Heather N. Bischel

I was excited this week to connect with so many talented students, faculty and researchers in the region working in the WASH sector when I presented, “Identifying and mitigating microbial health risks in the production of urine-derived fertilizers.”

On April 5, the Bay Area WASH Symposium 2017 symposium brought together researchers working on water, health, and sanitation (WASH) from UC Berkeley, Stanford, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and other Bay Area institutions. My student, Dani Perguero also attended the event and was pleased to learn about career opportunities in WASH.

Inspired by the symposium organizers to make a creative contribution in addition to presenting results, I wrote the following poem.

Myths and Mechanisms
by Heather N. Bischel

“Urine is sterile,”
You might hear them say.
But they’re behind on the research,
That I’m presenting today.

Liquid gold profits:
Opportunities oft missed.
Recover and use it,
But treat bugs in the piss.

I’m excited to share this news!
“UC Davis has been designated the greenest university in the world. The annual “GreenMetric” ranking by the University of Indonesia reaffirms our standing as a global leader in environmental sustainability. The credit goes to all our students, faculty and staff so dedicated to the cause. Congratulations!” -Ralph J. Hexter, Interim Chancellor

Now let’s do more: Given the enthusiasm and success around environmental sustainability on campus, I know we can go even further. How about a challenge to recover nutrients from 50% of the urine on campus by 2025?!

From my current home in Morges, Switzerland, I visited the UC Davis campus with my family from November 28 to December 2, 2016. The cool weather and beautiful autumn colors made for a lovely visit (even if many students were stressing in prep for finals week!).

While on campus, I discussed plans for teaching next year, visited the labs, met with some prospective students and checked out options for housing. We’re excited for our move and starting in April!

Dr. Bischel attended the University of Michigan’s School of Engineering NextProf Workshop in Ann Arbor in September. An amazing and enthusiastic program of speakers inspired lively discussion and networking. Thanks to the Department of Chemical Engineering at UM for sponsoring participation.

This workshop is great for advanced PhD students or Postdocs considering an academic career – check it out!

Workshop Overview

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