The Desert Research Institute (DRI) held its annual awards ceremonies at its Reno and Las Vegas campuses in October, recognizing faculty and staff for their achievements in scientific research, education, service, and public engagement.
Monica Gehrig received the Peter B. Wagner Medal of Excellence for her work as DRI’s STEM Education Training and Outreach Coordinator. Since joining DRI in 2023, Gehrig has focused on bringing science education to Nevada schools and building partnerships with organizations such as the Atomic Museum and the Southern Nevada Water Authority. She has managed professional development trainings and outreach initiatives aimed at supporting educators.
Gehrig stated, “Helping students explore phenomenon, ask questions, discover their interests — it all came so naturally to me. It was what I was meant to do.” Her efforts have contributed to securing major grants for STEM education in Nevada, including a $1 million EPA grant for curriculum development with local water authorities and a $2 million DOE grant for projects with DRI researchers and the Atomic Museum.
The DRI Service Medal was awarded jointly to Beth Large, Margie Stuart, and Yvonne Rumbaugh, recognized as the institute’s longest-serving Division Business Managers. The group was honored for their critical role in facilitating operations from grant proposals through project completion. Their collective dedication has helped maintain effective operations within their divisions.
Hans Moosmüller received the DRI Outstanding Contributions Medal. As an Emeritus Research Professor of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences who founded DRI’s Wildland Fire Science Center, Dr. Moosmüller secured more than $23 million in NSF EPSCoR awards over five years and led multi-institution programs expanding wildfire and aerosol research capacity. His scholarly work includes over 14,000 citations and collaborations with federal agencies such as NSF, NASA, NOAA, DOE, and DoD.
Dr. Moosmüller is also known for his mentorship of early-career faculty members: “His exceptional mentoring abilities, genuine passion for research, and desire to see others succeed have had a transformative impact on the careers of many early-career faculty.”
Ariel Choinard was presented with the DRI Foundation Faculty Award for Outstanding Public Engagement in Science. As Project Coordinator for the California Nevada Adaptation Program and the Nevada Heat Lab, Choinard works to connect scientists with community members to address climate hazards like extreme heat. In September 2024 she represented DRI at the White House Extreme Heat Summit.
Choinard’s expertise has been featured in more than 240 media articles between January 2024 and August 2025 across outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, NBC News, The Nevada Independent, and Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Regent Emeritus Jason Geddes Rising Researcher Award went to Dr. Kristin VanderMolen of DRI’s Division of Atmospheric Sciences. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on climate impacts—particularly on vulnerable communities—and includes projects related to heat risk education, wildfire smoke management strategies for households during compound events, air quality monitoring deployment in rural areas of Nevada, and communication about wildfire smoke exposure risks.
“I am honored to receive this award,” VanderMolen said. “I am also grateful for the recognition of research that is largely community and stakeholder-driven and that aims to address public needs.” In addition to recognition from the Board of Regents this year’s recipient receives $5,000 from the DRI Foundation toward further research.
Finally Dr. Vera Samburova was named Graduate Advisor of the Year following nominations by graduate students praising her passion for her field as well as her supportive approach: “Students often turn to her at any time of day for help with different issues knowing that they will receive thoughtful solutions and genuine support.” Dr. Samburova leads DRI’s Atmospheric Chemistry Group; her work addresses topics such as post-fire soils air pollution organic compounds toxic compounds found in e-cigarette users’ breath.
These awards reflect DRI’s ongoing commitment to fostering scientific discovery while supporting both internal community-building efforts among staff as well as public engagement around environmental science topics.