CAREER: Developing a Spatial-Temporal Predictive Framework for the Drinking Water Microbiome.

每加仑饮用水中含有数百万种微生物，这些微生物被称为饮用水微生物群。自来水公司在供水系统中进行广泛的监测，以确保饮用水微生物群从水处理厂到家庭水龙头的流动保持安全。尽管这些监测做法旨在及早发现微生物污染，但任何通过监测确定的解决问题的尝试都将是固有的反应性。该项目旨在使美国现行的“检测和缓解”的饮用水监测系统向主动的“预测和纠正”的监测系统转变。该项目旨在开发一种计算机模型，使自来水公司能够预测未来整个供水系统的微生物污染事件，从而提供一个机会，在污染事件发生之前将其预防。与研究活动相结合的是一个教育计划，其中包括对K-12、本科生和研究生进行最先进的微生物组表征和解释方面的培训，以吸引他们进入STEM职业生涯。这一教育计划的目标是培养未来的水科学家和具有微生物组研究和实践专业知识的工程师。职业发展计划将通过将实验和计算微生物生态学整合到饮用水微生物组研究中，并通过教育和推广利用这一研究，让不同的学生群体参与微生物组研究和实践，从而促进饮用水的安全和健康。本项目的研究目标是(1)建立一个长期的观测站，以监测波士顿-S供水系统的高分辨率饮用水微生物群动态；(2)开发一个新的框架，将计量经济学和生态学模型应用于这些动态；(3)系统地集成两种建模方法，以综合预测饮用水微生物群的丰度和组成。该研究计划结合了最先进的综合分析和新颖的建模方法，以开发饮用水微生物组的定量预测框架。该预测框架将(1)帮助自来水公司先发制人地评估和消除未来的饮用水微生物风险，(2)为饮用水微生物组的模型信息定量管理提供基础知识。这项研究与一项旨在(1)吸引和培训本科生和研究生从事微生物群研究和实践的教育和推广计划相结合，采用旨在加强少数族裔学生参与STEM研究的教学方法，以及(2)通过K-12倡议提高公众对饮用水微生物群的认识。这些目标将通过与温特沃斯理工学院和韦尔斯利学院合作，利用以课程为基础的本科生研究经验(CURES)方法，以及通过东北大学STEM教育中心为波士顿地区的学生举办K-12学习活动，开发以微生物群为重点的环境工程创新课程。该项目将推动饮用水研究社区和以微生物群为中心的饮用水质量管理社区的共同抱负。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Every gallon of drinking water contains millions of microbes that are referred to as the drinking water microbiome. Water utilities perform extensive monitoring in the water distribution system to ensure that the drinking water microbiome remains safe as it travels from the water treatment plant to the household tap. Although these monitoring practices are designed for early detection of microbial contamination, any attempt to fix a problem identified by monitoring will be inherently reactionary. This project seeks to revolutionize the current United States drinking water monitoring system of "detect and mitigate" towards a proactive one of "predict and correct". This project aims to develop a computer model that will allow water utilities to predict future microbial contamination events across the water distribution system, thus providing an opportunity to prevent contamination events before they occur. Integrated with the research activities will be an education program that includes training of K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students in state-of-the-art microbiome characterization and interpretation to attract them to STEM careers. The goal of this education program will be to prepare future water scientists and engineers with expertise in microbiome research and practice.The career development plan will advance the safety and health of drinking water by integrating experimental and computational microbial ecology into drinking water microbiome research and by leveraging this research through education and outreach to engage a diverse student body in microbiome research and practice. The research goals of this project are (1) to establish a long-term observatory to monitor high-resolution drinking water microbiome dynamics in Boston?s water distribution system, (2) to develop a novel framework to apply econometric and ecological models to these dynamics, and (3) to systematically integrate the two modeling approaches for comprehensive spatial-temporal forecasting of the abundance and composition of the drinking water microbiome. The research plan combines state-of-the-art integrated analyses and novel modeling approaches to develop a quantitative predictive framework for the drinking water microbiome. This predictive framework will (1) help water utilities preemptively estimate and eliminate future drinking water microbial risks, and (2) serve as foundational knowledge for model-informed quantitative management of the drinking water microbiome. This research is integrated with an education and outreach plan designed to (1) attract and train undergraduate and graduate students in microbiome research and practice, using pedagogical approaches designed to enhance participation of students from underrepresented minority groups in STEM research, and (2) raise public awareness of the drinking-water microbiome through K-12 initiatives. The objectives will be accomplished by developing innovative microbiome-focused curricula in environmental engineering using a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) approach in collaboration with Wentworth Institute of Technology and Wellesley College and a K-12 learning activity for Boston area students through the Center for STEM Education at Northeastern University. The project will advance the shared aspirational vision of the drinking water research community and the microbiome-centric drinking water quality management community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.