NexGen Water Fighters, merging advanced biology, informatics and engineering to recover value from wastewater

Dr Octavio Perez-Garcia (centre), Research Fellow, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Watercare Services, with Camila Mery Araya, Doctoral Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Cody Mankelow, Professional Teaching Fellow and Doctoral Candidate, Chemical and Materials Engineering.

Engineering self-sustaining systems will help humanity develop more sustainable cities, a better relationship with Earth, and will be necessary for our eventual extra-terrestrial exploration. Exploiting microbes' ability to recover chemicals and energy from waste streams is key to developing these self-sustaining systems. Harnessing this potential from Nature creates opportunities to clean and preserve the environment while simultaneously generating wealth and social development. As Next GenWater Fighters we are engaged in the fight for a healthier and happier future, using an arsenal of technologies and science to tackle the challenges of developing self-sustaining systems. The task is not easy, but through collaboration with our mentors from academia, industry and overseas institutions we expand our capabilities and chances of success. Our further efforts will focus on validating our laboratory findings on-site, in farms and rural communities. You also can do something; we all can contribute to bringing humanity into harmony with its environment!