Flooding and the Urban Microbiome

The Marron Institute is pleased to announce the winning proposal for its second annual Seed Grant Award: “The Impact of Flooding on the Urban Microbiome and City Residents’ Exposure to Sewage Pathogens.” The research team includes: Professor Andrea Silverman of the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering at NYU Tandon and NYU’s College of Global Public Health as well as Professors Elizabeth Hénaff and Tega Brain of the Department of Technology, Culture and Society at NYU Tandon.

Working at a study location in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, the team will evaluate how urban flooding changes the microbial community of urban surfaces, investigate the ways in which the resulting microbial fingerprint evolves over time after a flood event, and determine how long it takes for the community to return to a pre-flood profile. The project team will focus in particular on human health considerations, specifically determining how long sewage pathogens may stay viable/infective after a flood event.

We look forward to supporting the fascinating work of Professors Silverman, Hénaff, and Brain.