The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a 5-year, $461,864 CAREER Program grant to the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine). The grant, titled "THE MICROBIOLOGY OF CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTERS: MICROBIOME-CONTAMINANT INTERACTIONS AFTER WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE FIRES", is funded under the NSF's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041).
The grant supports research to investigate the impact of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from burning plastic infrastructure on drinking water microbiomes and quality following wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. Key objectives include evaluating how environmental factors and flushing protocols affect microbial growth, assessing the role of biofilms in VOC sorption and transformations, and using multi-omics approaches to characterize changes in drinking water microbiomes after WUI fires. The project aims to generate new knowledge to develop solutions for mitigating the impact of WUI fires on drinking water systems. The grant also includes educational and outreach activities to train students and engage the local community on issues of drinking water quality and climate change.
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