Study participants will receive up to $300 in gift cards and information about the temperature and air quality in their homes.
Reno, Nev. (July 31, 2025) – DRI and Northern Nevada Public Health are recruiting Washoe County community members for a research project examining heat and air quality impacts on household health. Participants should be 18 or older and live in Washoe County.
The research seeks to examine how heat and wildfire smoke impact indoor temperature, air quality, and well being. When the smoke from large wildfires reaches Washoe County during the hot days of summer and fall, everyone, and especially those without central air conditioning, may have a harder time protecting their health. By partnering with community members to gather temperature, air quality and basic health information, the research will help scientists better understand how to help the public protect themselves from the health impacts of heat and wildfire smoke.
“We know that both extreme heat and wildfire smoke exposure come with health risks, and we’re hoping to gain clarity on how these overlapping events can exacerbate the toll on the human body,” said Kristin VanderMolen, Assistant Research Professor of Atmospheric Science at DRI who is leading the study.
What to Expect:
Participants can expect 5 home visits from the research team between Summer 2025 and Spring 2026, scheduled for your convenience. Each visit will be between 30 and 60 minutes.
The first visit will include the installation of indoor and outdoor heat and smoke sensors, as well as a basic health check. The second, third, and fourth visits will occur when wildfire smoke is present, and will include another basic health check of your heart and lungs. The fifth visit will include removal of the heat and smoke sensors, and provision of information learned about how heat and smoke are affecting your health. All of the data collected will be anonymized.
For more information, visit the Heat and Wildfire Smoke Research Project page at https://www-dev.dri.edu/project/heat-wildfire-smoke/. You can also reach out to heatandsmokeproject@gmail.com with questions.
To inquire about signing up to be a study participant, please fill out our recruitment form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSnlqxppZno9zvZ5VaxOBoPrmD8VREOjkd-bzYNN7Q0ZO71Q/viewform
– @driscience –
More information: Watch an interview about the research with lead researchers Kristin VanderMolen (DRI) and Brendan Schnieder (NNPH) on KOLO 8 News Now: https://www.kolotv.com/2025/07/14/heat-wildfire-smoke-research-project/
To read more about DRI’s wildfire-related research, visit https://www-dev.dri.edu/what-we-know-about-wildfire-risk-and-prevention/
About DRI
We are Nevada’s non-profit research institute, founded in 1959 to empower experts to focus on science that matters. We work with communities across the state — and the world — to address their most pressing scientific questions. We’re proud that our scientists continuously produce solutions that better human and environmental health.
Scientists at DRI are encouraged to follow their research interests across the traditional boundaries of scientific fields, collaborating across DRI and with scientists worldwide. All faculty support their own research through grants, bringing in nearly $5 to the Nevada economy for every $1 of state funds received. With more than 600 scientists, engineers, students, and staff across our Reno and Las Vegas campuses, we conducted more than $52 million in sponsored research focused on improving peoples’ lives in 2024 alone.
At DRI, science isn’t merely academic — it’s the key to future-proofing our communities and building a better world. For more information, please visit www.dri.edu.
Media Contact
Elyse DeFranco
Senior Science Writer & Public Information Officer, DRI
Elyse.defranco@www-dev.dri.edu
