell counts), microbial community composition (e.g., DNA sequencing), and specific microbial targets (e.g., qPCR). The goal of this project is to combine high resolution enhanced microbial assessment data along with physicochemical water quality data and machine learning could aid in early identification of common issues in water systems.

Dr. Kennedy is an assistant professor in the department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso. She earned her B.S. in Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University and her M.S. as well as her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She continued her training as a postdoc at Stanford University, where she joined the Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network (SCAN) and wastewaterSCAN teams. The Kennedy Water Lab aims to characterize microbial community dynamics, occurrence, and persistence in the engineered water cycle and apply these data to protect public health and wellbeing as well as the environment.

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I am currently a 1st year PhD student researcher in Civil/Environmental Engineering focusing based epidemiology (WBE). I am passionate about my work and making my community a more sustainable place to live. Outside of my research I enjoy staying active outdoors, and traveling!

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Angelica is an undergraduate Civil Engineering student with a minor in Mathematics. Her current research focuses on managing opportunistic pathogens in drinking water distribution systems. Before joining the lab, Angelica participated in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program, where she spent a summer at the University of Texas at San Antonio researching permeable curbs for stormwater pollution. In addition, she wrote a conference paper for the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) where she explored her experience as a multiracial individual attending a Hispanic Serving Institute. Aside from research, Angelica is active in multiple student organizations on campus. Angelica was an officer for Chi Epsilon, helped restart the UTEP National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter, and currently competes with the UTEP forensics speech and debate team. Outside of school, Angelica enjoys reading books, writing stories, baking, traveling, crocheting, embroidery, scrapbooking, trying new restaurants, and watching period dramas.

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Cristian is a senior in the Civil Engineering program at UTEP looking to specialize in the water treatment pathway. Currently he is working as an undergraduate research assistant on the UV/AOP project. He is especially passionate about the treatment and consumption of water and its current political implications as they pertain to the greater El Paso area due to having grown up in the region and being exposed to the realities water scarcity and thus hopes to make contribution toward the progress solving this issue. To add he is currently the president of the ASCE student chapter at UTEP which is one of the oldest and most storied organizations on campus but is most known for its success in the annual Concrete Canoe competition which requires the full-scale design and construction of canoe made of specially made concrete. On his free time, he enjoys hiking with his dog and training to have an amateur boxing debut.

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Stephanie Romero is an undergraduate student majoring in Civil Engineering, with an associate degree in Architecture. Her current research focuses on analyzing the effects of drinking water source shifts using flow cytometry. After her studies, Stephanie plans to specialize in Water and Environmental Engineering. She is actively engaged as the President of the student chapter of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). In her free time, Stephanie enjoys drawing, crocheting, gaming, listening to music, and writing.

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