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.

Meet David Almanza

Meet David Almanza

David Almanza, Ph.D., joined DRI this summer as a postdoctoral researcher in urban climate adaptation. He is working with Ariel Choinard in the Southern Nevada Heat Resilience Lab to examine how heat is impacting communities in and around Las Vegas. Born in Bogota, Colombia, Almanza grew up in Las Vegas and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2023. In this interview, Almanza discusses his social science training, what it means to center research on your own community, and his love for Las Vegas eateries.

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Meet Julie Albright, DRI’s Technologist of the Year

Meet Julie Albright, DRI’s Technologist of the Year

The cutting-edge scientific research that happens at DRI wouldn't be possible without the Institute's many technologists: non-faculty employees who have special technical experience and training to support instrumentation design, laboratory and...

Donor-powered research solving critical environmental problems

Donor-powered research solving critical environmental problems

DRI is a non-profit, which means that we rely on financial support from donors to make our projects possible. Thanks to individual contributions from community members, seed grants were awarded to eight teams of DRI researchers last year...

Dust Control at the Oceano Dunes

Dust Control at the Oceano Dunes

DRI researchers continue a long-term effort to help park officials understand and manage dust emissions from California’s Oceano Dunes.

DRI Internal Award Winners 2019

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.

Meet Rosemary Carroll, Ph.D.

Rosemary Carroll, Ph.D., is an associate research professor in DRI’s Division of Hydrologic Sciences.

Into the Plume: Advancing Fire Science Using Drone Technology

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...