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Clockwise from top left: Kaiden Farthing, Saharat Buntha, Andrew Hsu, Carter Eads, John Henkel, Jalen Banks, Mia Fisher, Audrey Shillinger and Brianna Rea. Not pictured: Carter Burns, Caden Feller, Branden Hough.
Clockwise from top left: Kaiden Farthing, Saharat Buntha, Andrew Hsu, Carter Eads, John Henkel, Jalen Banks, Mia Fisher, Audrey Shillinger and Brianna Rea. Not pictured: Carter Burns, Caden Feller, Branden Hough.
Clockwise from top left: Kaiden Farthing, Saharat Buntha, Andrew Hsu, Carter Eads, John Henkel, Jalen Banks, Mia Fisher, Audrey Shillinger and Brianna Rea. Not pictured: Carter Burns, Caden Feller, Branden Hough.
Twelve undergraduate and graduate students in engineering and science will begin research projects this fall on topics ranging from AI wildfire detection to insect adipose tissue signaling, funded through an engineering-led EPSCoR program.
Harnessing the Data Revolution for Fire Science (HDRFS) is a statewide research, education and workforce development program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). HDRFS is designed to strengthen Nevada’s research capacity and competitiveness in wildfire science and related fields.

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The five-year program, which also involves the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Desert Research Institute, was established in 2022 with a $20 million NSF ESPCoR grant. Engineering Associate Dean Fred Harris is the project’s statewide director, and computer science Professor Alireza Tavakkoli leads the project at the University of Nevada, Reno.
“One of the most important outcomes of HDRFS is building the next generation of researchers and innovators,” Tavakkoli said. “These students are tackling complex challenges that span wildfire science, artificial intelligence, engineering and biology, while gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge research.”
HDRFS is primarily a research grant focused on wildfire science, but part of the funding supports student research and training. Twelve graduate and undergraduate students from the University are supported in 2026: Jalen Banks, Saharat Buntha, Carter Burns, Carter Eads, Kaiden Farthing, Caden Feller, Mia Fisher, John Henkel, Branden Hough, Andrew Hsu, Brianna Rea and Audrey Schillinger.
Descriptions of the students’ projects are provided below. Information on Carter Burns’ project was not available at press time.
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