The Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research (ZIWR) is one of three research institutes constituting the
Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research
The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) constitute one of the academic faculties of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), and are located on BGU's Sede Boqer Campus in Midreshet Ben-Gurion in the heart of the Negev Desert i ...
, a faculty of
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...
(BGU). The ZIWR is located on BGU's Sede Boqer Campus in
Midreshet Ben-Gurion
Midreshet Ben-Gurion ( he, מִדְרֶשֶׁת בֶּן גּוּרְיוֹן), also known as Midreshet Sde Boker, is an educational center and boarding school in southern Israel. Located in the Negev next to kibbutz Sde Boker, it falls under the ...
in
Israel's Negev Desert
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
, and hosts researchers who focus on developing new technologies to provide drinking water and water for agricultural and industrial use and to promote the sustainable use of water resources. The ZIWR encompasses two departments: 1. the Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology, and 2. the Department of Desalination and Water Treatment.
History
The Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research was founded in 2002 and was named for Roy J. Zuckerberg, Senior Director of the Goldman Sachs Group and a philanthropist, based in New York City. The ZIWR is one of three institutes currently constituting the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, which were originally established in 1974. In 2016, the estate of Dr. Howard and Lottie Marcus made a donation of $400 million dollars to Ben-Gurion University, believed to be the largest gift ever to a university in Israel, with a portion of it going to the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research for research into water resources and desalination technologies.
Academics
The Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research hosts two departments: 1. the Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology, and 2. the Department of Desalination and Water Treatment. The ZIWR also offers an MSc degree in Hydrology and Water Quality, through the framework of the
Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies
The Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies (AKIS) is an international graduate school situated within the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, which is part of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. It is located in Midreshet ...
also located at BGU's Sede Boqer Campus.
The Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology
The Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology hosts researchers who specialize in hydrology, hydrogeology, chemistry, and microbiology. Some of their particular research areas include flow and transport processes, remediation of contaminated water, and biological treatment of wastewater.
The Department of Desalination and Water Treatment
The Department of Desalination and Water Treatment employs researchers who focus on various aspects of desalination and water treatment processes including the improvement and development of membranes for reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, and nanofiltration processes; processes to eliminate toxic materials from industrial effluents and polluted groundwater; and brine concentrate management.
MSc in Hydrology and Water Quality
This master's degree program, offered through the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, aims to introduce students to research in water sciences with the goal of improving human life in drylands and the development of policies for the sustainable use of water resources. The program offers the following tracks of study: 1. Water Resources, 2. Desalination and Water Treatment, and 3. Microbiology and Water Quality.
Research
Researchers from the ZIWR have recently been involved in studies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first, a study that was led by a team of researchers from the ZIWR and published in ''
Nature Sustainability
''Nature Sustainability'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio. It was established in 2018. The editor-in-chief is Monica Contestabile.
Abstracting and indexing
The journal is abstracted and indexed in:
...
'' found that coronaviruses can persist in wastewater for several days, possibly leading to the spread of these viruses to humans. In another study, ZIWR researchers, in cooperation with scientists from
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, developed a laser-induced graphene technology that can filter airborne COVID-19 particles.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Research institutes in Israel
Water desalination
Hydrology organizations
Water treatment
Research institutes established in 2002