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Water Quality Specialist/ Phone: 520-381-2258 Address: University of Arizona Email: channah@cals.arizona.edu updated 08/2012 |
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University, May 2007
Master of Science, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University, July 2005
Bachelor of Science in Microbiology,
Microbiology, New Mexico StateUniversity, May 2003
Research and Professional Experience
2007-current Water Quality Specialist, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona
2006-2007 Laboratory Technician/Post Doctoral Research, USDA Agricultural Research Service
2005-2007 Clinical Laboratory Specialist II, United Blood Services, Tempe, AZ
Dr. Channah Rock is a Water Quality Specialist/Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science. Dr. Rock also maintains a joint appointment as a University Extension faculty and is currently facilitating a Water Quality Extension Program on a statewide basis throughout Arizona. Currently, Dr. Rock is working on the evaluation of water quality for the protection of public health as well as promoting water reuse as a safe and practical resource for the Southwest. Additionally, Dr. Rock currently works with stakeholder engagement to facilitate awareness and drive water quality improvements in surface and irrigation waters of Arizona. She possesses a wide variety of experiences in traditional microbiology and practical experience in wastewater and Biosolids. She has been extensively involved in the detection of pathogens in water using molecular technologies and has experience relating to the evaluation of environmental water samples.
Honors and Awards
2011 Integrated Water Program Project of Excellence, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture
2011/2012 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Leadership Development Program, University of Arizona
2012 Achievement Award for Excellence in Extension Service Educational Programs, National Association of County Agricultural Agents
Publications/Creative Activity
Book Chapters
1. Rock, C.M. (2009) Pathogens in Water, pp.32-34 In: Arizona Well Owner’s Guide to Water Supply. (Editors: Uhlman, K. and J. Artiola) Arizona Cooperative Extension Publication.
Refereed Journal Articles:
1. Kuhn, R.C., C.M. Rock, and K.H. Oshima (2002) Occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Wild Ducks Along the Rio Grande River Valley in Southern New Mexico. Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 68: 161-165
2. Kuhn, R.C., C.M. Rock, and K.H. Oshima (2002) Effects of pH and Magnetic Material on Immunomagnetic Separation of Cryptosporidium Oocysts from Concentrated Water Samples Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 68: 2066-2070.
3. Morales-Morales, H.A., G. Vidal, J. Olszewski, C.M. Rock, D. Dasgupta, K.H. Oshima, and G.B. Smith (2003) Optimization of a Reusable Hollow-Fiber Ultra Filter for Simultaneous Concentration of Enteric Bacteria, Protozoa, and Viruses from Water Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 69: 4098-4102
4. McLain, J.E.T., H. Ryu, L. Kabiri-Badr, C.M. Rock, and M. Abbaszadegan (2009) Lack of Specificity for PCR Assays Targeting Human Bacteroides 16S rRNA Gene: Significant Cross-Amplification with Fish Feces. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 299: 38-43.
5. Rock, C.M., A. Alum, and M. Abbaszadegan (2010) PCR Inhibitor Levels in Concentrates of Biosolids Samples Predicted by a New Method Based on Excitation-Emission Matrix Spectroscopy. Appl. Envir. Microbiol., 76: 8102-8109.
6. McLain, J.E.T., C.M. Rock, K. Lohse, and J. Walworth (2011) False Positive Identification of E. coli in Treated Municipal Wastewater and Wastewater-Irrigated Soils. Can. J. Microbiol., 57: 775–784.
7. Rock, C.M., D. Gerrity, and F. Solop (2012) Survey of Public Perceptions Regarding Water Reuse in Arizona: Challenges and Opportunities. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology - AQUA IWA, in review.
8. Ajibode, O., C.M. Rock, I. Pepper, J. McLain, K. Bright, and C.P. Gerba (2012) Impact of Residence Time and Water Age on Microbial Growth and Re-Growth in Recycled Water Distribution Systems. Appl. Envir. Microbiol., in review.
9. Kabiri-Badr, L., J.E.T., McLain, C.M. Rock, A. Alum, and M. Abbaszadegan (2012) Isolation of Bacteroides from Fish and Human Fecal Samples for Identification of Unique Molecular Markers. Journal of Water and Health, in review.
10. Gold, A., P. Groffman, D. Parker, R. Waskom, J. Dobrowolski, M. O’Neill, and K. Addy (Contributing author - C.M. Rock) (2012) Advancing Water Resource Management in Agricultural, Rural, and Urbanizing Watersheds: Enhancing University Involvement. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Feature Editorial, in review.
Electronic Publications (peer-reviewed):
1. Uhlman, K., J. Artiola, and C.M. Rock (2009) Arizona Drinking Water Well Contaminants. Arizona Cooperative Extension, #AZ1503. http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1503.pdf
2. Van Devender, A., K. Uhlman, E. Glenn, and C.M. Rock (2010) Living on the Land; My Place on a Stream. Arizona Cooperative Extension, Electronic Publication. http://ag.arizona.edu/extension/riparian/
3. Sifuentes, L., C.P. Gerba, and C.M. Rock (2011) Playing Safe in Natural Waters: How to Protect Yourself from Naegleria fowleri When You Go Swimming. Arizona Cooperative Extension, #AZ1545. http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1545.pdf
4. Rivera, B., and C.M. Rock (2011) Microbial Source Tracking: Watershed Characterization and Source Identification. Arizona Cooperative Extension, #AZ1547. http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1547.pdf
5. Uhlman, K., S. Eden, C.M. Rock, E. Westfall, and T. Sprouse. (2012) Effluent Dependent Streams of Arizona. Arizona Cooperative Extension, #AZ1562. http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1562.pdf
6. Rock, C.M., J.E.T. McLain, C. Graf, C. Scott, and S. Megdal (2012) Arizona Blue Ribbon Panel on Water Sustainability. Arizona Cooperative Extension, #AZ1567. http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1567.pdf
7. Rock, C.M., J.E.T. McLain, and D. Gerrity (2012) Water Recycling FAQs. Arizona Cooperative Extension, #AZ1568. http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1568.pdf
8. Rock, C.M., J.E.T. McLain, and D. Gerrity (2012) Common Terminology of Water Recycling. Arizona Cooperative Extension, #AZ1569. http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1569.pdf
9. Artiola, J., G. Hicks, and C.M. Rock (2012) Water Storage Tank Disinfection, Testing, and Maintenance. Arizona Cooperative Extension, accepted.
Conference Proceedings:
1. Rock, C.M., K. Uhlman, S. Eden, F. Solop, S. Newell, and M. White (2009) Survey of Public Perceptions Regarding Water Reuse in AZ: Challenges and Opportunities. Arizona Hydrological Society Proceedings of the Annual Water Symposium, Scottsdale, Arizona; August 30- September 2, 2009.
2. Burnett, J.E., K. Uhlman, and C.M. Rock (2009) Best Management Practices (BMPs) Applicable for the Semi-arid Southwest: Evaluation and Recommendation. Arizona Hydrological Society Proceedings of the Annual Water Symposium, Scottsdale, Arizona; August 30- September 2, 2009.
3. McLain, J.E.T. and C.M. Rock (2009) Seasonal Variation in Accurate Identification of E. coli in Treated Municipal Effluent and Irrigated Soils. Paper 8-C2 in Proceedings of the 24th Annual WateReuse Symposium, Seattle, Washington; September 10-13, 2009.
4. Rock, C.M. and J.E.T. McLain (2009) Seasonal Reclaimed Water Quality: Assessment of Nutrient, Chemical, and Biological Variability. Paper 11-C2 in Proceedings of the 24th Annual WateReuse Symposium, Seattle, Washington; September 10-13, 2009.
5. Thomure, T., C.M. Rock, R. Rahman, K. Lansey, C. Choi, J.E.T. McLain, O. Ajibode, E. Lynn, and I. Pepper (2011) Approaches to Maintain Consistently High Quality Recycled Water in Storage and Distribution Systems. Paper 4-B2 in Proceedings of the 26th Annual WateReuse Symposium, Phoenix, Arizona; September 11-14, 2011.
6. Abbaszadegan, M., L. Kabiri-badr, A. Alum, C.M. Rock, and J.E.T. McLain (2011) The Use of Bacteroides-Specific Molecular Markers to Identify Sources of Fecal Contamination in Natural Waters. In Proceedings, AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference, Phoenix, Arizona; November 13-17, 2011.
7. McLain, J.E.T. and C.M. Rock (2012) Minimal Production of Algal Toxins in Reclaimed Wastewater Retention Ponds. WateReuse Association Proceedings of the 27th Annual WateReuse Symposium, Hollywood, Florida; September 9-12, 2012.
Videos:
1. Rock, C.M. (2012) University of Arizona Cooperative Extension - Water Quality Program, http://youtu.be/FmH2_4IsTis
Selected Grants Received and Pending
1. Co-Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Arizona Nonpoint Source Education for Municipal Officials (AZ NEMO) (K. Uhlman, C.M. Rock, S. Megdal, and P. Guertin) Funding Agency: Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Funding Amount: $380,000.00 Project Period: 07/01/2008 – 06/30/2010. Received
2. Co-Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Approaches to Maintain Consistently High Quality Recycled Water in Storage and Distribution Systems (Pepper, I., T. Thomure, K. Lansey, C. Choi, J.E.T. McLain, and C.M. Rock) Funding Agency: WateReuse Research Foundation Funding Amount: $654,995.00 Project Period: 03/01/2009 – 08/31/2011. Received
3. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Coca Cola 4-H20 Replenish Project Grant - Arizona 4-H. (Rock, C.M., K. Farrell-Poe, and S. Pater) Funding Agency: Coca-Cola Foundation Funding Amount: $30,000.00 Project Period: 03/01/2009 – 02/28/2010. Received
4. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Contaminant Fate and Transport in the Environment, Evaluation and Recommendations for the Safe Application of Reclaimed Water in the Southwest. (Rock, C.M. and L. Wu) Funding Agency: CSREES Region 9 Water Quality Funding Amount: $79,200.00 Project Period: 10/01/2009 – 09/30/2013. Received
5. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: The Effect of Prior Knowledge of Water Reuse on the Acceptance of ‘Planned’ Potable Reuse. (Rock, C.M., K. Farrell-Poe, S. Waters, and E. Martin) Funding Agency: USDA Region 9 Water Quality Program Funding Amount: $29,461.00 Project Period: 12/01/2011 – 09/30/2013. Received
6. Co-Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Arizona Nonpoint Source Education for Municipal Officials (AZ NEMO) (Guertin, P. and C.M. Rock) Funding Agency: Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Funding Amount: $334,183.00 Project Period: 07/01/2010 – 06/30/2013. Received
7. Co-Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Arizona Master Watershed Stewards Program (AZ MWS). (Guertin, P. and C.M. Rock) Funding Agency: Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Funding Amount: $210,588.00 Project Period: 07/01/2010 – 06/30/2013. Received
8. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Arizona Nonpoint Source Education for Municipal Officials (AZ NEMO) – Watershed Technical Support (Rock, C.M.) Funding Agency: Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Funding Amount: $59,482.00 Project Period: 07/01/2010 – 12/31/2012. Received
9. Advisor. Grant Title: Improving the Safety and Quality of Field Grown Organic Leafy Greens: Assessment of Good Agricultural/Production Practices Along the Farm to Fork Continuum (Ravishankar, S., D. Jaroni, K. Bright, J. Fonseca, K. Nolte, C. Gerba, J. Patel, and M. Friedman) Funding Agency: USDA-NIFA-OREI Funding Amount: $2,907,334.00 Project Period: 09/01/2010 – 08/31/2014. Received
10.Co-Principal Investigator. Grant Title: The Role of Biofilms as a Reservoir for Foodborne Pathogens in Irrigation Systems (Bright, K., S. Ravishankar, K. Nolte, L. Joens, B. Law, C.P. Gerba, and C.M. Rock) Funding Agency: National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (NIFSI) - USDA Funding Amount: $599,966.00 Project Period: 01/01/2012 – 06/30/2014. Received
11. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Assessment of Escherichia coli as an Indicator of Microbial Quality of Irrigation Water Use for Produce (Rock, C.M., J.E.T McLain, C.P. Gerba, K. Nolte, and K. Bright) Funding Agency: Center for Produce Safety Funding Amount: $89,823.00 Project Period: 01/01/2012 –12/31/2012. Received
12. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Does Increasing Solids Retention Time in the Wastewater Treatment Process Affect the Persistence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes? (Rock, C.M., J.E.T. McLain, L. Abrell, and D. Gerrity) Funding Agency: NSF-WET Center Funding Amount: $23,000.00 Project Period: 01/01/2012 –12/31/2013. Received
13. Collaborator. Grant Title: Demonstrating the Benefits of Engineered Direct Versus Unintended Indirect Potable Reuses Systems, WateReuse-11-05 (Boyd, G., M.E. Tuccillo, N. Hiremath, A.T. Salveson, G.W. Carpenter, G. Tchobanoglous, and C. M. Rock) Funding Agency: WateReuse Research Foundation Funding Amount: $50,000.00 Project Period: 07/01/2012 – 03/31/2013. Received
14. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Evaluating Septic Influence on Irrigation Canals (Rock, C.M., J.E.T McLain, and K. Nolte) Funding Agency: Arizona Department of Agriculture Funding Amount: $73,304.00 Project Period: 01/01/2012 – 12/31/2013. Received
15. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Does Increasing Solids Retention Time in the Wastewater Treatment Process Affect the Persistence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes? (Rock, C.M., J.E.T. McLain, L. Abrell, and D. Gerrity) Funding Agency: USGS Water Resources Research ACT, 104b Granting ProgramFunding Amount: $22,122.00Project Period: 01/01/2012 – 12/31/2013. Received
16. Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Guidelines for Irrigation Water Sample Collection (Rock, C.M., J.E.T McLain, C.P. Gerba, K. Nolte, and K. Bright) Funding Agency: Arizona Department of Agriculture Funding Amount: $50,758.00 Project Period: 10/01/2012 –09/30/2014. Received
17. Co-Principal Investigator. Grant Title: Dredging Influences on Canal Water Quality (McLain, J.E.T, C.M. Rock, C.P. Gerba, K. Nolte, and K. Bright) Funding Agency: Arizona Department of Agriculture Funding Amount: $79,560.00 Project Period: 01/01/2013 –12/31/2014. Received
18. Collaborator. Grant Title: Enhancing the Impact of Local Water Programs through Development of a National Landscape Education Network (Brantley, E., A. Shober, K. Dylewski, K. Farrell-Poe, C.M. Rock, and P. Monaghan) Funding Agency: USDA National Integrated Water Quality Program Funding Amount: $439,059.00 Project Period: 10/01/2012 – 09/30/2016. Pending
19. Co-PI. Grant Title: Utilization of Self-Sustaining Greenhouse Technology to Shrink Food Deserts in the Arid West (McLain, J.E.T., C.M. Rock, M. Kacira, L. Abrell, M. Walker, and M. Cowee) Funding Agency: USDA National Integrated Water Quality Program Funding Amount: $399,996.00 Project Period: 06/01/2013 – 05/31/2017. Pending
20. Co-PI. Grant Title: Occurrence, Proliferation, and Persistence of Trace Antibiotics and Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance Genes during Wastewater Treatment (Rock, C.M., D. Gerrity, J.E.T. McLain, J. Batista and L. Abrell) Funding Agency: Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) Funding Amount: $150,000.00 Project Period: 10/01/2012 – 09/30/2014. Pending
21. Co-PI. Grant Title: Animal Intrusion Risks for Irrigated Agriculture (McLain, J.E.T., C.M. Rock, K. Nolte, and C.P. Gerba) Funding Agency: USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Funding Amount: $300,000.00 Project Period: 01/01/2013 – 12/31/2018. Pending
Synergistic Activities
At the international level: Support/supported international student exchange program through the University of Arizona International Program Office. Student interns from the Universidad Tabasco as well as Sao Paulo State University worked at the University of Arizona, Maricopa Agricultural Center for periods of eleven weeks to one year on projects related to water quality, non-point source pollution, and food safety (2008-2012).
At the U.S. national level: Member of Arizona Water Pollution Control Association (AWPCA), American Water Works Association (AWWA), American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and the WateReuse Association. Ad-hoc reviewer of manuscripts: Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology - AQUA IWA, Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, Pathogens, University of Arizona Water Resource Research Center, New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Reviewer of grant proposals: Center for Disease Control Graduate Program Grants.
Current Graduate Students
1. Berenise Rivera – Dissertation topic: "Characterization of Fecal Contamination Targeting 16S rRNA Bacteroides Molecular Markers and Communication to Arizona Stakeholders", Department of Soil Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona.
2. Stefan Walston – Thesis topic: "Does increasing Solids Retention Time in the Waste Water Treatment Process Affect the Persistence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes?", Department of Soil Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona.
3. Natalie Brassill – Thesis topic “Assessment of Escherichia coli as an Indicator of Microbial Quality of Irrigation Water Use for Produce”, Department of Soil Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona.
4. Todd McOmber – Thesis topic “Guidelines for Irrigation Water Sample Collection”, Department of Soil Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona.