2026 HDRFS Annual Meeting
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 S. Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89154
- 23 Days
- 13 Hrs
- 40 Min
- 45 Sec
2026 HDRFS Annual Meeting
April 1-2, 2026
Please register for the HDRFS Annual Meeting by March 20, 2026 . If you have any questions, please contact Athena Lewis, alewis@nshe.nevada.edu.
The Annual Harnessing the Data Revolution for Fire Science (HDRFS) Meeting will be held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, April 1-2, 2026 in the Student Union. The objective of this meeting is to share HDRFS research findings and outcomes, stimulate collaborations and discussions and plan for upcoming activities. The Annual Meeting will include oral presentations featuring research results of Nevada’s National Science Foundation-funded HDRFS project as well as a student poster session.
Please note: This is a draft agenda and subject to change
Wednesday, April 1st – Ballroom B & C
| 8:00 am – 8:30 am | Shuttle pickup from Hyatt Place to UNLV and, if needed, from Harry Reid Airport to UNLV
Sign in, poster setup |
| 9:00 am – 9:15 am | Welcome and Agenda Review (Fred) |
| 9:15 am – 9:30 am | HDRFS Video Presentation – Mayara |
| 9:30 am – 10:30 am | RSV talk run through |
| 10:30 am – 11:30 am | Working group Mtgs – Field Site + Rancho Fire, 2D Mapping, 3D Sensor Fusion |
| 11:30 am – 11:45 am | Break |
| 11:45 am – 12:15 pm | EDU, Inc – Douglas Spencer |
| 12:15 pm – 12:30 pm | Buffet lunch – return to meeting room with food/beverages |
| 12:30 pm – 1:15 pm | Working lunch – Seed Grant Recipient Presentations – 4x (5 min each) Xiaoliang Wang, Brittany Kruger, Ishtiaq Ahmed Jawad, Siwei Meng |
| 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm | Education-Workforce Development, Broadening Participation, Communications, Sustainability (15 min. per component) |
| 2:15 pm – 2:30 pm | Break |
| 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm | Amanda Heidt, Science Writer
EAC meet with EDU |
| 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Poster Presentations |
| 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Component break outs |
| 5:00 pm – 5:15 pm | Closing Remarks |
| 5:15 pm | Shuttle Departure from UNLV to Hyatt Place |
Thursday April 2nd – Ballroom B & C
| 8:00 am | Shuttle pickup from Hyatt Place to UNLV |
| 8:30 am – 10:30 am | Strategic Planning by Component |
| 10:30 am – 10:45 am | Break |
| 10:45 am – 11:15 am | Science Components 5 min Strategic Plan updates (report back)
2 slides – priority/actions (proposals, papers, tools) |
| 11:15 am – 12:00 pm | Working groups panel Q & A (UAS, 2D, 3D, Data Management, Field Site?)
|
| 12:00 pm – 12:15 pm | Buffet lunch – return to meeting room with food/beverages |
| 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm | Working Lunch – Seed Grant participant presentations – 3x (5 min each)
Gaurav Srikar, Kathleen Rodrigues, Marco Giordano EAC to meet with Leadership |
| 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm | Where are we going? Priorities/actions (proposals, papers, tools) Vera & Erin [Partnerships & Sustainability] |
| 1:45 pm – 2:00 pm | EAC report out |
| 2:00 pm – 2:15 pm | Closing Comments
Poster Take down First shuttle departure from UNLV to Harry Reid Airport |
| Transition to GRA Session | |
| 2:15 pm – 4:30pm | GRA session –
2:15 – 3:15 PM Media Literacy/Science Communication, Amanda Heidt, Science Writer 3:30 – 4:30 PM Resume Building & Interviewing, Dr. Chris Hughes, UNLV Career Services |
| 4:15 pm – 4:30 pm | Second shuttle departure from UNLV to Harry Reid Airport |
This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OIA- 2148788.
Lodging Reservations
The room block is available at a rate of $126/per night plus taxes and fees. The deadline to book is March 10, 2026.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas
4520 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169 | 702-369-3366
Hotel Amenities:
- Complimentary Breakfast: Mon – Fri 6:30am – 9am | Sat & Sun 7am – 10am
- Complimentary: Wi-Fi, Access to Fitness Center & Outdoor Pool
- $20 Daily Parking
- Check-in time is 3:00 pm and check-out time is 12:00 pm.
A shuttle will be provided from Hyatt Place and may be provided, based on demand, from Harry Reid Airport to UNLV on Wednesday, April 1st. A shuttle will take participants from UNLV to Hyatt Place in the p.m. On Thursday, April 2nd, the shuttle will be provided from Hyatt Place to UNLV in the a.m. and will drop off at Harry Reid Airport at the end of the session on Thursday (2:15 pm & 4:15 pm) Please bring your luggage to UNLV on Thursday a.m.
All graduate students participating in research funded by the National Science Foundation and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR) Harnessing the Data Revolution for Fire Science project will provide a research poster presentation at this year’s annual meeting. The poster session will allow students to share their research with other project members and the External Advisory Committee.
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Times:
Poster Set Up: Wednesday, April 1, 8:30 a.m. (Check in at registration for details)
Annual Meeting: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Poster Session: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Poster Break Down: Thursday, April 2, 2:00-2:15 PM
Location:
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
UNLV Student Union Ballrooms B&C– Floor 2
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154
Abstracts must be submitted by Monday, March 23, 2026, to Michele Casella, mcasella@nshe.nevada.edu to be included on the conference website
Please download and read the full Poster Guidelines for more details.
Price Range Guide
- $ = Most affordable
- $$ = Moderate
- $$$ = Higher end
- $$$$ = Fine dining / premium pricing
Virgin Hotel Restaurants (4455 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169)
(Note: Inside a resort — may be pricier.)
- Pizza Forte — $ $
A fast casual pizza walkup counter offering New York or Roman style pizza and Italian street food. A taste of Italy—minus the airfare. - Lucia Mexican Grill — $ $
Enjoy dishes inspired by the rich flavors and traditions of Mexico. - Kassi Beach House — $ $
Coastal Italian cuisine in a relaxed trattoria style setting. Poolside seating available. - Kitchen — $ $
A go to breakfast spot featuring a buffet and comforting favorites like savory egg dishes and pancake stacks.
Other Nearby Restaurants
- Ferraro’s Ristorante — $ $ $
4480 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169
(On the pricier side.) - Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas — $ $
4510 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169 - Big Chicken — $ $
4480 Paradise Rd Ste 1200, Las Vegas, NV 89169 - Joe’s New York Pizza — $
4480 Paradise Rd #1100, Las Vegas, NV 89169
Harmon Square (4503 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169)
- Bojangles — $
- Teriyaki Madness — $
- Tropical Smoothie Café — $
- Sbarro — $
- White Castle — $
- Roberto’s Taco Shop — $
- Subway — $
Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OIA- 2148788.