Detecting diseases in water is harder than it sounds. The normal process involves expensive, time-consuming lab tests. Joseph Moss of the University of West Florida has invented a better method that spins out water-borne pathogens to help identify them quickly and cheaply. A native of Holland, Pennsylvania and the youngest of five children, Moss was a “fidgety” boy who loved being outside because “everything fascinated me.” After a “rambunctious phase” and a “dead-end” job on the West Coast, Moss, who had initially failed out of college, returned to school and became a researcher.

TRANSCRIPT:

Intro: 0:20

Inventors and their inventions. Welcome to Radio Cade, the podcast from the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, Florida. The museum is named after James Robert Cade who invented gatorade in 1965. My name is Richard Miles. We'll introduce you to inventors and the things that motivate them. We'll learn about their personal stories, how their inventions work, and how their ideas get from the laboratory to the marketplace.

Richard Miles: 0:38

Today we're entering the spin zone. Now you haven't accidentally downloaded a political podcast. I'm talking about literal spin as in an invention called a spin concentrator. And we're pleased to have the inventor on the show today. Joseph Moss, who is a researcher at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. Welcome to Radio Cade, Joe.

Joseph Moss: 0:56

Thanks for having me.

Richard Miles: 0:57

So, Joe, I think I last saw you in 2012 or 2013 maybe when you were a sweet 16 finalist or you just finished being a finalist in the Cade prize. And I remembered the judges were very impressed with your entry, though I have to admit, I didn't really fully understand how it worked at the time. So I think, I know after having been through the prize, but I'm going to roll this description by you. Tell me where I'm wrong. Um, but I'll ask you to elucidate now, so I know it's a type of water filter which basically can detect a disease producing organisms in water. Um, and that is essentially the core function of it. But what I don't fully understand, you can explain, is sort of how does this differ from other existing water filters and you know, what is, um, you know, what is unique about it? Obviously there's something unique because you've had some commercial success with this. So let me stop there and let you tell us and tell listeners what exactly a spin concentrator is.

Joseph Moss: 1:56

Okay. Well you've got it mostly right. Um, it is a spin concentrator or spin device, um, which simply separates particles, microbial particles, whether it's our actual microorganisms or um, nonliving microbial, uh, particulates. Doesn't matter. It depends on the researcher what they want to do. It helps it aids in the separation of these particles so that you can subsequently down the line, evaluate your samples and see whether that pathogen or microbe or particle exists. So it doesn't detect the organism itself. It helps in the process. It speeds it up.

Richard Miles: 2:37

I see. Okay.

Joseph Moss: 2:38

It's a simple, fast way of doing it.

Richard Miles: 2:40

So traditionally, like what, um, you know, previous to this, what is for the traditional way of doing what you have to take like a water sample and send it out to a lab in order to do the same things.

Joseph Moss: 2:51