Student-Produced Documentary Chronicles UArizona Success Taming COVID-19 Through Wastewater

A scene from the student-produced documentary “Solution Number Two” features Jeffrey Bliznick (right) and Nick Betts-Childress with the UArizona Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center collecting wastewater outside a student dorm to be tested later for COVID-19 infection.
Courtesy of John Taylor and Carter Hayek

Solution Number Two, one of the short documentaries currently making its premiere as part of What’s Up, Docs, recently featured in a story for UA News. The documentary by TFTV filmmakers John Taylor and Carter Hayek chronicles the university’s efforts to track campus spread of coronavirus by testing wastewater from student dorms. Taylor and Hayek sat down with microbiologist Dr. Ian Pepper, Director of the University’s Water and Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, who discussed the groundbreaking work which helped stop at least one COVID-19 outbreak during the first week of fall classes.

Solution Number Two is one of fifteen documentaries in What’s Up, Docs streaming for free through The Loft Cinema from February 4-17, 2021.