Microbiomes of the
Built Environment:
From Research to Application
Meeting 3 | October 17-18, 2016
Beckman Center of the National Academies
Irvine, California
Microbiomes of the Built Environment:
From Research to Application
Meeting #3
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center
University of California, Irvine
October 17-18, 2016
Monday, October 17
Buffet breakfast will be available
8:30am
Welcome and Introductions
Goals of the study and open meeting sessions
Joan Bennett, Rutgers University - Committee Chair
8:45
How the Built Environment Microbiome Responds to Context
and Perturbations
Panel Chair: Robert Holt, University of Florida (Committee Member)
Microbial community response to environmental conditions and the
“Microbiomes in Transition (MinT)” Initiative
Janet Jansson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Microbial community dynamics and resilience
Sarah Evans, Michigan State University
The effect of geographic location on the composition and function of
indoor microbiomes
Shelly Miller, University of Colorado
Discussion
10:15
Break
10:30
The Current Toolkit for Studying Microbiome/Built Environment
Interfaces
Rob Knight, University of California, San Diego
11:15
Expanding the Toolkit: Improving Measurement Standards
Panel Chair: Jonathan Allen, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(Committee Member)
Scott Jackson, National Institute of Standards and Technology (remotely)
11:45
Expanding the Toolkit: Studying Microbial Functions
Panel Chair: Jonathan Allen, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(Committee Member)
Culture-dependent and -independent methods to study how
microbial traits evolve
Jay Lennon, Indiana University Bloomington
Mass spectrometry-based visualization of molecules associated
with human habitats
Pieter Dorrestein, University of California, San Diego
Discussion
12:30
Lunch
Buffet lunch will be provided
1:30
Expanding the Toolkit: Modeling the Microbiome
Panel Chair: Charles Haas, Drexel University (Committee Member)
Predicting how environmental changes may affect microbial
communities
Jennifer Martiny, University of California, Irvine
Building risk modeling and virus exposure in retrofitted buildings
M. Patricia Fabian, Boston University (remotely)
Discussion
2:15
Break
2:30
Analyzing What’s Known from Case Examples: Comparing and
Contrasting Results
Panel Chair: Rachel Adams, University of California, Berkeley
•
•
•
Homes - Tiina Reponen, University of Cincinnati
Hospitals - Brandon “Bubba” Brooks, University of California, Berkeley
International Space Station - Kasthuri Venkateswaran, NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
Discussion with all panelists and Shelly Miller
3:45
Parallel Breakout Discussions: Analyzing what’s known about
microbial communities in different types of environments and the
resulting implications
(colored sticker on your nametag will denote your group)
GROUP 1 - RED STICKER (Newport Room)
Moderator: Andrew Persily, National Institute of Standards and Technology
(Committee Member)
Rapporteur: Arron Shiffer, Northern Arizona University (travel grant recipient)
GROUP 2 - BLUE STICKER (Balboa Room)
Moderator: Mark Hernandez, University of Colorado, Boulder (Committee Member)
Rapporteur: Lt. Col. Andrew Hoisington, United States Air Force Academy (travel
grant recipient)
GROUP 3 - YELLOW STICKER (Crystal Cove Room)
Moderator: Jessica Green, University of Oregon (Committee Member)
Rapporteur: Bharath Prithiviraj, CUNY Brooklyn (travel grant recipient)
5:00
Reconvene in Plenary
Recap of Day 1 and Key Points Raised in Breakouts
5:45
Adjourn Day 1
5:45 - 8:00
Reception and Travel Grant Recipient Poster Presentation
Atrium outside Beckman Center Auditorium
Heavy appetizers and beverages will be provided
Tuesday, October 18
Buffet breakfast will be available
8:30
8:45
Welcome and Goals for Day 2
Joan Bennett, Committee Chair
Beyond Bacteria: Viral and Fungal Ecology in Indoor Environments
Panel Chair: Joan Bennett, Committee Chair
Viruses in the Built Environment
Linsey Marr,Virginia Tech
Fungi in the Built Environment
John Taylor, University of California, Berkeley
Discussion
9:45
Break
10:00
Built Environment Interventions and the Microbiome:
Impacts and Tradeoffs
Panel Chair: Jordan Peccia,Yale University (Committee Member)
Increased ventilation rates and building dampness
Mark Mendell, California Department of Public Health
Bio-walls and indoor houseplants: facts and fictions
Michael Waring, Drexel University
Discussion
11:15
Perspectives from Building Design and Commissioning
What the design community needs to incorporate consideration of the
microbiomes of the built environment into the design of facilities
Kevin van den Wymelenberg, University of Oregon
Discussion
12:15
Concluding Remarks
12:30
Public Meeting Adjourns
1:30 - 5pm
Closed NAS/NAM/NAE Committee Discussion
Robin Guenther, Perkins+Will (remotely)
DISCLLAIMER FFOR PUBLLIC SESSIO
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members typ
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old on the su
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STUDY COMMITTEE
JOAN WENNSTROM BENNETT, PHD (Chair)
ROBERT HOLT, PHD
JONATHAN ALLEN, PHD
RONALD LATANISION, PHD
Distinguished Professor of Plant Biology
and Pathology
Rutgers University
Bioinformatics Scientist
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Eminent Scholar
Arthur R. Marshall, Jr. Chair in Ecological
Studies
University of Florida
Senior Fellow
Exponent
JEAN COX-GANSER, PHD
HAL LEVIN, BArch
JACK GILBERT, PHD
VIVIAN LOFTNESS, MA, FAIA, LEED AP
DIANE GOLD, MD
KAREN NELSON, PHD
JESSICA GREEN, PHD
JORDAN PECCIA, PHD
Alec and Kay Keith Professor of Biology
Founding Director, Biology and the Built
Environment (BioBE) Center
University of Oregon
Associate Professor of Chemical and
Environmental Engineering
Yale University
CHARLES HAAS, PHD
ANDREW PERSILY, PHD
LD Betz Professor of Environmental Engineering
Head, Department of Civil, Architectural and
Environmental Engineering
Drexel University
Chief, Energy and Environment Division
National Institute of Standards and Technology
MARK HERNANDEZ, PHD, PE
JIZHONG ZHOU, PHD
Research Team Supervisor, Field Studies Branch
Research Architect
Respiratory Health Division
Building Ecology Research Group
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Professor, Department of Surgery
University of Chicago
Professor, Department of Environmental Health
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Professor
Department of Civil, Environmental and
Architectural Engineering
University of Colorado, Boulder
University Professor
School of Architecture
Carnegie Mellon University
President
J. Craig Venter Institute
George Lynn Cross Research Professor
Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology
Director, Institute for Environmental Genetics
University of Oklahoma
NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING,
AND MEDICINE STAFF
KATHERINE BOWMAN (Study Director)
JENNA OGILVIE
ELIZABETH BOYLE
CAMERON OSKVIG
DAVID BUTLER
PROCTOR REID
ANDREA HODGSON
FRANCES SHARPLES
Senior Program Officer
Board on Life Sciences
(P) (202) 334-2638
(E) [email protected]
Program Officer
Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology
(P) (202) 334-2228
(E) [email protected]
Scholar
Institute of Medicine
(P) (202) 334-2524
(E) [email protected]
Postdoctoral Fellow
Board on Life Sciences
(P) (202) 334-3138
(E) [email protected]
Research Associate
Board on Life Sciences
(P) (202) 334-1348
(E) [email protected]
Director
Board on Infrastructure and the
Constructed Environment
(P) (202) 334-2663
(E) [email protected]
Director
National Academy of Engineering Program Office
(P) (202) 334-2467
(E) [email protected]
Director
Board on Life Sciences
(P) (202) 334-2187
(E) [email protected]
Microbiiomes of the
e Built Environment: Fro
om Research
h to Applicaation Statemen
nt of Task onal Academie
es of Sciencess, Engineeringg and Medicinne will conveene an ad hocc committee tto The Natio
examine tthe formation
n and function of microbiaal communitiees, or microbiiomes, found in the interio
or of built environments. It w
will explore the implicatio
ons of this knoowledge for b
building desiggn & operations to positively impact sustaainability and human healtth. The comm
mittee will:  Assess what is
A
s currently known about th
he complex innteractions am
mong microb
bial communitties, humans, and b
built environm
ments, and th
heir relationshhip to indoor environmenttal quality. W
Where kn
nowledge is aadequate, sum
mmarize impllications for bbuilt environm
ment design &
& operations and human health.. A
portunities and challenges for the practtical applicatio
on of an imprroved  Articulate opp
understandingg of indoor miicrobiomes, w
with an emphhasis on how tthis knowledgge might info
orm ch
hoices about built environment charactteristics, bothh physical and
d operationall, in order to promote sustaainability and human healtth. dentify a set o
of critical kno
owledge gaps and prioritizeed research ggoals to accelerate the  Id
ap
pplication of knowledge about built envvironment m icrobiomes to
o improve bu
uilt environmeent su
ustainability aand human occupant healtth. The comm
mittee may discuss and reccommend add
ditional actioons to advance understand
ding of microbiom
me‐built environment inte
eractions, including exampples of the pottential impaccts of buildingg and health‐rellated policies and practice
es, and social or public enggagement dim
mensions. SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Rachel Adams, University of California, Berkeley
Rachel Adams joined the Taylor lab in February of 2004 as a Staff Research Associate. In August
2005, she pursued a PhD in Biology at Stanford, which she received in March 2011. There she
studied the interplay between intraspecific diversity and species interactions in communities. Dr.
Adams has since returned to Berkeley in March 2011 as a post doctoral fellow in the Bruns and
Taylor labs and is currently a Project Scientist within the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at
the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Adams earned a BS in Biology from Georgetown University.
Brandon “Bubba” Brooks, University of California, Berkeley
Brandon “Bubba” Brooks is a graduate student in Jill Banfield’s lab at the University of California
Berkeley, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. During his thesis he has mainly focused on
microbes thriving in the built environment and how they affect the human microbiome. Using highthroughput sequencing and other “omics” technologies, he has characterized these interactions by
using infants housed in a neonatal intensive care unit as a model system. Bubba is the recipient of
the National Science Foundation GRFP, UC Berkeley’s Chancellor’s Fellowship, and is largely funded
by the Alfred P. Sloan foundation for his work on the built environment.
Pieter Dorrestein, University of California, San Diego
Pieter Dorrestein is an associate Professor at the University of California - San Diego. He is the
Director of the Therapeutic Discovery Mass Spectrometry Center and a Co-Director, Institute
for Metabolomics Medicine in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Departments of Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry. Dr. Dorrestein was trained by Tadgh
Begley in the chemical biology of enzymes involved in vitamin biosynthesis and by Neil Kelleher and
Christopher Walsh, whom were co-sponsors of his NRSA postdoctoral fellowship, in Top and Middle
down mass spectrometry on proteins that made small molecules of therapeutic value. Since his
arrival to UCSD in 2006, Dr. Dorrestein has been pioneering the development of mass spectrometry
methods to study the chemical and ecological crosstalk between populations of organisms for
agricultural, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. He has published over 120 articles and is the
recipient of several awards, including the Beckman foundation young investigators award, the NIH
EUREKA, Lilly award in analytical chemistry, the V-foundation, Hearst foundation, the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America Award, and the Matt Suffness Award. In addition he is a
technological and research advisor/consultant for INDICASET, Janssen, Agraquest-Bayer, CUBIST and
Sirenas Marine Discovery.
Sarah Evans, Michigan State University
Sarah Evans is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, Department of
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Michigan State University and the Kellogg Biological Station.
Her lab studies how microscopic organisms (bacteria, fungi and archaea) function and respond to
their environment, including how they respond to disturbances and stress, and what factors alter
the diversity of microbial communities. Dr. Evans received her PhD in Ecology from Colorado State
University and her BA in Biology from Grinnell College.
M. Patricia Fabian, Boston University
Dr. Fabian combines her expertise in environmental health, environmental engineering, systems
science, and geographical information systems (GIS) to study multi-stressor public health problems.
She is currently a project lead in the Center for Research on Environmental & Social Stressors
in Housing Across the Life Course (CRESSH), applying geographical information systems (GIS)
and spatial analytical methods to quantify and describe environmental health disparities across
Massachusetts communities, and building cumulative risk models across the life course. Ongoing
projects include developing systems science models linking housing, lung function, and asthma
outcomes; constructing land use regression models to estimate historical air pollution exposure;
developing cumulative exposure models at a Superfund site; and applying spatial statistical
methods to study the combined effect of chemical and non-chemical exposures on pediatric
neurodevelopmental outcomes. Dr. Fabian received an ScD from the Harvard School of Public Health
and an MS from the University of Colorado.
Robin Guenther, Perkins+Will
Robin Guenther is a Principal of Perkins+Will and Senior Advisor to Health Care Without Harm.
An expert in sustainable healthcare design, Robin is a long-time advocate for healthier healing
environments and recently spoke on the topic at TEDMED 2014. Notable projects include leading
the major expansion of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, and ongoing work
with preeminent institutions such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Robin also led
one of the two winning teams in the Kaiser Permanente “Small Hospital, Big Idea” Competition.
Healthcare Design magazine named her the “#1 Most Influential Designer in Healthcare” and she
co-coordinated the “Green Guide for Health Care,” the most commonly used method of tracking
sustainability in healthcare spaces today. She released the second edition of Sustainable Healthcare
Architecture in 2013 and Fast Company named her as one of the “100 Most Creative People in
Business.”
Janet Jansson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Janet Jansson is the Division Director of Biological Sciences at the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL). She is also PNNL’s sector manager for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of
Biological and Environmental Research’s Biological Systems Science Division. Before coming to
PNNL (June 2014) she was a senior staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (20072014) and headed the Ecosystems Biology Program for the Earth Sciences Division at the Berkeley
Lab. She also held Adjunct Professor positions at UC Berkeley and the University of Copenhagen,
Denmark, from 2012-2014. Dr. Jansson obtained her Ph.D. in 1988 at Michigan State University and
then established a successful research career in Sweden over the next 20 years. From 2000-2006
she was Professor and Chair of Environmental Microbiology at the Swedish University of Agricultural
Sciences and Vice Dean of the Natural Sciences Faculty, where she coordinated “The Uppsala
Microbiomics Center,” a Swedish strategic national center of excellence. Dr. Jansson is a Fellow of
the American Academy of Microbiology, has more than 100 publications and is the editor of two
books on molecular microbial ecology and a textbook on soil microbiology. She currently servesa s
the President of the International Society for Microbiology (ISME) and as a senior editor of the ISME
Journal.
Rob Knight, University of California, San Diego
Rob Knight is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, with an additional appointment in the
Department of Computer Science, at the University of California San Diego. He was chosen as one
of 50 HHMI Early Career Scientists in 2009, is a Senior Editor at the ISME Journal, a member of the
Steering Committee of the Earth Microbiome Project, and a co-founder of the American Gut Project.
Jay Lennon, Indiana University
Jay Lennon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University. Dr. Lennon’s
lab studies the ecology and evolution of microbial communities, including the factors that generate
and maintain microbial biodiversity. His research focuses on understanding the implications of
microbial diversity for ecosystem functioning, ecosystem processes, and microbial traits. Dr. Lennon
received a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Dartmouth College, an MA in Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology from University of Kansas, and a BS in Environmental Forest Biology from SUNYESF at Syracuse.
Linsey Marr, Virginia Tech
Linsey C. Marr is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech.
She received a B.S. in Engineering Science from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental
Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Marr’s research focused on the effect
of air quality on human health, the environmental effects of manufactured nanomaterials, and the
airborne transmission of infectious diseases. She received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award in
2013 and the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award in 2006.
Jennifer Martiny, University of California, Irvine
Jennifer Martiny received her B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution at UC San Diego. She
completed her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Stanford University, studying diversity patterns and
conservation biology of birds, butterflies, and flies with Drs. Paul Ehrlich and Gretchen Daily. At some
point, she became intrigued by the idea that most ecological theory ignored microorganisms, which
make up the vast amount of biodiversity on the planet. She joined Dr. Brendan Bohannan’s lab as a
postdoctoral researcher and then moved to Brown University, where she established her own lab. In
2006, she moved to her current position at UC Irvine in the Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Dr. Martiny has received several awards, including a CAREER award from NSF and a Gordon and
Betty Moore Foundation Junior Investigator Award. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed
publications, including papers in Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Mark Mendell, California Department of Public Health
Mark Mendell, Ph.D., is an Air Pollution Research Specialist at the California Department of
Public Health. Dr. Mendell is on the editorial board of the journal Indoor Air and a member of
the International Academy of Indoor Air Sciences. He was formerly at the Centers for Disease
Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, where he was head of the National
Occupational Research Agenda Team on Indoor Environments. Dr. Mendell holds a BA from Cornell
University; a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon; and a PhD in
epidemiology from the University of California at Berkeley, School of Public Health. Dr. Mendell has
worked for 20 years in the field of environmental epidemiology, focused on health effects related to
indoor environments in buildings. His work includes field research to help understand relationships
between specific factors and conditions in buildings and health effects in occupants, and critical
reviews of the literature that summarize what we know, how well we know it, and what we do not
know, about specific environment/health relationships in buildings. His research interests include
health risks associated with buildings, ventilation systems, moisture, and microbial growth; effects
of indoor environments in schools on health and performance of students, and effects of indoor
chemical exposures in residences on asthma and allergies.
Shelly Miller, University of Colorado
Shelly Miller is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder and
a faculty member of the interdisciplinary Environmental Engineering Program at CU. Dr. Miller’s
research interests lie in indoor air quality, health effects, sources and exposure to particulate air
pollution, and development and evaluation of indoor air quality control measures. Her current
research projects include assessing and designing engineering controls such as filtration and
ultraviolet germicidal irradiation for improving indoor environmental quality, reducing building energy
consumption and improving health, source apportionment of PM2.5 and association with health
effects, association of coarse particles with health effects in urban and rural areas, characterization
of indoor environmental quality in homes, characterizing ultrafine particles that penetrate into
mechanically ventilated buildings, understanding the microbiology of the built environment, studying
how HVAC systems play a role in infectious disease transmission, and identifying sources of air toxins
and noxious odors in urban communities. Dr. Miller has received funding for her research program
from the U.S. EPA, HUD, CDC, NIOSH, NSF, NIH, ASHRAE, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and various
private foundations and industry sponsors. Dr. Miller received the Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow
from the University of Colorado in 1996. In 2000, she received an Environmental Achievement Award
from the US EPA Region 8 for her work assessing indoor air quality in schools. Dr. Miller received
a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil and
Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Tiina Reponen, University of Cincinnati
Tiina Reponen received her M.S. degree in Environmental Hygiene in 1985 and her Ph.D. in
Environmental Sciences in 1994 from the University of Kuopio in Finland. Since starting her research
career in 1985, she has studied a diversity of indoor air particles, such as fungal spores, bacteria
and total dust, and gases, such as formaldehyde and radon. During 1990-94, she was involved
in several large-scale projects dealing with fungal spore exposure and the consequent health
effects in homes, day-care centers, hospitals and several occupational environments. The studies
involved microbiologists, epidemiologists, medical doctors and civil engineers. Since 1987, she has
published her findings in various national and international journals and presented them at national
and international conferences in Finland, Sweden, England, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, China,
Australia and the USA. While employed by the University of Kuopio as a researcher and lecturer,
she participated in the teaching of the graduate courses in the Department of Environmental
Sciences. After completing her Ph.D., she joined the University of Cincinnati in January 1995 as
a Visiting Scholar. She was appointed as Associate Professor (1997) and Full Professor (2005) in
the Department of Environmental Health in the University of Cincinnati. Her research efforts are
now focused on the exposure assessment of biological and non-biological particles in indoor and
industrial environments, physical and microbiological characterization of airborne actinomycete and
fungal spores, the dispersion of bioaerosols under natural and laboratory conditions, and the control
of airborne microorganisms by filtration. She is leading the exposure assessment team of a 5-year
project on the interaction between traffic pollution and bioaerosols in the development of children’s
atopy. Her long-term goal is to contribute towards better understanding and preventing the adverse
health effects of bioaerosols. She is also involved in the teaching of graduate courses, and the
research guidance of several M.S. and Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows.
John Taylor, University of California, Berkeley
John Taylor is a Professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Ecology at the University of
California, Berkeley. Dr. Taylor’s lab studies the evolution of fungi to examine the basic patterns and
processes of evolution; fungi for biofuels; and reverse-ecology by population genomics. Dr. Taylor
received his PhD and MS from University of California, Davis. Dr. Taylor served as President of the
International Mycological Association in 2011, and has served as a member of the editorial boards
for IMAFungus and mBIO.
Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg, University of Oregon
Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg is an Associate Professor at the University of Oregon and is the Director
of the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory in Eugene and Portland, OR. He has a PhD in the Built
Environment from the University of Washington. He teaches classes in daylighting, integrated design
principles, energy performance in buildings, and design. Van Den Wymelenberg has consulted on
several hundred new construction and major renovation projects with architects and engineers
regarding daylight and energy in buildings since 2000. Five of these projects have been recognized
with AIA’s Committee on the Environment Top 10 Awards and many others are LEED certified. He
has presented at many conferences including IES National, LightFair International and Passive
Low Energy Architecture. He has authored several papers and two books related to daylighting,
visual comfort, and low energy design strategies. Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg served as Assistant
and Associate Professor in the College of Art and Architecture in Boise from 2004-2015. He was
the founding Director of the Integrated Design Lab in Boise (UI-IDL) and served there as professor
from 2004-2015, completing over $7M in funded research and outreach in daylighting and energy
efficiency for the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, United States Environment Protection Agency,
Idaho Power Company, the New Buildings Institute and others. Kevin is the Chair of the IESNA’s
Daylight Metrics Committee and co-author on IES document LM-83 that serves as partial basis for
the LEED V4 Daylighting Credit.
Kasthuri Venkateswaran, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Kasthuri Venkateswaran is a Senior Research Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr.
Venkateswaran has been working in the fields of marine, food, and environmental microbiology
for 32 years. He has applied his research in molecular microbial analysis to better understand the
ecological aspects of microbes, while conducting field studies in several extreme environments
such as deep sea (2,500 m), spacecraft (Mars Odyssey, Genesis, MER, Mars Express), assembly
facility clean rooms (various NASA and ESA facilities), as well as the space environment in Earth orbit
(International Space Station.) Dr. Venkateswaran holds a PhD in Marine Microbiology.
Michael Waring, Drexel University
Michael Waring is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental
Engineering (CAEE) at Drexel University’s College of Engineering. Dr. Waring researches how to
improve indoor air and environmental quality, as well building sustainability. Much of his focus is on
indoor chemical reactions between oxidants and reactive organic gases that generate aerosols. For
this research effort, he has been awarded a NSF CAREER Award and an ASRHAE New Investigator
Award and Willis H. Carrier Award. He is also interested in novel ventilation strategies that improve
IAQ for the lowest energy cost, as well as how indoor microbes respond to building operational
states. He teaches courses on IAQ, building sustainability and HVAC systems, and fluid mechanics.
Dr. Waring has been at Drexel since receiving his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of
Texas at Austin in 2009. He also received a M.S.E. in Environmental Engineering in 2006, a B.S.E in
Architectural Engineering in 2005, and a B.A. in English (special honors) and Economics in 2000,
all from UT-Austin. While a graduate student, Dr. Waring was in the first cohort of the NSF IGERT
program in Indoor Environmental Science and Engineering and received the Harrington Dissertation
Fellowship, which is the most prestigious fellowship awarded to a Ph.D. student at UT-Austin. He is
an active member of the International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) and ASHRAE,
for which he is the Chair of the Research Subcommittee for Technical Committee 2.4: Particulate Air
Contaminants And Particulate Contaminant Removal Equipment. Michael currently advises one postdoctoral researcher and six Ph.D. students. He is a founding co-leader of the Drexel Building Science
and Engineering Group (BSEG) with Drs. Jin Wen and Patrick Gurian, and he co-runs the Drexel
Air Resources Research Lab (DARRL) with Dr. Peter DeCarlo. He also collaborates with many other
researchers throughout the U.S. and the world.
TRAVEL GRANT RECIPIENTS
Christopher Benton, Microbiologist IV, Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory Supervisor, New
Hampshire Public Health Laboratories
Humberto Cavallin, Professor, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, School of
Architecture
Humberto Cavallin is a professor and researcher at the School of Architecture at the University
of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras, where he teaches courses on architectural design and theory. He
received his Architecture degree from UNET in Venezuela (1990), a MSc in social psychology from
the Universidad Central de Venezuela (1997), and PhD (2006) from the University of California,
Berkeley. He joined the University of Puerto Rico in 2004, and since then he has directed both
the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs. Dr. Cavallin’s research interests include thinking and
problem solving connected to the use of models for simulation and problem solving in design, as well
as the study of the impact of tools, communication, and collaboration in the professional practice
of design. To support those activities, he has worked on the development of hardware and software
to augment the design process. Since 2012, Dr. Cavallin has been involved in the development
of research leading to a better understanding of the presence of microorganisms in the built
environment, and has been part of several research projects directed to the understanding of the
impact of architecture and urbanization in the occurrence of the microbiome in indoor spaces.
Jonathan Coulter, Building Science Consultant III, Advanced Energy
Jonathan Coulter is one of the senior technical team members in our residential group. He is skilled
at helping others apply building science and business science to marketplace challenges in new and
existing homes programs. He is also adept at sharing successes and lessons learned via industryfocused presentations and papers internationally.
Expertise: Building Science, Consulting & Training, Field Testing, Diagnostics and Research, Regional
and National Technical Committees, Alternative energy uses: Biodiesel, CFL’s, Electric Vehicles, Solar
Water Heating, Solar PV
Jarrad Hampton-Marcell, Argonne National Laboratory
Erica Marie Hartmann, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, Northwestern University
Erica Marie Hartmann is an environmental microbiologist interested in the interaction between
manmade chemicals and microbes. She was the first graduate of the interdisciplinary Biological
Design PhD program at Arizona State University where she worked with environmental engineers
to develop molecular methods to detect microbes in food, soil, and water samples. From there,
she was awarded a Fulbright to study microbes that degrade the toxic, carcinogenic pollutants
known as dioxins in France at the Commission for Atomic Energy. She began leading studies on the
effects of antimicrobial chemicals on the microbes found in indoor dust at the Biology and the Built
Environment Center at the University of Oregon and is currently continuing that work as an assistant
professor at Northwestern University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew J. Hoisington, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering, United States Air Force Academy
Lieutenant Colonel Hoisington is an Assistant Professor at the United States Air Force Academy
(USAFA). In addition, he is the Environmental Engineering Division Chief, Deputy for Operations, and
Department Advisor in Charge, chairs the USAFA Energy Working Group, and serves on the USAFA
Installation Encroachment Management Team and Environmental Management System. LtCol
Hoisington received his PhD from the University of Texas Austin under the supervision of Dr. Kerry
Kinney and Dr. Jeffrey Siegel. During his PhD work, LtCol Hoisington studied the microbiome of the
built environment in retail stores. He is a founding member of the Military and Veterans Consortium
for Research & Education (MVM-CoRE) along with partners in Veteran Affairs, University of Colorado
Boulder, and University of Maryland. His research interests include the microbiome of the built
environment, indoor air quality, and the intersection of those two topics with mental health. LtCol
Hoisington is the principal investigator on the Alfred P. Sloan funded study on longitudinal integration
of the personal and built environment microbiome. It is the largest non-DoD project in the history
of the United States Air Force Academy and includes co-investigators Dr. Jack Gilbert (University
of Chicago), Dr. Lisa Brenner (Director, VA MIRECC), Dr. Christopher Lowry (University of Colorado
Boulder), and Dr. Kerry Kinney (University of Texas Austin). LtCol Hoisington has been recognized
with numerous awards to include USAFA Outstanding Academy Educator, and Society of American
Military Engineers national instructor of the year (Bliss Medal).
Yang-Seon Kim, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Juan P. Maestre, University of Texas at Austin
Gwynnne Mhuireach, PhD Student, Landscape Architecture, University of Oregon
Gwynne is currently in the final phase of her PhD studies in Landscape Architecture, focusing on
the influence of landscape design on the urban microbiome and concomitantly on the health of
neighborhood residents. Also holding a B.S. in Biology and a Masters degree in Architecture, she
hopes to continue her transdisciplinary work blending sustainable building and landscape design
with scientific research.
Sepideh Pakpour, Postdoctoral Fellow, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
Dr. Pakpour is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT. She received
her PhD in 2016 from University of British Columbia, in the area of microbiology and the built
environment. Her PhD research as part of the “Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development
(CHILD)” study provided a solid understanding of the ecological processes that influence the
composition of biological assemblages (archaea, bacteria, fungi, animal) in indoor dust, and
subsequently a better comprehension of relationships between architectural environment and indoor
biome. Subsequently, results of her PhD formed the basis of a complementary collaborative research
project that she initiated during her postdoctoral studies and is currently leading between Harvard
School of Public Health and the Broad Institute of MIT. This study is leveraging a natural experiment
that aims to investigate new relationships among indoor environmental performance (ventilation,
temperature, relative humidity, noise, lighting, chemical and microbial components), human
microbiome, and human metabolome. A unique aspect of her current research is establishing these
relationships through a real-time transition of an architectural firm to a new biophilic-designed office
space, where her design strategies aim to provide restorative benefits by bringing nature back in or
by triggering the same physiological responses through simulating nature’s features.
Bharath Prithiviraj, Research Associate, Advanced Science Research Center of the City
University of New York and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn
College, New York
I am trained as a microbial ecologist with experience in symbioses and microbial metagenomics. My
doctoral training was from the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, www.mssrf.org affiliated to
the University of Madras, Chennai, India. My doctoral work examined the ability of utilizing lichenized
fungi as biosensors to ascertain air quality variation. During my post-doctoral training I worked at
Prof. Rob Knight’s lab, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder in 2011
and subsequently with Prof. Mark Hernandez at the Environmental Engineering department in CU
Boulder. I was trained on bioinformatic analysis platforms for merging large scale ecological data
with sequence information. Also, I was involved with assessments of microbial dynamics during
disturbance events. Indoor air sampling to characterize bio-aerosols and their analysis using highthroughput sequencing technologies was a part of this experience. I was part of the same lab group
that organized the Sloan Meeting on Microbiology of the Built Environment (MoBE) in Boulder, CO.
I am currently affiliated with the Groffman and Cheng research groups at the Advanced Science
Research Center, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College City University of New York
(CUNY). We work along with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection www.nyc.
gov/dep monitoring select green infrastructure sites, mainly for storm water capturing efficiency.
Sampling from outdoor and indoor garden sites in the urban habitats of NYC provide an ideal
opportunity to develop research that will address fundamental questions on carbon and nitrogen
cycles, microbial communities and contaminant fate and transport. My research direction will serve
to integrate the research interests of the three investigators in the areas of contaminants, microbial
community diversity and bio-geochemical process rates. The proposed research would provide the
first integrated assessment of contaminants, communities and process rates in green infrastructure
sites across New York City. I have additional experience working for a non-profit called The Samuel
Roberts Noble Foundation Inc., www.noble.org Oklahoma where I contributed to Phytobiome research
harnessing the potential of bacterial endophytes in soils from the Southern Great Plains. Also, I am a
current member of the MetaSUB International Consortium www.metasub.org and leading efforts to
sample microbes from the metro trains in the city of Hyderabad, India.
Stephanie Richards, Payload Research Scientist, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Stephanie Richards is a Payload Research Scientist at the NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida. She
provides Project Management and subject matter expertise for manifested life science spaceflight
experiments destined for the International Space Station. Stephanie received her graduate degree
at Florida Institute of Technology and her undergraduate degree at Florida Atlantic University. She
has a Certificate in Advanced Project Management from Stanford University and will graduate with
an MBA from University of Florida in 2018. Her research interest is in host-pathogen interactions
and using systems biology approaches to elucidate transcriptional signatures that modulate cellular
and humoral responses during infection. She is well-versed in the areas of molecular biology,
microbiology, genomics, transcriptomics and bioinformatics. Stephanie is also a member of the
NASA GeneLab Science Working Group and National Association of Women MBAs chapter at UF.
Additionally, she volunteers mentoring middle and high school students.
Yun Shen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, University of Michigan
Yun is a postdoc research fellow in University of Michigan. She is working with Professor Lutgarde
Raskin on abundance of drinking water pathogen in Flint. As a Sloan MoBE postdoc fellow, she will
also work with both Professors Lutgarde Raskin and Linsey Marr on aerosolization of opportunistic
drinking water pathogens in built environment. Yun received her PhD degree from University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in August 2016. Her PhD study focused on Legionella pneumophila
transmission in drinking water distribution systems, which was co-advised by Professors Thanh
Nguyen and Wen-tso Liu.
Arron Shiffer, PhD Student in The Caporaso Lab, The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute,
Northern Arizona University
Arron Shiffer is a PhD student working under the direction of Dr. Greg Caporaso at The Pathogen
and Microbiome Institute at Northern Arizona University. In the Caporaso Lab, we support and
develop Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) and scikit-bio. We are involved in
many microbiome studies from the human gut to the built environment. We are currently involved
in a study looking at how physical activity affects the human gut microbiome called The Exercise
Microbiome Project and a study assessing the bacterial and fungal growth effects of wetting drywall
under different conditions. Arron has been in The Caporaso lab for three years now. Prior to that he
worked for Teach For America as an Earth and Space and Astronomy teacher. Arron has an M.S. in
Physics from University of California Riverside. He has B.S. in Physics, a B.S. in Astronomy and a B.A.
in Philosophy all from Northern Arizona University.
Raghu Srinivasan, Assistant Researcher and Lecturer, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Raghu Srinivasan got his Masters (2005) and PhD (2010) in mechanical engineering from University
of Hawaii at Manoa specializing in corrosion. He has won graduate book scholarship from NACE
international and best poster awards in NACE 2006 and Army Corrosion Summit 2008 conferences.
Since his PhD he is been employed as an assistant researcher at the Hawaii Corrosion Lab, University
of Hawaii at Manoa. His research interests are atmospheric corrosion, microbiological induced
corrosion, and materials compatibility.
Connie Tzou, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Washington
Connie Tzou became fascinated with the intersection between public health and microbes following
a high school internship in waterborne pathogens. Her interest quickly expanded to include the built
environment when she joined a research project looking at mold growth in urban houses of lowincome asthmatic children in Cleveland, OH. After the completion of that study, Connie has dedicated
herself to studying microbes in the home. Currently, Connie is working on completing her doctoral
dissertation by looking at non-tuberculous mycobacteria growth in point-of-use sources in the homes
of pulmonary disease patients and their healthy controls. In her free time, she also volunteers with
the American Lung Association as a Master Home Environmentalist by conducting home health
assessments in the Seattle-area. In the future, Connie hopes to connect the progress made in
research about microbes in the built environment to applied practices. Connie earned her Bachelors
and Master of Public Health from Case Western Reserve University and is currently pursuing her PhD
in Environmental Health (Environmental and Occupational Hygiene) at the University of Washington’s
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences.
Christine Uebel-Niemeier, University of Cincinnati
Helen Wasielewski, Postdoctoral Scholar, Arizona State University
I am an anthropologist, postdoc at Arizona State University, and co-director of the ASU Microbiome &
Behavior Project. Currently, I am running experimental lab studies on eating behavior in relationship
to the gut and oral microbiome. My broader interests are in human cultural and social behavior
as transmission modes for microbes – both pathogenic and commensal. Loss of access to green
space and domesticated animals affect the assembly of the microbiota during development, and
are therefore implicated in the development of population-level differences in health outcomes.
On the human behavior side, I am interested in understanding how we acquire beneficial microbes
during social contact. We have some understanding of selective pressures on humans to avoid
exposure to pathogens, through mechanisms such as disgust (leading to avoidance). Yet, we know
little about the selective pressures that have may have shaped behavior or cultural practices with
the function of incorporating necessary commensal species into our bodies. These questions are
important for understanding major evolutionary transitions, and to understanding the health impacts
of demographic shifts in current human populations.
Jennifer Western, Laboratory Manager, Saint Louis County Department of Public Health
Jennifer Western received her Bachelors of Science in Chemistry at University of Missouri-Saint Louis.
She started her laboratory career at a filtration company performing physical testing on filter media
and gravimetric testing on coolant samples. In 2001, Jennifer began working at Saint Louis County
Department of Public Health as a Chemist in the Environmental Analysis Laboratory and then in the
Environmental Radiochemistry Laboratory. Jennifer was promoted to Laboratory Supervisor and on to
Environmental Health Laboratory Manager. The scope of Environmental Health Laboratory’s testing
includes environmental lead, indoor and outdoor aeroallergens, radionuclides in drinking water, and
microbiology in water and milk. Jennifer is responsible for the operation of four laboratory sections,
assures accuracy and quality of analytical results, and oversees compliance with six laboratory
accreditations. Jennifer is a member of the American Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and The
National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference Institute (TNI).
TRAVEL GRANTEE POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster #1
Effect of Early Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution on the Bacterial and Fungal
Respiratory Microbiome
Authors: Christine Uebel-Niemeier1, Atin Adhikari2, Patrick Ryan3, Tiina Reponen1
Center for Health-Related Aerosol Studies, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, Ohio
2
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern
University, Statesboro, Georgia
3
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
1
Exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) has been associated with the exacerbation of
existing asthma and the incident asthma of young and adolescent children. Particulate matter found
in TRAP has the potential to cause damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the respiratory
tract. Damage to the respiratory epithelial tissue has been demonstrated to affect the adherence
of bacteria to the lungs. Therefore, exposure to TRAP may affect the microflora that persist in the
respiratory tract, playing a role in the development of asthma. This investigation hypothesizes that
exposure to traffic-related air pollution early in life significantly alters the diversity of microorganisms
in the lower respiratory tract in children and this effect persists to early adolescence. Forty children,
ages 12-16, will be recruited from the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution study, a birth
cohort with well-characterized exposure and health history, and then divided into two groups, high
and low exposure, based on a priori TRAP exposure data. Sputum samples will be collected and
used to characterize the bacterial and fungal microbiome of the lower respiratory tract. Both Illumina
MiSeq and qPCR will be utilized. Environmental samples from the homes of the children will also be
collected for comparison.
Poster #2
How to prevent manmade chemicals from adversely affecting the microbial world
Author: Erica Marie Hartmann
The world–as microbes perceive it–is composed of physical and chemical stimuli. These
stimuli create conditions that result in life or death for microbes, affecting their survival within
communities and changing the behaviors or phenotypes of surviving community members. Humans
have manipulated the microbial landscape through chemistry, affecting the survival and behavior
of the microbes in and around us. For example by producing bioactive chemicals such as antibiotic
drugs and antimicrobial additives, we have induced changes in the structures and functions of
microbial communities in the human body as well as in the environment by favoring the proliferation
of certain microbes over others and selecting for traits like antibiotic resistance.
Because it is an engineered system, the built environment presents unique opportunities
to control microbial outcomes. To limit adverse effects and promote the presence of beneficial
microbes, my work 1) identifies microbes in the built environment relative to the chemical stimuli
they encounter, 2) characterizes microbial phenotypes that may result from chemical stimuli, and 3)
explores alternative design strategies and materials choices that could protect human health both
directly and through the intermediary of the built environment microbiome.
The consequences of synthetic chemicals are widespread, and as they move from production
to human use to the environment, they are having lasting and unanticipated impacts. By critically
evaluating the chemical products we use in the built environment, we can lessen the global burden
of chemical pollution while effectively controlling the microbial communities we encounter every day.
Poster #3
Relationship between human and environmental microbiome in how environmental
microbiome colonizes human microbiome
Author: Sepideh Pakpour
Several past studies have investigated how complex indoor microbiome is shaped; however,
the degree to which the built environment microbiome colonizes the human microbiome is not clear
to date and little is known at the detailed molecular level on the dynamics of ‘human microbiome’
and ‘human metabolome’ while the indoor microbiome and indoor environmental quality (IEQ)
indicators vary. In this case study, we will take advantage of a natural experiment by accessing a
new office space in a high-rise in New York City before during and after occupants move into the
space. Further, the architectural firm that has designed this space is committed to biophilic design
such that the office space has three distinct, outdoor patios with differing flora, where we expect will
differentially influence the microbial community in the office as the seasons change. We propose
to simultaneously monitor changes in environmental and human microbiome over time, after the
occupancy of the new indoor space and after the introduction of green space, in order to understand
the timing of critical changes in microbial colonization and the interactions between environmental
and human microbes. We will also measure indoor environmental quality profiles and survey the
occupants to explore the association of both chemical and microbial exposure with occupant health
and mental conditions. Results of this case study are expected advance our understanding of the
urban built environment and biophilic design on the human and environmental microbiome and
would be the basis for a larger follow-up studies.
Poster #4
New Construction Energy Efficiency Programs in the United States - Lessons Learned
from Two Quality Management Programs
Author: Jonathan Coulter
The objective of this paper is to compare two high performance [1] new construction quality
management programs, ENERGY STAR and Guaranteed Performance homes co-located in Phoenix,
Arizona, USA, and determine if homes in these two groups could be distinguished from each other
in terms of actual summer/cooling energy usage or homeowner satisfaction related to the HVAC
systems compared to Baseline homes. The summer/cooling energy use study surveyed 7,141
houses, of which 3,336 were Baseline homes, 2,979 were ENERGY STAR homes and 826 were
Guaranteed Performance homes. The onsite verification process to confirm compliance to both
of these above code programs was completed by the same qualified certified expert, a nationally
recognized HERS Rater. Statistically valid energy data shows that ENERGY STAR homes saved, on
average, 16% in summer/cooling energy use (kWh/m²) as compared to the typical Baseline homes.
The Guaranteed Performance homes saved, on average, 33% in summer/cooling energy use over the
Baseline homes and saved 20% compared to ENERGY STAR homes. During the spring and summer
of 2005, the homeowner satisfaction study was administered to 708 houses from the same 7,141
house sample set. This second study found that 49% of the Guaranteed Performance homeowners
said they were completely satisfied with their home’s “ability to keep them comfortable year round”
compared to 35% of ENERGY STAR homeowners and only 27% of Baseline homeowners. In fact,
this survey found that Guaranteed Performance homeowners were more satisfied with every aspect
of their home’s HVAC performance ― year round comfort, the freshness of air inside of the house,
evenness of temperatures from room to room, reliability and cooling cost compared to Baseline and
ENERGY STAR houses [2]. Combining the results from these two studies shows that the enhanced
quality management approach used by the Guaranteed Performance homes program consumes
less energy than comparable ENERGY STAR or code-built homes while simultaneously improving
homeowner satisfaction.
Poster #5
The Role of Biofilms in Legionella pneumophila Transmission in Drinking Water
Distribution Systems
Author: Yun Shen
Legionella pneumophila, causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, is the most commonly
reported pathogen in drinking water leading to disease outbreaks in United States. Biofilms
in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) or premise plumbing systems could facilitate
transmission of the pathogenic L. pneumophila, thus raise human health concerns. L. pneumophila
cells can accumulate in biofilms, be protected from disinfection by biofilms, and then be released
from biofilms under drinking water flow. Biofilm properties (e.g., physical structure and mechanical
stiffness) play an important role during this L. pneumophila transmission process. However, how the
biofilm properties control the L. pneumophila transmission and what factors in DWDS determine
biofilm properties is still unclear. Therefore, this research aimed to 1) identify the key factors
controlling biofilm-associated L. pneumophila accumulation, persistence, and release; and 2)
investigate how the biofilm structural, mechanical, and chemical properties vary in response to a
complex DWDS environment.
First, this study discussed the effect of biofilm roughness on L. pneumophila adhesion to
and release from simulated drinking water biofilms. The biofilm roughness was proved to enhance
the adhesion of L. pneumophila to biofilms and prevent the release of L. pneumophila from
biofilms. Next, the effect of disinfectant exposure, as an important parameter of drinking water
quality, on biofilm structure and stiffness as well as the corresponding L. pneumophila release and
inactivation was identified. The biofilms were found to be stiffened after long-term disinfection.
Those stiffened biofilms provided less protection for the biofilm-associated L. pneumophila against
disinfectant exposure. Lastly, the role of drinking water scaling control (e.g., hardness reduction and
scale inhibitor application) on the chemical composition, structure, and stiffness of biofilms was
investigated. Applying the scale control to water source diminished calcium carbonate precipitation
inside biofilms and reduced biofilm stiffness, thus may increase the risk of biofilm-associated
pathogen release.
This research comprehensively investigated the accumulation, disinfection, and release of
L. pneumophila associated with biofilms under the continuous drinking water flow and disinfectant
exposure conditions, which best mimicked the L. pneumophila transmission in DWDS in practice.
The results of this study highlighted the relation between biofilms, pathogens, and drinking water,
thus shed light on on risk assessment and pathogen control in DWDS.
Poster #6
Preliminary Exploration of Absolute Bacterial and Fungal Load in Response to Drywall
Wetting
Authors: Arron Shiffer1, Babak Khamsehi2, Phil Fan2, Jill Hager Cocking1, Talima Pearson1, J. Gregory
Caporaso1, Jeffrey Siegel2
1
Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences, 2University of Toronto, Department
of Civil Engineering
For as long as there have been buildings, there have likely been dampness and moisture
problems, and associated microbiological activity in indoor environments. The prevalence and
severity of moisture problems are increasing in many parts of the world, and many modern
building materials and building designs are more prone to moisture problems than traditional
building materials and building designs. In addition to the societal, economic, environmental,
and health-related consequences of moisture problems, there are key gaps in our understanding
of the mechanistic details of moisture and microbiological growth indoors that limit our ability
to understand the indoor microbiome, design better buildings, and explore the associations
between dampness and health. In combination, the answers to these questions provide a nuanced
understanding of the association between wetting and microbiology in common and complex
building materials and building assemblies. The overall goals of this project are to provide both
methodological insight (i.e., exploring different approaches for analyzing microbial samples to
characterize microbial communities and for measuring moisture and humidity under wetting
conditions) and phenomenological insight (i.e., assessing the relationship between moisture/other
building science parameters and the composition, dynamics and succession of fungal and bacterial
communities).
Our study is focused on the wetting and subsequent environmental and microbiological
monitoring of drywall samples. Seven moisture sensors were utilized to systematically compare
different measurement approaches and to understand the dynamics of moisture transport. We
applied these sensors to generate micro-environmental data at the surface of drywall samples,
including RH, ERH, and moisture content. This will allow us to establish which sensor(s) and
measurement(s) are most predictive of microbial growth. The experiment uses four different types
of drywall (painted drywall, unpainted drywall, moisture resistant drywall, and high porosity drywall),
which undergo different wetting regimes, which we refer to as “typical” (10 mL of water added one
time), “fully covered” (20 mL of water added one time), and “repetitive” (10 mL of water added
every 3-4 days). We additionally vary the water source to include DNA free water, tap water, and
rain. Drywall under each of these conditions was sampled under different indoor climatic conditions
“summer” (RH 55%) and “winter” (RH 35%) and at different time points including prior to wetting
(time 0) and from 1 to 28 days post-wetting.
We next assessed bacterial and fungal load (number of cells) under each of these different
conditions. The samples were obtained using Teflon strips and a specifically designed microbiome
sampler that applies constant force and wipe displacement, independent of the user performing the
sampling. This ensures that equivalent effort is always applied in sampling the microbial diversity on
our drywall samples, which is essential for quantification of microbial load. The Teflon strips then had
bacterial and fungal DNA extracted and quantified using the BactQuant and FungiQuant quantitative
PCR (qPCR) techniques. We have now applied these two processes to 42 samples in three rounds
of qPCR to develop the methodology. These preliminary experiments suggest that bacterial load is
higher than fungal load, which is likely due to the fact that bacterial growth is generally faster than
fungal growth, however biomass is very low in both cases. Our data suggests that water amount
does not change bacterial biomass much, while it does influence fungal biomass more. However,
for repeated samples under the exact same conditions we do observe considerable amounts of
variation in qPCR results (relative to samples which have experienced different conditions), and we
are currently exploring the source of this variation.
Due to the small number of samples in our preliminary microbial analyses, conclusions
from our current data and plots about the effects of time-period of wetting, the type of wetting, type
of water, season, and drywall type are inconclusive. We next plan to focus on samples where we
expect to obtain more biomass, specifically those that have been more wet for longer periods of
times. To obtain more samples under these conditions, we will likely focus only on tap water, and
on our “repetitive” wetting regime. When sufficient biomass is obtained, we will additionally apply
microbiome sequencing to profile the composition of the fungal and bacterial communities on our
drywall surfaces.
Poster #7
BioBE: Developing a Framework for Bioinformed Design
Author: Gwynne Mhuireach
The Biology and Built Environment Center at the University of Oregon is a consortium of scientists
and designers working together to identify factors influencing microbial assemblage and dynamics
in the built environment. We seek ways to apply our findings in the creation of healthier and more
sustainable buildings and cities. Since 2010 we have completed interdisciplinary research resulting
in publications spanning biology, architecture, and environmental science. In this poster we highlight
major findings and discuss their practical implications for real-world design.
Poster #8
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria colonization and its relationship to human disease
Author: Connie Tzou
There is a rising public health need to understand the role the built environment plays in exposure
to pathogens. Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), which include Mycobacterium avium complex
(MAC), are opportunistic human pathogens found in water and soil environments, including natural
water and premise plumbing of buildings. Point-of-use water sources in the home are a potential
source for these environmentally acquired pathogens. MAC is included on the US EPA’s Candidate
Contaminant list and is in need of further study. Infection with MAC or other non-tuberculous
mycobacteria (NTM), can result in opportunistic infections and pulmonary disease. MAC pulmonary
disease (MAC-PD) is a concern since its prevalence is on the rise. We conducted a case-control
study involving Washington and Oregon residents who have been diagnosed MAC-PD and age- and
geography-matched healthy controls. Cases and controls were interviewed and environmental
samples were collected from multiple point-of-use sites in their homes, specifically, bathroom
faucets, kitchen faucets, shower aerosols, indoor soil, and outdoor soil. MAC and other NTM in
the samples were quantified using culture-based methods followed by PCR. In an initial analysis
of the results, mean numbers of NTM isolates isolated from samples from all case homes (N =
70) and from all control homes (N = 61) were compared. For all household sites except kitchen
faucets, greater numbers of NTM isolates were observed in case homes than in control homes. This
difference was significant (p = 0.046) for bathroom faucets, and nearly significant (p = 0.054) for
shower aerosol. To our knowledge this is the first case-control evidence of a correlation between NTM
colonization of homes and human disease.
Poster #9
Establishment of MVM-CoRE to analyze the intersection between microbiome of the built
environment and mental health
Author: LtCol Andrew J. Hoisington
The establishment of the Military and Veteran Microbiome Consortium for Research &
Education (MVM-CoRE) in the past one and a half years has led to an increase awareness of the
potential links between the microbiome of the built environment and mental health. MVM-CoRE is a
multidisciplinary research team that aims to conduct microbiome research for the benefit of military,
Veterans, and their families. Founding members of the MVM-CoRE include Dr. Lisa A. Brenner
(Director, Veteran Affairs Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center &
Professor, University of Colorado Denver), Dr. Christopher A. Lowry (Associate Professor, Department
of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder), Dr. Teodor T.
Postolache (Professor of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine), and Dr. Andrew J.
Hoisington (Assistant Professor of Environment Engineering, United States Air Force Academy). Since
the inception of the program, this group has been awarded projects to conduct longitudinal studies
of the microbiomes of the built environment cadet occupants, biofingerprinting, the use of probiotics
to increase stress resilience in Veterans with co-occurring mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the Veteran microbiome.
The largest study to date is a longitudinal study of the microbiomes of the built environment
and cadet occupants at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). In addition to the MVM-CoRE
team, this study includes Dr. Jack Gilbert (Professor in Ecology & Evolution and Surgery, University
of Chicago), Dr. Kerry Kinney (Professor in Environment Engineering, University of Texas Austin), and
Dr. Katherine Bates (Assistant Professor in Biology, United States Air Force Academy. The major
objective of this study is to quantify the impact of lifestyle homogenization on the dynamic microbial
exchange between people and the BE. A secondary aim of this study is to investigate the influence
of stress on the human and built environment microbiome. Diverse ethnic, dietary, geographical,
and socioeconomic backgrounds are confounding variables in microbiome of the built environment
studies. This study uses United States Air Force cadets to minimize these confounding factors and
provide better resolution on the method by which the building and microbiome changes due to
human contact and interactions. By comparing four major cohabitation locations (four squadrons),
we will determine the degree to which occupant location and interaction influences microbial
diversity and function in the BE. In this study, we have over 40 cadets in their third year at school that just returned from
summer break. We sampled the first five weeks of school, twice per week. Microbiome sampling
included the outdoor environment, built environment, and skin and and gut of occupants. We are
also measuring salivary cortisol as a biomarker of stress and we are using multiple surveys, all
attempting to better understand stress levels in the cadets. We will sample again for two weeks at
the end of the semester (a period of high stress) and after the cadets return from winter break. This
study also funded the first ever Department of Defense (DoD) microbiome symposium, to be held
at USAFA in April 2017. At that symposium we will gather microbiome experts from academia and
the DoD to discuss the needs and future directions for microbiome research to benefit our military,
Veterans, and their families.
Another funded study involves small scale sampling of faculty members and families
aimed at characterizing the biofingerprint that individuals leave behind and the relationship of the
biofingerprint microbial communities with the microbiomes of family members. The goal of this
research is to determine the imprint of the human bacterial microbiome on common surfaces in
an office and home environments. We will develop a predictive model linking the microbes of a
surface and human inhabitants for the purpose of determining who is the predominate individual in
a specific built environment. This study involved 35 participants and included both human and built
environment microbiome sampling in the office and at home. Biofingerprinting could be beneficial for
military commanders in determining who might have been in an occupied space and how long it has
been since they were last there. A third funded study that is currently in progress is the use of an immunoregulatory probiotic
to increase stress resilience in Veterans suffering from co-occurring mild TBI and PTSD. Exaggerated
inflammation in the body and brain is thought to play a role in the vulnerability to and aggravation
and perpetuation of adverse consequences among those with co-occurring mild TBI (mTBI) and
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). By looking at the impact of probiotic supplementation on
biological signatures of increased inflammation, as reflected by the gut microbiota, gut permeability,
and biomarkers of peripheral inflammation, this study may lead to the identification of a novel
intervention for the treatment of symptoms associated with these frequently co-occurring conditions. Dr. Lowry’s group has demonstrated long-lasting increases in stress resilience following immunization
with immunoregulatory bacteria in a mouse model of PTSD and this pilot study of forty Veterans will
determine if we see the same phenomenon in humans. Finally, we have begun sampling Veteran oral, skin, and gut microbiomes. This study
collects mental health data from individuals just prior to their sampling. The study design is based
in part off the human microbiome project but with fewer sites and a detailed medical history for
the participants. We anticipate these results will provide a baseline for microbiome of Veterans,
especially in relation to mental health disorders. We expect to sample at least 500 Veterans in this
effort.
Overall, we are excited about the possibility for collaborative research across disciplines. We
believe bringing together a diverse team of researchers will be key to unlocking future discoveries
that will greatly increase knowledge in the field and benefit individuals. Our team has written several
articles on the connections between the microbiome and mental health and the research projects
described above will contribute to our knowledge of the relationship between the microbiome of the
built environment and mental health.