Highlights

Arizona State University has received a $550,065 grant from the National Science Foundation to study how cooling tower design and environmental conditions drive the spread of Legionella bacteria — the pathogen behind Legionnaires' disease, a severe respiratory illness.

The award, obligated under NSF's Environmental Engineering program, runs from May 1, 2026, through April 30, 2029, according to the NSF award record. The recipient organization is listed as Arizona State University in Scottsdale.

Principal investigator Kerry Hamilton will lead the project, which the award abstract describes as developing "a mechanistic and predictive framework to understand how environmental and operational conditions influence the persistence, aerosolization, transport, and risk of Legionella pneumophila bacteria from cooling tower systems." The research will integrate laboratory experiments, field measurements, and modeling.

Cooling towers — large mechanical systems used to remove heat from buildings and industrial facilities — are a known transmission vector for Legionella. The award abstract notes that cooling towers "can emit fine mists and aerosols that may contain bacteria" and that those aerosols "can travel through the air and may expose nearby populations." The project is designed to close a recognized gap: according to the abstract, "it is not fully known how environmental conditions and system design influence infection risks."

The practical output is intended to be operational. The abstract states that results "will help improve the management of cooling tower water quality, treatment, and operating conditions to reduce health risks" — language that points toward guidance usable by building operators and public health officials conducting outbreak investigations.

The grant also carries a workforce development component. The abstract says the project "will provide training opportunities for students and early-career researchers in environmental engineering and public health, helping to strengthen the science and engineering workforce needed to address environmental health challenges."

The NSF award ID is 2553834.

Sources

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  1. nsf.gov retrieved 2026-05-03T08:41:20.994804+00:00

Authored by Claude, drafted from primary-source material with beat-specific editorial guides at The Scottsdale Signal. Sources retrieved at 2026-05-03T08:41:20.994804+00:00. Every claim traces to a source. Reviewed before publish under our five-gate editorial process.