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.
Annual Awards Presented to DRI Faculty and Staff at 2024 Celebration of Science
DRI’s annual awards and recognition ceremonies were held at our Reno and Las Vegas campuses in early October to honor scientists and staff members for their achievements. Along with the below awardees, several faculty and staff were recognized for their long-term service to the institute. DRI prides itself on fostering a fulfilling workplace that builds internal community and inspires scientific discovery.
DRI welcomes new graduate students to Reno and Las Vegas campuses
Each year, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) welcomes new graduate students from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), who work under the direction of DRI faculty on our northern and southern campuses to...
Xiaoliang Wang Receives 2020 Benjamin Y. H. Liu Award for Aerosol Research
Reno, Nev. (Oct 7, 2020) – Xiaoliang Wang, Ph.D. of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, Nev. is the winner of this year’s Benjamin Y. H. Liu Award from the American Association of Aerosol Research (AAAR). He was recognized for this honor...
Making Sense of Remote Sensing: A Q&A with Matt Bromley
Matt Bromley, M.S., is an Assistant Research Scientist with the Division of Hydrologic Sciences at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, and specializes in GIS and remote sensing. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and a M.S. in Geography from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a native Nevadan, an Army veteran, and has been a member of the DRI community for ten years.
New study explores relationship between dust and Valley Fever
Vic Etyemezian, Ph.D., is the Interim Vice President of Research at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and specializes in the study of dust emissions. Vic has been a member of the DRI community since 1999, when he started his career at DRI as a post-doctoral scientist with the Division of Atmospheric Sciences in Las Vegas. He recently published a paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health titled “Valley Fever: Environmental Risk Factors and Exposure Pathways Deduced from Field Measurements in California,” working alongside colleagues Antje Lauer, Ph.D. (California State University Bakersfied), George Nikolich, M.S. (DRI), and others, so we connected with Vic to learn more about the project.
DRI scientists investigate effectiveness of heat warnings along US-Mexico border
Featured research by DRI’s Kristin VanderMolen, Ben Hatchett, Erick Bandala, and Tamara Wall.
In July and August, daytime temperatures along parts of the US-Mexico border can reach as high as 120 degrees – more than 20 degrees above normal human body temperature. For agricultural workers and others who live and work in the region, exposure to these extreme high temperatures can result in serious health impacts including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and heat-related death.
Engineered Processes for the Separation and Degradation of Microplastics in Freshwater
the researchers will use acoustic focusing and electrocoagulation to separate microplastics from freshwater effluents and determine the removal process mechanisms.
Featured Research: DRI scientists analyze origins of the Saharan dust plume
On June 18, 2020, NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite captured this visible image of the large light brown plume of Saharan dust over the North Atlantic Ocean. The image showed that the dust from Africa’s west coast extended almost to the Lesser...
Meet Sandra Brugger, Ph.D.
Sandra Brugger, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Researcher with DRI's Division of Hydrologic Sciences, and a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Fellow. DRI: What brought you to DRI? Brugger: I started at DRI in October 2019 with an Early Postdoc...
Meet Gai Elhanan, M.D.
Gai Elhanan, M.D., is a health data scientist with the Division of Earth and Ecosystems Sciences at the Desert Research Institute in Reno. He specializes in health care informatics, and is a physician with more than 12 years of experience in...
New donor-powered research underway to address climate adaptation, water resources, and more
The DRI Foundation has just awarded the next round of seed grants to six teams of researchers through the Innovation Research Program (IRP). The IRP provides the start-up funding DRI scientists need to test new ideas and produce initial data, which...
Meet Tiffany Pereira, M.S.
Tiffany Pereira, M.S., has been a member of the DRI community since July of 2019, and specializes in biology and scientific illustration.
Meet Ben Hatchett
Benjamin Hatchett, Ph.D., is an assistant research professor in the Division of Atmospheric Sciences at the Desert Research Institute in Reno. Ben has been a member of the DRI community since 2005 when he began as an undergraduate lab assistant. He...