SSA, the association for cleaning and facility solutions, collaborated with Smart Building Bootcamp, a specialist education provider focused on smart buildings, digital real estate, and emerging technologies in the built environment, to develop industry-focused educational content to help cleaning and facilities professionals leverage the technologies shaping modern buildings and communities.

The collaboration reflects rapidly changing expectations for cleaning and facility professionals as buildings become more digitized, connected, and data driven. From robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to smart sensors and integrated workplace technologies, the operational landscape for facilities teams is evolving rapidly, creating new skill requirements across the sector.

“Cleaning and facility professionals are no longer operating solely within traditional operational boundaries,” said ISSA Executive Director Kim Althoff. “Today’s buildings increasingly rely on digital systems, data, automation, and experience technologies. This collaboration is about ensuring our industry has access to practical education that helps professionals remain informed, relevant, and prepared for the future.”

The initiative will translate complex technology topics into accessible, operationally relevant learning for industry practitioners. Subject areas include smart buildings, workplace technologies, AI, cybersecurity awareness, robotics, energy optimization, and the growing convergence of facilities management, technology, and occupant experience.

Smart Building Bootcamp was founded by industry practitioners with experience advising global real estate portfolios, developers, tenants, and public sector organizations on technology strategy and smart building implementation.

“The role of facilities and cleaning professionals is expanding significantly,” said Michael Grant, Smart Building Bootcamp founder. “Buildings are becoming operational technology platforms in their own right. The people responsible for operating those environments increasingly need confidence and literacy in the technologies they deploy. We are delighted to collaborate with ISSA to help support that transition.”

The collaboration complements ISSA’s commitment to supporting workforce development and helping industry professionals adapt to changing operational and technological demands across the built environment. To learn more and enroll in the Smart Building Bootcamp program, click here.

A ​public health team based in Washington, D.C., plans to monitor wastewater and internet chatter to detect and track infectious diseases should they emerge in any of the ‌U.S. or Canadian cities hosting World Cup players, their matches, and millions of spectators, Reuters reported.

The launch comes amid heightened global attention to emerging infectious diseases and the importance of monitoring health threats during international travel and mass gatherings.  The World Cup begins Thursday in Mexico, and over 6.5 million soccer fans are expected to travel from over 100 countries to watch 104 games in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

The Health Security Operations Center (HSOC) will operate under the joint National Center for Health Security and Resilience, a part of Georgetown University and MedStar Health’s academic health system partnership. The newly formed team of public health experts has converted a Georgetown University laboratory into an epidemiological command post. The facility brings together academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private companies working ​in support of government agencies.

Drawing on data from wastewater monitoring, hospitalizations, and real-time health reports gathered from host cities, the HSOC will monitor infectious disease risks and deliver timely, actionable information to health officials, health systems, and the public throughout the summer.

The team plans to issue a daily status report to flag emerging risks and any immediate need for action to hospital emergency managers and public health authorities at the ​local, state, federal, and international level, as well as FIFA, the organizer of the World Cup.

The operations center is also a trial run for future events, including the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. MedStar hosts one of the nation’s 13 biocontainment units. By translating complex disease surveillance data into actionable local insights, the initiative serves as a model for how today’s communities can anticipate and mitigate large-scale public health risks.

Furthermore, Fort Worth Report said Texas regional public health officials also are ramping up wastewater testing. The state is testing sewage samples from designated spots for certain diseases, viruses, and bacterial infections.