Colwell is recognized for her study of global infectious disease spread through water sources and its impacts on global health. Through this research, she has developed an international network that has brought attention to the emergence of new infectious diseases in drinking/bathing water, pertaining mostly to its role on the
developing world.
Cholera research During early research and study of
cholera, Colwell discovered that cholera can lay
dormant in unfavorable conditions and then resume normal functions when conditions are favorable again. Colwell also concluded that
climate change will have a profound impact on the spread of cholera. Colwell has proposed ways people in the developing world can use inexpensive methods to filter water when water treatment facilities are not available. In one study spanning about 3 years, 65 villages in rural
Bangladesh comprising 133,000 individuals, participated in an experiment in which they used folded
sari cloth or nylon mesh filters placed over water pots to acquire safe drinking water from their local waterways. These inexpensive and readily available materials yielded a 48% reduction in cholera, when compared with the control: absence of any type of filter.
National Science Foundation Colwell was the first female director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and held this position from 1998 to 2004. In a presentation to members of the foundation in 2002, she detailed what the foundation should address in the future. She explained that an educated society is critical not just for developing technology, but for supporting that development, both by the public and by the government. Colwell is interested in
K-12 science and mathematical education, and she is a proponent of increasing the number of women and minorities in science and engineering. Rita Colwell was responsible for doubling the funding to the NSF initiative ADVANCE, which supports the advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers. Colwell also pushed to invest $60 million as part of a new priority area in mathematical and statistical sciences. In 2004, Colwell completed her term as director of the National Science Foundation. She then became the chief scientist at Canon U.S. Life Sciences, a division of
Canon. She served as chairman of Canon U.S. Life Sciences At the University of Maryland at College Park, she is a Distinguished University Professor in the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), which is part of the university's College of
Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.
CosmosID Colwell founded the company CosmosID in 2008, and she currently serves as global science officer and chairman of the board. CosmosID is a
bioinformatics company that develops various types of equipment to identify
microbial activity in a variety of
ecosystems.
EcoHealth Alliance Colwell was elected to the Board of Directors of
EcoHealth Alliance in November 2012. == Publications and media ==