William Rhoads – The Conversation

Discolored water can be caused by heavy metals, such as iron or copper. Iron can also act as a nutrient for organisms to grow in the pipes. Kyungyeon Ra/Purdue University

April 21, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic might make buildings sick, too

Caitlin R. Proctor, Purdue University; Andrew J. Whelton, Purdue University, and William Rhoads, Virginia Tech

Office buildings have been left mostly empty for weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaving standing water in pipes where harmful organisms can grow. What happens when those buildings reopen?

Virginia Tech students process water samples from homes in Flint. Flint Water Study/Facebook

February 29, 2016

We helped uncover a public health crisis in Flint, but learned there are costs to doing good science

William Rhoads, Virginia Tech; Rebekah Martin, Virginia Tech, and Siddhartha Roy, Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech University engineering students blew the whistle on Flint, Michigan’s toxic drinking water. Hailed as heroes, they’ve also learned that it isn’t easy to do science for the public good.

Contact William for