Announcing the GCAP Food-Water Interface Seed Grant Awardees
The Global One Health Academy is pleased to announce the recipients of the newly launched GCAP Food-Water Interface Seed Grants aimed at supporting interdisciplinary, One Health projects that integrate across food and water. One launch project (supporting existing projects) and two pilot projects (supporting new collaborations and/or research directions) were awarded.
Abstract: Our proposed research will address the major challenge of increasing crop irrigation supplies by developing new technologies based on harnessing fungi to remove micropollutants from wastewater. This new area of research has fundamental, practical, and potentially significant impacts on addressing human, crop, and environmental health risks (One Health), as well as addressing water quality and quantity in a circular economy framework (One Water). The fundamental innovations include discovering novel fungal species that degrade emerging micropollutants such as microplastics, phenolic compounds, and herbicides. The practical impact is on developing new fungal bioreactor technologies; the global impact is on unleashing the potential of treated wastewater to irrigate 40 million hectares, or 15% of all irrigated land globally. This interdisciplinary research combines our team’s expertise in two areas: fungal ecology and biological wastewater treatment, with an ongoing partnership that has already discovered novel fungal species in wastewater. The research approach is to isolate and characterize fungal diversity in wastewater, screen isolates for ability to degrade or remove micropollutants, assess the effects on plant growth, and develop novel fungal bioreactors. The data from this Launch Project will allow us to submit competitive proposals to USDA, NSF, and the NCBC in the coming year (~$1.4M total funds). In addition, we expect these novel findings to lead to patentable IP for possible commercialization.
Pilot Projects
Connected Superbugs: Exploring the Design Space of an Interactive Game Modeling Systemic Antimicrobial Resistance Dynamics
Abstract: This project aims to gather interdisciplinary perspectives for a scientifically accurate and engaging serious game that immerses players in the connected complexities of the critically challenging topic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within food and water systems. Unlike typical AMR educational games—which often limit scope to antibiotic usage or require expert over- sight— this design would address broader One Health system challenges that are dynamic and require interdisciplinary perspectives, carefully selected with input from scholarly literature and expert collaborations. Since serious games often fall prey to complex exploration pathways – the design will also explore AI/ML techniques to identify and examine player strategies, providing feedback for players and enabling researchers to glean insights into collective decision-making and effective AMR stewardship. The design will be adaptable for use in both formal education, such as workforce development for healthcare professionals, and informal settings like museums and with youth development organizations like 4-H to raise public awareness. The project will 1) conduct a review of existing AMR games, 2) map systems thinking objectives to embed in game design, 3) assemble an interdisciplinary advisory group for iterative feedback, and 4) involve computer science students in advanced game prototyping. Future phases will pilot these prototypes with both experts and the general public, iteratively refining the games for scientific accuracy and widespread engagement. By combining adaptive technology and collaborative systems perspectives, this project offers transformative potential for public health education, policy development, and future AI-steered AMR interventions at the intersection of STEM, serious games, and One Health.
Rapid Field-Deployable Biosensor for Detecting Fecal Contamination in Fresh Produce Production Environments
PIs: Deepti Salvi (CALS) and Michael Daniele (COE) Abstract: Fresh produce safety on farms is increasingly challenged by fecal contamination, carried by animal waste into agricultural environments during rainfall and flooding events. Traditional laboratory-based detection methods, while reliable, require sample shipment to external facilities, involve 18–48 hours of processing time, and are cost-prohibitive for frequent monitoring. These limitations create critical delays in identifying contamination risks, resulting in reactive interventions, costly recalls, and potential public health consequences.
This project aims to develop and validate a portable, field-deployable biosensor for the rapid detection of coliform bacteria as indicators of fecal contamination. The general approach will follow a three-stage process: (1) optimization of selective enrichment methods for coliform recovery from complex environmental matrices, (2) engineering of a low-cost, field-ready biosensor platform, and (3) stepwise laboratory validation under realistic agricultural conditions.
The interdisciplinary team combines expertise in microbiology, biosensor engineering, and agricultural outreach to create a practical solution for growers. If successful, this project will deliver a validated prototype providing actionable results in under 30 minutes, with a detection threshold of ≤10³ CFU/mL equivalent. The resulting data will position the team for competitive funding proposals to USDA NIFA AFRI Food Safety, Center for Produce Safety, and NIH environmental microbiology programs. This work aligns with One Health priorities by addressing zoonotic pathogen transmission at the food–water interface, improving agricultural risk management, and reducing the public health burden of foodborne disease outbreaks.
