Desert Research Institute gets $2 million grant for environmental education

Desert Research Institute has received a $2 million federal grant to prepare students and teachers with skills in clean energy, waste management and pollution clean-up. 

The grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management will be used for the Las Vegas institute’s STEM Education Program.

DRI’s education program is partnering with the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation at the Atomic Museum for a project to help students build skills related to the Nevada National Security Site, according to a news release. 

“DRI is honored that the DOE recognizes the important work of our team in Nevada’s students for the careers of the future,” Monica Gehrig, the DRI’s STEM education training and outreach administrator, said in a statement.

The funding will introduce middle and high school students to concepts that will benefit Nevada’s future environmental health, Gehrig said. 

DRI scientists from the Community Environmental Monitoring Program, which monitors the air and groundwater for man-made radioactivity, and the Cultural Resources Management Program, which works with the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office and Environmental Management Nevada to protect NNSS cultural resources, will also partner with the STEM Education program to create education kits known as Green Boxes. 

The STEM Education Program team will work with the CRMP and DRI’s Tribal Liaison for the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe to incorporate Indigenous perspectives, field trip presentations and professional development. The project is expected to reach more than 38,000 students in the state. 

During the next three years, the organizations will distribute Green Boxes to schools throughout the state, according to a news release.

Educator development trainings on new curricula will also be conducted. Educators and students will attend fields to DRI and the Atomic Museum.

“This opportunity will open the Atomic Museum to thousands of underserved students within our community,” said Matthew Malinowski, the Atomic Museum director of education. 

The museum will design new interactive exhibits and hands-on engagements to enhance career connections, Malinowski said. 

“We are privileged to work with our education partners at DRI on this project to inspire the next generation of innovators,” Malinowski said.