Objectives: Military training centers and seagoing vessels are often environments at high risk for the spread of COVID-19 and other contagious diseases, because military trainees and personnel arrive after traveling from many parts of the country and live in congregate settings. We examined whether levels of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewater correlated with SARS-CoV-2 infections among military personnel living in communal barracks and vessels at US Coast Guard training centers in the United States. Methods: The Coast Guard developed and established 3 laboratories with wastewater testing capability at Coast Guard training centers from March 2021 through August 2022. We analyzed wastewater from barracks housing trainees and from 4 Coast Guard vessels for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genes N and E and quantified the results relative to levels of a fecal indicator virus, pepper mild mottle virus. We compared quantified data with the timing of medically diagnosed COVID-19 infection among (1) military personnel who had presented with symptoms or had been discovered through contact tracing and had medical tests and (2) military personnel who had been discovered through routine surveillance by positive SARS-CoV-2 antigen or polymerase chain reaction test results. Results: Levels of viral genes in wastewater at Coast Guard locations were best correlated with diagnosed COVID-19 cases when wastewater testing was performed twice weekly with passive samplers deployed for the entire week; such testing detected ≥1 COVID-19 case 69.8% of the time and ≥3 cases 88.3% of the time. Wastewater assessment in vessels did not continue because of logistical constraints. Conclusion: Wastewater testing is an effective tool for measuring the presence and patterns of SARS-CoV-2 infections among military populations. Success with wastewater testing for SARS-CoV-2 infections suggests that other diseases may be assessed with similar approaches.

Military training centers may be high risk environments for the spread of disease such as COVID-19. Individuals arrive after traveling from many parts of the country, live in communal settings, and undergo high-interaction training. A pilot study of wastewater testing was initiated in February, 2021 to determine its feasibility as a sentinel surveillance tool in the U.S. Coast Guard for SARS-CoV-2. Wastewater was analyzed for the presence of two viral genes, N and E, and quantified relative to levels of a fecal indicator virus, Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV). A stability control, Bovine Syncytial Respiratory Virus vaccine, was added to samples to assess sample stability and degradation. Wastewater data was validated by comparison with concomitant screening and surveillance programs that identified asymptomatic individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 by diagnostic testing at on site medical clinics using PCR. Elevated levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater were frequently associated with diagnosed cases, and in several instances, led to screenings of asymptomatic individuals that identified infected personnel, mitigating the risk of spread of disease. Wastewater screening also successfully indicated the presence of breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals. A method for assessing blackwater from Coast Guard vessels was also developed, allowing detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus in shipboard populations. In one instance, virus was detected in the blackwater four weeks following the diagnosis of a single person on a Coast Guard cutter. These data show that wastewater testing is an effective tool for measuring the presence and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in military populations so that mitigation can occur and suggest other diseases may be assessed similarly. As a result, the Coast Guard has established three laboratories with wastewater testing capability at strategic locations and is actively continuing its wastewater testing program.

Metal–semiconductor hybrid nanomaterials (HNMs) exhibit unique properties that are distinct from individual nanostructures, leading to promising applications in optical technologies. The interfacial linkage of semiconductor and metal nanoparticles (NPs) via cogelation is an effective strategy to produce HNMs that show strong plasmon‐exciton coupling and improved physical properties. However, optical properties of these hybrids show little to no tunability. Herein, CdSe/Ag hybrid aerogels that show tunable absorption and photoluminescence (PL) are produced by cogelation of CdSe nanorods (NRs) or NPs with Ag hollow NPs. Hybrid electronic states are created by overlapping the excitonic absorption of CdSe NRs or NPs with the plasmonic absorption of Ag NPs. Physical characterization of the hybrids reveals an interconnected network of hexagonal CdSe and cubic Ag NPs, linked by Ag + and Se 2− surface species, without intervening ligands. PL spectra exhibit maxima at 640 and 720 nm for the CdSe NPs/Ag and CdSe NRs/Ag hybrids, respectively, corresponding to new radiative decay mechanisms. Time‐resolved PL data support the emergence of new radiative pathways, kinetically and energetically distinct from the excitonic and plasmonic properties of primary NPs. This new approach of metal–semiconductor hybrid formation through cogelation is intriguing for the design of high‐efficiency HNMs without detrimental PL quenching.

A novel methodology has been developed to capture student interactions and engagement modes by mapping their discourse in Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) physical chemistry courses using graph theory and a modified ICAP (Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive) framework. This work provides a deeply contextualized description of student teamwork in a POGIL setting with triangulation of data from talk-turn tracking and coding of student engagement. Graphs of student discussions in teams were constructed for 17 students in five teams in two courses taught by different instructors. Combined with the modified ICAP framework, our data illustrate the amount, extent, and quality of discussion along with students’ cognitive engagement. Specific facilitation strategies used by instructors appear to correlate with improved student discussion and interactivity. Such strategies include providing responsive versus prepared lectures and requiring students to publicly share their thinking.