Amy Pruden delivered an invited keynote lecture at the International Water Association Leading-Edge Technology Conference in Jerez, Spain. The aim was to discuss how treatment and reuse of domestic wastewater can be conceptualized in a way to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance, for examples, as a source of irrigation water: “Synergizing Water Sustainability and Public Health: Antibiotic Resistance and Opportunistic Pathogens in Recycled Water. International Water Association Leading Edge Technology Conference (LET 2016), June, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (June 13-16, 2016).
Amy Pruden named W. Thomas Rice Professor in Engineering
From VT News:
Amy Pruden, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and associate dean and director of interdisciplinary graduate education in the Graduate School at Virginia Tech, has been awarded the W. Thomas Rice Professorship in Engineering by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
Read the entire story here.
Experiments Take Place in the Soils Lab
Post-doctoral researcher, Chaoqi Chen, obtains and freeze dries a sample collection. Then, extraction and purification methods take place using sonication and SPE Systems. The concentrated samples are then prepared for final analysis using a LC/QQQ instrument.
Post-Harvest Research Takes Place
Our Masters student, Natalie Pulido, is working hard to understand the microbial effects of post-harvest washing with sanitizers when applied to the surface of carrots that have been dipped into solutions of composts and manures with antibiotics.
Update from the Field Plots
The growing lettuce and radishes are ready for lab experimentation! Student researchers picked lettuce last Thursday and will begin analytical work in the lab.
Harvesting of Field Plots
Lauren Wind helped our team harvest a bumper crop of lettuce and radishes. There were 1308 lbs. (593 kg) of radishes and 512 lbs. (232 kg) of lettuce, resulting in a total yield of 0.91 tons!
Microbiology Students Prepare Experiments
Kendall Fogler and Giselle Guron have begun laboratory experiments to understand how antibiotics fed to cattle can affect the microbiota of vegetables grown in their manure, potentially leading to antibiotic resistance. They are culturing microorganisms from the surface of these vegetables on agar with the presence of antibiotics.
Extension Team Visits Rockingham County
VCE Dairy Agent, Jeremy Daubert, helped arrange several tours to various types of dairy farms and a meeting with large-animal veterinarian, Dr. Bob Hill. The team gained a lot of great input regarding dairy practices, antibiotic use, and the new Veterinary Feed Directive law. The team also visited the Shenandoah Valley Produce Auction and a local produce grower’s farm and packing house.
Water Microbiology Conference
Dr. Amy Pruden was an invited speaker for a workshop on Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment, chaired by Mark Sobsey, at the conference. She spoke about molecular monitoring for antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment. http://waterinstitute.unc.edu/conferences/watermicro/
Extension Team Visits Franklin and Pittsylvania Counties
The team met with Cynthia Martel, VCE Dairy Agent in Franklin Co. and discussed our project and gained insights into possible outreach opportunities with the Virginia dairy industry. We toured nearby farms including Hammock’s Dairy, which incorporates the philosophy of using best management practices to maintain optimal herd health to minimize antibiotic use.
