Further Together the ORAU Podcast

Further Together the ORAU Podcast


Leading Indicator: Wastewater surveillance and COVID-19

August 05, 2020

The waste we flush down the toilet can serve as a leading indicator of the prevalence of COVID-19 in a community, whether it's a city or a university campus. In this episode of Further Together, the ORAU podcast, Michael Holtz discusses wastewater surveillance with Dr. Kunal Rambhia and Dr. Monique Mansoura of The MITRE Corporation. They are joined by Ken Tobin, vice president of ORAU's University Partnerships Office, and Cathy Fore, senior university partnerships specialist. The conversation covers the importance of wastewater surveillance as a tool in tracking COVID-19 spread, particularly as universities prepare to welcome students back to campus. We also discuss the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition, of which ORAU and MITRE are members; and the partnership between the organizations and a means of facilitating relationships, research and work between government and academic institutions.