The DRI Foundation, the non-profit arm of DRI, is pleased to announce new members to its Board of Trustees. The DRI Foundation Board of Trustees work in close collaboration with DRI President Kumud Acharya and the Office of Advancement to engage and build relationships with new and existing supporters to further DRI’s work across Nevada and around the world.
A year-end donation, no matter the amount, provides immediate support for our scientists’ work and DRI’s strategic priorities. Here are five simple ways that you can help support DRI this giving season: Donate to mission support, gift curiosity lab season tickets to a loved one (or yourself!), donate appreciated stocks, make a qualified charitable distribution, and leave your legacy through a planned gift. Your support makes our important work possible. Thank you!
Recently, in celebration of Nevada Day, DRI highlighted the work that our scientists do across this great state. And while our home has been in Nevada since our founding in 1959, our work has grown to touch nearly every corner of the globe. Whether it’s analyzing ice cores in the Alps, working with local communities to ensure access to clean water in Ghana, or supporting K-12 educators as they bring high-quality, hands-on STEM education to Nevada's classrooms, the projects our scientists undertake are tied together by a common goal – to help create a more sustainable and resilient environment for all people to live, grow, and prosper.
Earlier this fall, the new Robert Z. Hawkins Foundation STEM Co-Lab officially opened at the DRI Northern Nevada Science Center. The Robert Z. Hawkins Foundation generously provided funding to support the purchase of the necessary materials and equipment for the STEM Co-Lab. This space will serve educators and students, host professional development workshops, and education events for the community.
Leonard and Sara Lafrance have pledged their support for the continuing work of DRI’s Center for International Water and Sustainability (CIWAS). Their two-year gift will support Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services in the North and North East Gonja District of the Savannah Region of Ghana. Specifically, this gift will fund project components that include WASH entrepreneurial empowerment for women, increased WASH services for health care facilities, well drilling for water access, water quality management, and overall project management.
The DRI Foundation is excited to announce that Eco Electrical Systems has joined the 2025 DRI Corporate Partners Program. Eco Electrical Systems has been designing and manufacturing bird guards for power lines for over 23 years. Their industry leading flame-retardant, track resistant and UV resistant products reduce avian and wildlife electrocutions, wildfires stemming from avian electrocution, and momentary and permanent power outages for some of the largest electric utilities. The Corporate Partners Program brings together a select group of organizations to collaborate with DRI leadership, scientists, engineers, and students.
The Teichert Foundation has generously provided support for DRI’s STEM Education Program to engage in a targeted STEM education outreach and engagement campaign in Washoe County, Nevada. This campaign will utilize three existing, bilingual Next Generation Science Standards aligned STEM kits that touch upon electricity, energy, and ecosystems topics, respectively. This campaign focuses on connecting with underserved PreK through third grade students and parents.
MGM Resorts International has generously donated funds to support the purchase of over 100 Pelican hard-sided cases for the DRI STEM Education Green Box Program. These cases will replace the hard-shell suitcases previously used to house these self-contained teaching kits.
Including DRI in your estate through a planned gift is a remarkable testament to your belief in the powerful impact of science to develop solutions to address how humans are impacting their environments and how the environment impacts humans. A planned gift could be a bequest in your will or living trust, a charitable remainder trust, or naming DRI as a beneficiary of a retirement plan fund, life insurance policy, or other.
Stanley Shumaker, a retired civil engineer and an amateur archaeologist, initiated the Geoarchaeology Lab Fund with a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) at the end of 2024. The fund will support Dr. Teresa Wriston’s Geoarchaeology Lab, and her research centering on how past cultures coped or adapted to changing environmental conditions.