Behind the Science Blog
DRI’s “Behind the Science” blog featuring our people and projects
Read the stories below to learn more about the amazing people and projects happening at DRI.
OpenET’s New CEO, Sara Larsen, Discusses the Future of the Revolutionary Water-Monitoring Initiative
OpenET, a nonprofit initiative focused on improving water management with accessible, satellite-based evapotranspiration (ET) data, has welcomed Sara Larsen as the new CEO. DRI sat down with Sara to discuss what makes the initiative unique, her plans for the organization, and how OpenET can help address the biggest challenges in water management.
DRI Internal Award Winners 2019
At our annual Celebration of Science event in September 2019, we recognized our incredible DRI family. In addition to honoring faculty and staff celebrating service milestones with the Institute, we also presented internal awards to some of our...
Meet Rosemary Carroll, Ph.D.
Rosemary Carroll, Ph.D., is an associate research professor in DRI’s Division of Hydrologic Sciences.
Evaluation of Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) in the Urban Wetland Ecosystem: Las Vegas Wash
Photo: Duane Moser (left) and Xuelian Bai (right) collect filters from the sampling pump to take back to the lab for analysis. Research on antibiotic resistance genes at DRI Antibiotic resistance—the ability of bacteria to survive in the presence...
Into the Plume: Advancing Fire Science Using Drone Technology
Photo: Drone pilots look toward their aircraft flying through the smoke. Credit: DRI's Dave Vuono. Fire science research using drone technology at DRI “It was sort of like a deep-sea exploration, with a submarine scanning the ocean floor,” said DRI...
Problem Plastic: Investigating Microplastic Pollution in Nevada’s Waterways
The extent of microplastic pollution is only just beginning to be understood, with researchers discovering the tiny plastic pieces everywhere from the air we breathe to the deep ocean.
Meet Graduate Researcher Dante Staten
Meet Dante Staten, a Ph.D. student in environmental science with an emphasis in environmental chemistry. Staten recently graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Master's Degree in environmental science. At DRI, Staten is working with...
Meet Kristin VanderMolen, Ph.D.
Kristin VanderMolen, Ph.D., is an assistant research professor and social scientist with the Division of Atmospheric Sciences at the Desert Research Institute.
Preserving Nevada’s Lost City using drones
Ruins of adobe houses, Lost City of Nevada. Credit: Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries. Nevada’s “Lost City,” located northeast of Las Vegas on a terrace above the Muddy River, has been lost twice before – first abandoned by...
Meet Josh Sackett, Ph.D.
Josh Sackett, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher with the Division of Hydrologic Sciences at the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas.
Meet John Watson, Ph.D.
John Watson, Ph.D., is a research professor of air quality science with the Division of Atmospheric Sciences at the Desert Research Institute in Reno. John specializes in air quality measurements, source apportionment (tracing pollutants to their...
Meet Jim Hudson, Ph.D.
Jim Hudson, Ph.D., is a research professor of physics with the Division of Atmospheric Sciences at the Desert Research Institute in Reno. Jim specializes in cloud physics, and has worked throughout his career to gather and analyze field...
Putting the Knowledge Fund to Work
Created in 2013 by the Governor's Office of Economic Development, the Knowledge Fund spurs research, innovation, and commercialization in Nevada. Thanks to support from the Knowledge Fund, researchers across the Silver State have been busy...