Fire Science Ecology Green Box Training

Fire Science Ecology Green Box Training

As part of the Education and Workforce Development (E-WFD) component of the Harnessing the Data Revolution for Fire Science (HDRFS) project, DRI’s Science Alive team developed a Fire Science Ecology curriculum kit to be implemented in 7th grade middle-school classrooms across Nevada. The Ecology Green Box contains 4 lessons with corresponding activities and videos: Predicting Wildfires, Soil Science, Ecosystem Dynamics, and Biodiversity Solutions.

On August 24th, 2023, pre-service teachers from UNR’s NevadaTeach program, and students from UNR’s Mentoring for Achievement & Knowledge in Engineering (MAKE) and the Mobile Engineering Education Lab (ME2L) were able to receive hands-on training from Science Alive staff member and creator of the kits, Ileah Kirchoff. Students were intrigued by the hands-on curriculum, including a comparison activity between water drainage between fire-burned soil from the Caldor Fire vs. normal unburned soil. Students were able to see the direct impact that burned soil has on creating flash floods and debris flow “mudslides.”

With funding from HDRFS, Green Box kits will be implemented through state pre-service teachers, UNLV’s STEM Ambassadors, and UNR’s ME2L students. The kits will start being demonstrated in 7th grade classrooms, and in other community activities during Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. Over the next three years, new boxes will be developed with a unique HDRFS-themed curriculum and replicated for implementation throughout Nevada classrooms and education/outreach events.