Desert Research Institute: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 39°34′19″N 119°48′3″W / 39.57194°N 119.80083°W / 39.57194; -119.80083
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Established in 1988 and sponsored by [[AT&T]], the institute's Nevada Medal awards "outstanding achievement in science and engineering".
Established in 1988 and sponsored by [[AT&T]], the institute's Nevada Medal awards "outstanding achievement in science and engineering".
{{Official URL (simple)|url=https://www.dri.edu}}


== Research programs ==
== Research programs ==
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* Center for Arid Lands Environmental Management
* Center for Arid Lands Environmental Management
* Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability
* Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability
 
==Creation==
Established by an act of the Nevada State Legislature in 1959 (NRS 396.795), DRI was created to study Nevada's arid lands, expanding over time to conduct research globally.
== Funding==
DRI receives approximately 15% of its funding from the State of Nevada, with the majority coming from grants and contracts, primarily from federal agencies. The institute generates about $50 million in annual revenue.
==Programs==
==Programs==
===Cloud Seeding Program===
===Cloud Seeding Program===
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UNR hired Dr. [[Wendell Mordy]] as the Founding Director (1960–1969) of the University's Desert Research Institute, which initially was  an office at the top of the historic [[Morrill Hall (University of Nevada, Reno)|Morrill Hall]] building on UNR's campus. Early on Mordy also initiated the development of the [[Fleischmann Planetarium & Science Center|UNR's Fleishmann Atmospherium Planetarium]].{{Efn|First-hand knowledge as the son of Edwin X Berry, who joined DRI in 1961.}}
UNR hired Dr. [[Wendell Mordy]] as the Founding Director (1960–1969) of the University's Desert Research Institute, which initially was  an office at the top of the historic [[Morrill Hall (University of Nevada, Reno)|Morrill Hall]] building on UNR's campus. Early on Mordy also initiated the development of the [[Fleischmann Planetarium & Science Center|UNR's Fleishmann Atmospherium Planetarium]].{{Efn|First-hand knowledge as the son of Edwin X Berry, who joined DRI in 1961.}}


[[Microplastics]] were found for the first time in [[Lake Tahoe]] in 2019 by the Desert Research Institute. They plan on studying the pollution to determine if it is from local sources or if particles from discarded plastic products have been transported long distances through the atmosphere by wind, rain and falling snow.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-08-26/lake-tahoe-microplastic-pollution-detected|title=Microplastics are found in Lake Tahoe's waters for first time ever|last=Sahagun|first=Louis|date=2019-08-26|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-27|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
[[Microplastics]] were found for the first time in [[Lake Tahoe]] in 2019 by the Desert Research Institute. They plan on studying the pollution to determine if it is from local sources or if particles from discarded plastic products have been transported long distances through the atmosphere by wind, rain and falling snow.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-08-26/lake-tahoe-microplastic-pollution-detected|title=Microplastics are found in Lake Tahoe's waters for first time ever|last=Sahagun|first=Louis|date=2019-08-26|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-27|df=mdy-all}}</ref>


==Campuses==
==Campuses==

Latest revision as of 07:29, 4 February 2025

Desert Research Institute
Motto
EstablishedMarch 23, 1959; 65 years ago (1959-03-23)[1]
Parent institution
Nevada System of Higher Education
PresidentKumud Acharya[2]
Academic staff
500[3]
Address
2215 Raggio Parkway
,
Reno
,
Nevada
,
89512
,
United States
Websitedri.edu

Desert Research Institute (DRI) is a nonprofit research campus of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) and a sister property of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), the organization that oversees all publicly supported higher education in the U.S. state of Nevada. At DRI, approximately 500 research faculty and support staff engage in more than $50 million in environmental research each year.[3]

Established in 1988 and sponsored by AT&T, the institute's Nevada Medal awards "outstanding achievement in science and engineering".

Official Site

Research programs

DRI's environmental research programs are divided into three core divisions

  • Atmospheric Sciences
  • Earth and Ecosystem Sciences
  • Hydrologic Sciences

Centers

They are divided into two interdisciplinary centers

  • Center for Arid Lands Environmental Management
  • Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability

Creation

Established by an act of the Nevada State Legislature in 1959 (NRS 396.795), DRI was created to study Nevada's arid lands, expanding over time to conduct research globally.

Funding

DRI receives approximately 15% of its funding from the State of Nevada, with the majority coming from grants and contracts, primarily from federal agencies. The institute generates about $50 million in annual revenue.

Programs

Cloud Seeding Program

DRI weather modification research produced the Nevada State Cloud Seeding Program in the 1960s. This initiative, funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, seeks to augment snowfall in mountainous regions of Nevada to increase snowpack and water supply. DRI researchers use ground stations and aircraft to release microscopic silver iodide particles into winter clouds, stimulating the formation of ice crystals that develop to snow.[4]

Research indicates that cloud seeding leads to precipitation rate increases of 0.1–1.5 millimeters per hour.[citation needed]

Atmospheric and Dispersion Modeling Program

For over a decade the Atmospheric and Dispersion Modeling Program team has been performing work focused on observations and modeling of atmospheric dispersion processes over complex terrain and coastal areas.[5] In particular, the team is applying, developing, and evaluating mesoscale meteorological models as well as regulatory and advanced atmospheric dispersion models such as ISC3ST, AERMOD, WYNDVALLEY, ASPEN, and CALPUFF. They have developed a Lagrangian Random Particle Dispersion Model that has been applied to complex coastal and inland environments.

Several recent projects led to developing real-time mesoscale forecasting system using the MM5 model coupled with a Lagrangian random particle dispersion model and implementation of data assimilation schemes.

History

A two-page bill signed into law by the Nevada Governor Grant Sawyer on March 23, 1959, authorized establishment of the Desert Research Institute at the University of Nevada, Reno.[1][6]

UNR hired Dr. Wendell Mordy as the Founding Director (1960–1969) of the University's Desert Research Institute, which initially was an office at the top of the historic Morrill Hall building on UNR's campus. Early on Mordy also initiated the development of the UNR's Fleishmann Atmospherium Planetarium.[lower-alpha 1]

Microplastics were found for the first time in Lake Tahoe in 2019 by the Desert Research Institute. They plan on studying the pollution to determine if it is from local sources or if particles from discarded plastic products have been transported long distances through the atmosphere by wind, rain and falling snow.[7]

Campuses

Main research campuses
File:Desert-Research-Institute.jpg
The Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada
  • Dandini Research Park – Reno, Nevada Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value)..
  • Southern Nevada Science Park – Paradise, Nevada 36°6′50″N 115°8′54″W / 36.11389°N 115.14833°W / 36.11389; -115.14833
    ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽


    .
Subsidiary campuses

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ First-hand knowledge as the son of Edwin X Berry, who joined DRI in 1961.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Nevada Revised Statue (NRS) 396.795". Nevada State Legislature. 1959. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-396.html#NRS396Sec795. 
  2. ↑ "Dr. Kumud Acharya Appointed Permanent President of DRI" (Press release). 10 September 2020. https://nshe.nevada.edu/2020/09/dr-kumud-acharya-appointed-permanent-president-of-dri/. Retrieved 15 December 2020. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "About". https://www.dri.edu/about/. 
  4. ↑ "Synopsis of DRI Cloud Seeding Program". DRI Cloud Seeding Program. Desert Research Institute. Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20150222131732/http://www.dri.edu/cloudseeding/synopsis. 
  5. ↑ "Modeling Expertise". Desert Research Institute. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140202004146/http://adim.dri.edu/AboutUs/modexp.html. 
  6. ↑ CHEREB, SANDRA (2009-03-21). "Nevada's Desert Research Institute marks 50 years" (in en-US). THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-nv-desert-research-institute-032009-2009mar20-story.html. 
  7. ↑ Sahagun, Louis (2019-08-26). "Microplastics are found in Lake Tahoe's waters for first time ever" (in en-US). Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-08-26/lake-tahoe-microplastic-pollution-detected. 

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