Grants
WellAware Program Targets Rural Drinking Water
This summer, the IWH will be working with rural residents in Evans and Tattnall County to test private drinking water wells for hazardous contaminants. Supported by a grant from the CARES Foundation, this study will focus on cancer-causing pollution found in drinking water. Participants can get a free drinking water test for filling out a short survey. Survey answers will help us to understand how the health and experiences of drinking from private wells may impact cancer screening initiatives. A town hall event in each county will bring together communities to discuss concerns and possible solutions for the future. Currently, this project will support doctoral-level research, but we look forward to the expansion of this project in the years to come.
Safe Water Together Glynn County Program Installs New Community Lab
By Luke Roberson
Glynn County is known as a gateway to beaches on Jekyll and Saint Simons Island, with Brunswick as the county’s administrative center. However, the area is also recognized for four Superfund sites – areas listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency as needing significant environmental cleanup and remediation.
County Commissioner Allen Booker raised an issue regarding increased subsistence fishing in Terry Creek during the pandemic—a water body directly impacted by decades of contamination by the Hercules Landfill. Despite advisories and monitoring by the EPA and Hercules, the local community continues to fish there.
The reasons behind this are multifaceted, encompassing tradition, geography, culture, and economic necessity. Historically, environmental research and messaging have often excluded those with lower incomes and people of color, even though they face the highest health risks from pollution.
In February, the IWH began a series of training sessions for our participants, with certifications to collect and log data into the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream database, the largest volunteer water quality monitoring organization in Georgia. In March, we installed a mini-lab with water monitoring gear, safety equipment, and an aquatic bacteria analysis system owned by the Safe Water Together team.
As we head into the summer sampling season, the team will grow in numbers, capacity, and capability. Two summer interns will join the group and collect information on water quality and the community’s perceptions and attitudes on how they can make policy changes with the data they collect.
The IWH Celebrates Grand Opening of its Lab with New Federal Funding
On Monday, March 25th, The Institute for Water and Health celebrated its grand opening and was awarded $2.04 million in federal funding for its Safe Water Together Program. Founding director, Asli Aslan was joined in the ribbon-cutting ceremony by Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero, Representative Buddy Carter, Provost Carl Reiber, Vice-President for Research and Economic Development Christopher Curtis, and many others who were instrumental in bringing this dream to fruition.
“Today is an important milestone for our journey started two years ago, a vision born out of recognizing the need for a research center for our most valuable resource in the region,” said Dr. Asli Aslan, Director of The Institute for Water and Health.
The Institute for Water and Health (IWH) was established in 2021 in response to the critical need for a research center focused on our region’s precious water resources. The opening of the IWH laboratory marks a significant step forward in confronting intricate water-related challenges and improving public health by employing advanced technology. As the lab was under construction, IWH staff worked with community members, policymakers, and Georgia Southern-affiliated faculty to create several innovative research projects.
”We thank our university leadership for supporting us. Our institute will serve as a beacon for research, innovation, and collaboration, aiming to improve water resources and promote well-being for generations to come.”
Dr. Asli Aslan, Founding Director of the IWH
“The institute conducts water research, develops new technologies, and partners with our community stakeholders to tackle complex issues and provide scientific data and solutions that foster safe and sustainable water uses,” said Dr. Kyle Marrero, President of Georgia Southern University.
The Institute continues to grow in capacity and capability, serving as an example of Georgia Southern’s dedication to providing the highest quality technological resources for its students, faculty, and community. The new funding will empower local communities to develop and implement holistic solutions, fortify infrastructure resilience, and guarantee equitable access to pristine water for all citizens.
Environmental Education and Teacher Development the Focus of Grant to Georgia Southern Team
The IWH is part of a multidisciplinary team from Georgia Southern that was awarded a grant from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to work with educators and students to provide hands-on experiences in watershed science, biology, and chemistry. The funded project, “Suwannee Watershed: Assessment and Monitoring of Place to Gain Understanding of Local Flow (SWAMP to GULF),” is led by principal investigator (PI) Lacey Huffling, Ph.D., associate professor of science education, and co-PIs Heather Scott, Ed.D., and Regina McCurdy, Ph.D., both assistant professors of science education.
Dr. Asli Aslan and Luke Roberson from the IWH will be focused on science communication, citizen science techniques, and environmental experiential education. Luke serves on the state board of the Georgia Adopt A Stream program (AAS), the state’s largest volunteer water quality monitoring program. The grant will supply teachers and students with the training and equipment to monitor their local waterways, understand the results, and log them into the AAS database for analysis.
The goal of the program is to provide place-based watershed experiential education to students who might otherwise not have this opportunity. In addition to helping students, teacher professional development and science communication are priorities of this grant.
IWH Receives Grant From Partnership For Inclusive Innovation For Safe Water Together In Glynn County
STATESBORO, GA, 09/06/2023—The Institute for Water and Health, along with partners at Rebuilding Together Glynn County, the City of Brunswick, The Office of Health Equity and Community Engagement at Georgia Southern University, and the Georgia Technical Institute for People and Technology has been awarded a grant from the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PIN).
“This grant opportunity builds the capacity of our community and empowers
Glynn County Commissioner Allen Booker
traditionally underserved Black and Brown neighborhoods in our community so that our families
can improve their quality of life.”
The PIN grant supports Safe Water Together in Glynn County, a Community-Based Participatory Research project in the City of Brunswick, Georgia to address environmental justice issues around water quality, access to scientific information, and the communication and ownership of public health data. Funding will facilitate the creation of the Safe Water Ambassador Group (SWAG), a minority-led water quality monitoring and communication team. By using advanced water quality technology, the project targets bacterial and chemical contamination worsened by sea-level rise.
Because water quality data is collected by the community for the community, spreading the message about public health impacts and the next steps to protect residents can overcome traditional barriers to science communication. While this grant equips the SWAG team with training and advanced tools to monitor locally impaired waterways, much of the funding goes directly to community members and schools to integrate environmental data into public health behavior change. The main goals of this program are to empower residents with the information needed to influence policy decisions and improve public health outcomes for at-risk populations in Brunswick and Glynn County.