Understanding Microbial Agents and Exposures through the Collection and Production of Urine- Derived Fertilizers
by
Heather E. Goetsch
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Environmental Engineering) in The University of Michigan 2018
Doctoral Committee:
Professor Nancy G. Love, Co-Chair Professor Krista R. Wigginton, Co-Chair Professor Joseph Eisenberg Professor Michael J. Imperiale
Heather E. Goetsch
ORCID iD 0000-0002-9737-5292
© Heather E. Goetsch 2018
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by numerous funding sources including: the USEPA grant
RD-83556701-1 (under WERF STAR_N1R14), the INFEWS T3 grant number 1632974, NIH
R01 AI060584, the University of Michigan Researching Fresh Solutions to the
Energy/Water/Food Challenge in Resource Constrained Environments grant (REFRESCH), and the University of Michigan Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship.
The work presented here represents several years of my life exploring an area of research that I am deeply passionate about and that I hope to continue throughout my career. There are many people who need to be acknowledged for their help and support throughout this process. I first want to thank my advisors Dr. Nancy Love and Dr. Krista Wigginton. I am so grateful to them for believing in me and providing this opportunity of personal growth and scientific exploration. They both have guided me to become a better researcher, listened to and propelled my passions, and serve as excellent role models for my career. I would also like to extend gratitude to my committee members Dr. Michael Imperiale and Dr. Joe Eisenberg for their thoughtful discussions and input. I also appreciate Dr. Imperiale’s graciousness in welcoming me into his tissue culture laboratory and his postdoctoral researcher Dr. Linbo Zhao for teaching me the polyomavirus tissue culture assay.
Being a part of the “urine project” at Michigan has given me the unique opportunity to work with several collaborators in unique settings. Working with the Rich Earth Institute and with the University at Buffalo has been enriching to learn about the multifaceted approach
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required for research problems. I’m also grateful for the postdoctoral researchers, Dr. Rebecca
Lahr and Dr. William Tarpeh, who have bookended my graduate career with their guidance, support, and positive attitudes. I am also grateful for the hard working and inspiring undergraduate and Masters students that have been a part of this project: Lauren Estes, Ishi
Keenum, Mariah Gnegy, Saloni Dagli, Dylan Raye-Leonard, Alexi Sinanaj, Nicholas Lowe,
Audrey Pallmeyer, and Enrique Rodriguez. This amazing team of individuals has made working on this project a complete joy.
I would also like to thank the Love and Wigginton research groups and the rest of the
Environmental Biotechnology laboratory for their support, laughter, discussions, friendship, and community. In particular, I would like to thank Nadine Kotlarz, Jeseth Delgado Vela, Chia-Chen
Wu, Andrea McFarland, Caroline Van Steendam, Yinyin Ye, Zhong Zhou, Sara Troutman,
Nicole Rockey, Emily Crossette, Raghav Reddy, and Lauren Stadler. I’m also thank for the Civil and Environmental Engineering staff, including the technical team Tom Yavaraski, Nivea
Vydiswaran, and Rick Burch for their assistance with analytical equipment, lab construction, and other lab issues. I would also like to thank the administrative staff for their assistance, including
Jessica Taylor, Stephanie Ford, Tabitha Rohn, Sherry Brueger, Arianne Smith, Stacey Stites, and
Amy Shepherd. I’m also thankful to Facilities Director of the College of Engineering John
Keedy for facilitating the construction of the urine-diverting toilet in the Civil and
Environmental Engineering building.
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