The WATER Institute : SLU

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Previous Events

5/12/2023 - Annual water research conference hosted by SLU's WATER Institute.

3/22-23/2022 - Annual water research conference hosted by SLU's WATER Institute.

3/21/2021 - Join the WATER Institute at SLU for a virtual one-day summit highlighting exciting research and exploring regional water priorities.

6/25/2021 - A virtual event celebrating one year, including a of the new WATER Institute labs.

11/12/2020 - Explore brand new lab spaces and hear about the world-changing work faculty and students are conducting at the WATER Institute.

10/28/2020 - A webinar featuring a panel discussion regarding the challenges of protecting communities from floods using a social justice lens.

10/21/2020 - SLU students, staff and faculty reflect on the value of water in their everyday life in short videos.

9/25/2020 - Learn about aquatic ecosystems and water conservation while exploring exhibits and meeting animal stars at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station.

8/26/2020 - A webinar featuring regional experts discussing flood mitigation, response and nature-based solutions.

7/15/2020 - A webinar featuring regional leaders as they discuss the role of water during COVID-19.

In the News

10/2/2023 - St. Louis Public Radio interviews WATER Institute Associate Director Liz Hasenmueller, Ph.D., about her research findings about microplastics in cave water and sediment.

9/30/2023 - Tech Times reports on WATER Institute Associate Director Liz Hasenmueller, Ph.D.'s research findings about microplastics in cave water and sediment.

9/28/2023 - Vice Media discusses research findings about microplastics in cave water and sediment with WATER Institute Associate Director Liz Hasenmueller, Ph.D.

9/27/2023 - Science Daily interviews WATER Institute Associate Director Liz Hasenmueller, Ph.D., about her research findings about microplastics in cave water and sediment.

9/5/2023 - WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., discusses the potential for a water crisis in St. Louis following the CNN article.

9/2/2023 - CNN News quotes WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., and Director of Business and Outreach Rachel Rimmerman about water infrastructure and climate change in the St. Louis area. The article was also published on , , and .

5/23/2023 - KSDK investigates microplastics in St. Louis area drinking water and interviews WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., about related research.

5/2/2023 - PBS News Hour discusses surging water levels in the Mississippi River with WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D.

4/27/2023 - The Washington Post interviews WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., about Mississippi River drought.

11/21/2022 - Smart Water Magazine discusses research about microplastics in the Meramec River watershed led by WATER Institute investigators.

11/6/2022 - New York Public Radio podcast The Takeaway interviews WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., about the low Mississippi River levels.

10/20/2022 - NBC News broadcasts KSDK's report on the Mississippi River featuring WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D.

10/20/2022 - KSDK reporter Laura Barczewski interviews WATER Institute Primary Investigator Jason Knouft, Ph.D., about the low Mississippi River levels.

5/17/2022 - KMOX Total Information AM host Debbie Monterrey interviews WATER Institute Director of Business and Outreach Rachel Rimmerman about lead in school drinking water in Missouri.

7/24/2020 -St. Louis on the Air reporter Sarah Fenske interviews WATER Institute Director, Amanda Cox, Ph.D. and Administrative Director, Rachel Rimmerman, on St. Louis Public Radio.

7/8/2020 - Municipal Sewer and Water Magazine announces the launch of the WATER Institute.

6/26/2020 -Water World Magazine announces the launch of the WATER Institute.

6/25/2020 -St. Louis Business Journal discusses the new WATER Institute and the role it will play in the region.

6/2/2020 - Roger Lewis, Ph.D., primary investigator with the WATER Institute and professor with the College for Public Health and Social Justice, discusses water quality in buildings that are reopening after being closed for extended periods of time due to the pandemic with the St. Louis Business Journal.

The WATER Institute

Located in the City of St. Louis and at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the Water Access, Technology, Environment and Resources (WATER) Institute at 麻豆传媒 is the first of its kind in the American Midwest. Inspired by the University鈥檚 Jesuit identity, the mission of the WATER Institute is to advance water innovation to serve humanity.

The Research

WATER Institute faculty investigators conduct interdisciplinary research that addresses critical water resource challenges while strengthening existing efforts across the University.

The research conducted at the WATER Institute focuses primarily on three critical areas:

Addressing water-related social justice issues at home and around the world
Protecting aquatic ecosystems
Improving infrastructure to secure water supplies and address key societal needs

麻豆传媒鈥檚 location in the city of St. Louis at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers makes it an ideal setting for groundbreaking water research. The WATER Institute fills a significant need for urban water research in the United States, specifically, in the Midwest. The University鈥檚 Jesuit mission to serve humanity is also at the heart of the WATER Institute, whose findings will address public health issues and protect society from natural and human-made water-related disasters. The institute鈥檚 multifaceted, collaborative approach supports research with positive applications for local, national, and global communities 鈥� and their most vulnerable populations.

Examples of current projects led by researchers at the WATER Institute include:

Testing water treatment technologies for use in developing nations to evaluate which are most effective for clean drinking water on the household level
Determining the origin and amount of microplastic debris transported into river and groundwater systems
Using machine learning to estimate the volume of water storage available in United States reservoirs

A Big Idea

The origins of 麻豆传媒鈥檚 WATER Institute lie in an internal Big Ideas competition to define University-wide strategic research priorities.

SLU鈥檚 ability to invest in water-related research was greatly enhanced in 2018 when Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield made a historic $50 million gift that established the 麻豆传媒 Research Institute to accelerate research growth at the University.

The WATER Institute is the latest major initiative to earn support from the Research Institute. launched in fall 2019, and the Advanced HEAlth Data (AHEAD) Research Institute launched in 2020.

Learn More 麻豆传媒 the Big Ideas Competition

Our Team

Interdisciplinary collaborations are at the heart of the WATER Institute. From the natural sciences to public health, the WATER Institute brings together researchers and scholars from a wide array of disciplines.

Leadership Team

Amanda Cox, Ph.D.

Director, WATER Institute
Associate professor, civil engineering
School of Science and Engineering
amanda.cox@slu.edu

麻豆传媒

The WATER Institute

The Research

A Big Idea

Our Team

Amanda Cox, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Hasenmueller, Ph.D.

Jason Knouft, Ph.D.

Sofie Liang

Craig Adams, Ph.D.

Orhun Aydin, Ph.D.

Annesh Borthakur, Ph.D.

Alejandra Botero Acosta, Ph.D.

Sayan Dey, Ph.D.

Dan Hanes, Ph.D.

Emily Hite, Ph.D.

Kenan Li, Ph.D.

Ronaldo Luna, Ph.D.,

Zachary R. Phillips, Ph.D.

Jean Potvin, Ph.D.

Binbin Wang, Ph.D.

Rhonda BeLue, Ph.D.

Steve Buckner, Ph.D.

Sarah L. Coffin, Ph.D.

Dannielle Joy Davis, Ph.D.

Robert Dixon, Ph.D.

Christiane Hoppe-Jones, Ph.D.

Chris King, Ph.D.

Istvan Kiss, Ph.D.

Roger Lewis, Ph.D.

Ruth Marfil-Vega, Ph.D.

Kyle Mitchell, Ph.D.

Zaitao Pan, Ph.D.

Vasit Sagan, Ph.D.

John Sloan, Ph.D.

Kevin Tucker, Ph.D.

Lauren Weinrich, Ph.D.

Doug Williams, J.D.

Tobias Winright, Ph.D.

Next Steps to SLU