RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Evaluating Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Las Vegas Wash

DRI scientists are sampling water and sediment from the Las Vegas Wash to better understand antibiotic resistance—the ability of bacteria to survive in the presence of antibiotics.

Current wastewater treatment processes have difficulty removing antibiotics, which encourages the growth of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. With more antibiotics entering urban waterways, and more treated wastewater supplementing limited water resources in places like the Southwest, this is an increasing environmental and public health concern.

Learn more about this project

Behind the Science: Meet Rosemary Carroll, Ph.D.

Studying hydrology in mountainous landscapes like the Rockies is no easy feat. DRI's Rosemary Carroll, Ph.D., creates models, or computer simulations, of mountain watersheds. While her work involves a lot of data crunching, there's a lot of time in the field, too (see above).

Some of that field time, believe it or not, involves wildlife-proofing instruments: "Beavers, moose, elk and cattle are an inevitable part of planning a sensor network in the Colorado Rocky Mountains."

Learn more about Rosemary and her work in the latest Behind the Science Blog post.

Get to know Rosemary

SAVE THE DATE

Science Distilled: Water, Science, and Justice header

Science Distilled is back from summer vacation!

Join DRI and The Discovery for Science Distilled: Water, Science, and Justice on September 11, 2019.

At this installment of Science Distilled, you'll hear from Todd Robins, an attorney specializing in environmental law, and DRI hydrologist Rina Schumer, Ph.D. They will explore both the legal and scientific facets of groundwater contamination in rural communities, considering how we find justice for damage to our shared water resources.

Get tickets

DRI IN THE NEWS

"Heat Deaths Jump in Southwest United States, Puzzling Officials"
New York Times • August 26th

"Microplastics are found in Lake Tahoe, raising concern about flora and fauna"
Los Angeles Times • August 26th

"Researchers find microplastics in Lake Tahoe"
Reno Gazette-Journal • August 22nd

"Less Snow, More Rain: How Tahoe's Climate Balance Could Be Shifting"
Capital Public Radio • August 22nd

"Bye, Bye Snow"
Capital Public Radio • August 22nd

"Microplastics Are Everywhere, Even in Remote Arctic Snow"
The Atlantic • August 14th

"Is The Robotic Revolution Upon Us?"
KUNR • August 14th

Browse more news coverage

IMAGE OF THE MONTH

A pile of cheatgrass burning in DRI's burn chamber.

A pile of cheatgrass burns in DRI's biomass burning facility, fondly dubbed
"the barbecue pit" by the research team.

The invasive species cheatgrass creates a vicious fire cycle in the semi-arid regions of the Western US. It dries out in the early summer, grows in thick patches, and has fine leaves and stems, which make it an easily-ignited fuel. Native plant communities, like sagebrush, aren’t used to such frequent wildfires and can’t rebound as quickly, which allows even more cheatgrass to grow in their place.

The ecological impact of cheatgrass is profound, but DRI researchers are also wondering about its atmospheric impact. Graduate student Megan Rennie is studying the components of cheatgrass smoke to better understand how changes in our landscape are connected to broader atmospheric and climate impacts.

See a cheatgrass burn in action

Follow @DRIscience to #DiscoverDRI

Love what you read in this newsletter? Share it using the gray icons at the bottom of this email, and don't forget to tag @DRIscience in your post so we can say thank you!

Explore more at www.DRI.edu.

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

2215 Raggio Parkway
Reno, NV | 89512 US

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.