The Paul L. Busch Award recognizes an individual for innovative research in the field of water quality and the water environment, with a special focus on those who show promise and make significant contributions in bridging research and its practical application.

The award comes with a $100,000 research grant that Wigginton will use to help revolutionize virus detection strategies by translating recent state-of-the-art biotechnological breakthroughs into new methods for the water community. She proposes to develop methods that will ultimately help protect public health and facilitate the development of virus-based methods for treating water.