DRI

STEM Education Program: Virtual Microplastics in the Great Basin Training
2026-05-20 16:30 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Have you ever heard of milk plastics? Or wanted to learn what happens when a plastic cup sinks to the bottom of a lake? Join us for the Microplastics professional development training where we will explore these topics and more! In this training, you will gain expertise in identifying, analyzing, and addressing the pervasive issue of microplastic pollution. Equip yourself with hands-on activities and resources to empower students with the knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on our planet’s health!
Although this training will cover middle school NGSS lessons, all interested formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 2 Continuing Education hours.
Please fill out the survey below to express interest. An email containing further information and a confirmation of attendance pre-survey will be sent two weeks before the training to confirm your attendance. A link to access the training will be sent once confirmation of attendance is confirmed. Click here to register: https://forms.gle/VX5vrw2jxY1z7RX97

What Lies Beneath: Stories of Obscured Truths and Quiet Dangers
2026-05-20 18:30 - 20:00 | DRI, Reno Campus, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
Join us for an evening that uncovers the dangers, truths, and meanings that often remain just out of sight. Through science, art, history, and personal reflection, this program invites you to look beneath the surface—at the hidden risks, overlooked details, and subtle forces that shape how we move through the world.
You’ll hear about efforts to detect threats earlier and more precisely, alongside stories that explore how a simple shift in perspective can alter our understanding of safety, meaning, and connection. Whether buried in the ground, embedded in memory, or woven into the fabric of daily life, the unseen has a profound impact on what we believe and how we act.
Come discover how looking closer—and looking differently—can transform what we think we know about the world and our place within it.
Refreshments & cocktails from 10 Torr Distillery and Brewery will be provided.
$15 – General Admission
$10 – Discounted Tickets for Students and Educators
Purchase Tickets!
Storytellers:
Justin Toller is a geophysicist at the Desert Research Institute, where he leads and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams on Department of Defense projects focused on detecting landmines and characterizing environments that challenge mobility and communication. Their work applies advanced geophysical techniques to address complex, real-world problems.
Justin holds a Masters of Science in Geophysics, a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Astronomy from Northern Arizona University, with minors in Philosophy and Mathematics. During his studies, he worked at Lowell Observatory as both an educator and research assistant, balancing research with delivering engaging science lectures to diverse audiences. This experience sparked a lasting passion for science communication, which he hoped to continue alongside his research. At the core of his work is a drive to learn, grow, and create positive change through science, education, and meaningful collaboration.

Dr. Kendra Isable is a recent graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno’s department of Anthropology. Her research investigates how socially constructed labels impact the distribution and quality of care and the ways in which that manifests in the human skeletal remains of African and African American individuals. As a first generation college student, Kendra has traversed academia for nearly a decade and a half, earning four degrees from three other academic institutions in southern California prior to her doctorate. As of late, Kendra works as the Assistant Academic Director at a local non-profit where she teaches English as a second language and assists with various administrative tasks to support the director and the institution as a whole. She remains committed to educating and supporting people in reaching their academic and professional goals while continuing her own learning journey in life.

Ryland Gower was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. He started playing the cello at 9 years old and has a passion for music. He is the principal cellist in the Reno Philharmonic Youth Strings Symphonia, the Reno High School String Quartet, and the Reno High School Chamber Orchestra. He recently attended the Villa Sinfonia Zephyr Point Chamber Music Camp at Lake Tahoe and the Oracle Music Festival in Arizona. This summer, Ryland will be attending the Lutheran Music Festival at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, the Sun Valley Chamber Music Festival in Idaho, and the Ruth Lenz and Amy Au Chamber Music Invitational in Reno. Dr. Luciana Gallo is Ryland’s instructor and mentor. When not playing the cello, Ryland enjoys serving as the incoming Sophomore Class President, playing pickleball, and listening to recordings of his favorite cellist, Jacqueline du Pré, perform the Elgar Cello Concerto. Ryland will be performing Tarantella for Cello by William Henry Squire. Squire composed it in 1896. It is arguably Squire’s most popular piece.
Thank you to our community partners Nevada Humanities
and our beverage sponsor 10 Torr Distillery and Brewery.

STEM Professional Development Training: Truckee River Watershed: Water Quality and Groundwater
2026-05-27 17:00 - 18:30 | Virtual
In partnership with the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, the Desert Research Institute STEM Education Program has created four virtual lessons! These virtual resources are flexible to allow for either self-directed student learning and exploration (flipped classroom) or teacher-directed instruction. This professional development training will lead educators through the online resources and allow educators to discuss how these resources could best be implemented in their classrooms.
Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Time: 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Location: Virtual
This training is open to K-12 formal and informal educators. Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 1.5 Continuing Education hours.
Click here to register: https://forms.gle/ZiM6cVC4J8qg9AMSA

From Curiosity to Creation – Artown Reno: Listen, Learn, Create
2026-07-15 17:00 - 20:00 | DRI, Reno Campus, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
Join us for DRI’s third Artown event: From Curiosity to Creation: Listen, Learn, Create, an immersive, hands-on FREE event where curiosity becomes your compass. Explore with DRI researchers who are your guides for discovery—experiment with scientific tools, dive into STEM and Nevada Robotics activities, and let those moments of wonder spark your own artwork. Through art materials and playful tinkering, you’ll transform what you learn into creations uniquely your own. Come ready to explore, make, and imagine alongside a community of fellow curiosity-seekers.
Refreshments & cocktails from 10 Torr Distillery and Brewery will be provided.
Register for this FREE event!
Thank you to our community partner Nevada Humanities
and our beverage sponsor 10 Torr Distillery and Brewery.

STEM Education Program: Reno Intro to Aviation
2026-08-03 09:00 - 16:30 | DRI, Reno Campus, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
In this overview of our newest aviation boxes, you’ll learn how to bring aviation topics into your classroom across a wide variety of grade levels. From basic paper airplane designs and flight tests to investigating Bernoulli’s principle, it’s never too early (or too late) to introduce students to this exciting workforce field. Training attendees will play the part of students, participating in hands on activities that promote problem solving, imagination, and teamwork while covering required physical science and engineering standards.
Although this training will cover 3rd grade and middle school NGSS lessons, all interested formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 7.5 Continuing Education hours. Please fill out the survey to register. Space is limited. A waitlist option will be added once capacity is reached.
Click here to register: https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/training-registration

STEM Education Program: Las Vegas Make, Create, Learn: Exploring the Possibilities of Cricut in Education Training
2026-08-22 08:00 - 11:00 | DRI, Las Vegas Campus, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89119, United States
Join us for a hands-on exploration of the Cricut cutting machine’s endless possibilities! This training is designed for educators who want to learn how to use Cricut to create engaging lessons, activities, and projects that foster creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. You’ll discover how Cricut can support your teaching goals and enhance student learning experiences.
All interested Pre-K-12 formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 3 Continuing Education hours. Please fill out the survey to register. Space is limited. A waitlist option will be added once capacity is reached.
Click here to register: https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/training-registration

From Curiosity to Creation – Las Vegas: Listen, Learn, Create
2026-09-16 17:30 - 20:00 | DRI, Las Vegas Campus, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89119, United States
Join us for From Curiosity to Creation: Listen, Learn, Create, an immersive, hands-on event where curiosity becomes your compass. Explore with DRI researchers who are your guides for discovery—experiment with scientific tools, dive into STEM and Nevada Robotics activities, and let those moments of wonder spark your own artwork. Through art materials and playful tinkering, you’ll transform what you learn into creations uniquely your own. Come ready to explore, make, and imagine alongside a community of fellow curiosity-seekers.
Arrive early and take time to explore the Atomic Museum. Curiosity Lab attendees receive free access to the exhibits from 5:00–6:30 p.m.
$15 – General Admission
$10 – Discounted Tickets for Students and Educators
Purchase Tickets!
Thank you to our community partners Nevada Humanities & Atomic Museum.

STEM Education Program: Reno Meeting the Future of Water in Northern Nevada
2026-09-19 09:00 - 13:00 | DRI, Reno Campus, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
Created in partnership with the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, this training will help teachers explore our two new Meeting the Future Green Boxes that help students learn about their local watershed and water systems, as well as careers in the water workforce. For our Water Management & Conservation Green Box, we’ll explore STEM activities and simulations that help students understand water policy, water management, and water conservation in the Truckee River watershed. Our Water System Engineers Green Box will explore water infrastructure and the engineering design process through hands-on, STEM challenges. Join us to create and test a pump, respond to Water Management Game scenarios, complete a water use and waste walk, and more!
While this training is focused on high school level curriculum, all interested formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 4 Continuing Education hours. Please fill out the survey to register. Space is limited. A waitlist option will be added once capacity is reached.
Special note: Washoe County School District teachers have the option to take Meeting the Future of Water in Northern Nevada and Wildfire Ecology and Carrying Capacity as part of a professional development series through MyPGS. By signing up and attending both trainings, you will earn 0.5 Continuing Education credits through MyPGS.
Click here to register: https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/training-registration

STEM Education Program: Las Vegas Meeting the Future of Water in Southern Nevada Training
2026-09-26 08:00 - 12:00 | DRI, Las Vegas Campus, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89119, United States
Created in partnership with Southern Nevada Water Authority, this training will help teachers explore our two new Meeting the Future Green Boxes that help students learn about their local watershed and water systems, as well as careers in the water workforce. For our Water Management & Conservation Green Box, we’ll explore STEM activities and simulations that help students understand water policy, water management, and water conservation in the Colorado River watershed. Our Water System Engineers Green Box will explore water infrastructure and the engineering design process through hands-on, STEM challenges. Join us to create and test a pump, respond to Water Management Game scenarios, complete a water use and waste walk, and more!
While this training is focused on high school level curriculum, all interested formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 4 Continuing Education hours. Please fill out the survey to register. Space is limited. A waitlist option will be added once capacity is reached.
Click here to register: https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/training-registration

Reading the Burn: Stories of Distance, Discovery, and Aftermath
2026-10-14 18:30 - 20:00 | DRI, Reno Campus, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
Join us for an evening that examines what destruction leaves behind—both visible and hidden, offering new insights into how landscapes transform long after the flames are gone. Complementing this scientific perspective, storytellers from the arts and humanities will share reflections on loss, renewal, and the unexpected forms of resilience that emerge from destruction. Together, these voices invite you to look more closely at the marks left by fire—and the stories they ignite.
Refreshments & cocktails from 10 Torr Distillery and Brewery will be provided.
$15 – General Admission
$10 – Discounted Tickets for Students and Educators
Purchase Tickets!
Thank you to our community partner Nevada Humanities
and our beverage sponsor 10 Torr Distillery and Brewery.

STEM Education Program: Reno Wildlife Ecology and Carrying Capacity training
2026-10-17 09:00 - 13:00 | DRI, Reno Campus, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
In this exploration of DRI’s wildfire curriculum, you will participate in hands-on activities, including interactive modeling, gamified simulations, and kinesthetic movement. These activities were created in collaboration with DRI’s environmental scientists to allow students to learn about the role of wildfire in Nevada’s sagebrush steppe ecosystem. In the process, you will have the opportunity to consider the strengths and strategies for using place-based phenomena to make science concepts relevant to students. You will also consider how these topics can apply across science disciplines (earth, physical, and life sciences) and STEAM subjects.
Although this training will cover middle school and high school NGSS lessons, all interested formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 4 Continuing Education hours. Please fill out the survey to register. Space is limited. A waitlist option will be added once capacity is reached.
Special note: Washoe County School District teachers have the option to take Meeting the Future of Water in Northern Nevada and Wildfire Ecology and Carrying Capacity as part of a professional development series through MyPGS. By signing up and attending both trainings, you will earn 0.5 Continuing Education credits through MyPGS.
Click here to register: https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/training-registration

STEM Education Program: Las Vegas Radon and Weather Training
2026-10-24 08:00 - 11:00 | DRI, Las Vegas Campus, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89119, United States
Bring real-world environmental science to life with engaging, hands-on investigations that reveal how radon moves through the environment and how weather factors impact radon levels. Educators will explore how air and water move through different soil types and discuss how these processes influence radon movement, practice using radon detectors, and rotate through weather stations that model temperature, pressure, and cloud formation through simple, engaging demonstrations. The training will highlight ready-to-use resources to help students understand radon risks and mitigation strategies in their own communities.
While this training is focused on middle school level curriculum, all interested formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 3 Continuing Education hours. Please fill out the survey to register. Space is limited. A waitlist option will be added once capacity is reached.
Click here to register: https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/training-registration

Vanishing Point: Stories of Depths, Disappearance, and Ghosts Beneath the Surface
2026-10-28 18:30 - 20:00 | DRI, Las Vegas Campus, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89119, United States
Join us for an evening steeped in mystery and shadow as we explore the stories that linger where certainty fades. This event invites you into the realm of unsolved puzzles, elusive evidence, and the echoes of lives that slipped beneath the surface.
Woven alongside this scientific investigation, storytellers will share tales of forgotten histories, spectral memories, and the thin veil between what we know and what we can only imagine. Held near Halloween, Vanishing Point invites you to sit with the uncanny—where disappearances raise questions, remnants whisper back, and the past flickers like a ghost just out of view.
Arrive early and take time to explore the Atomic Museum. Curiosity Lab attendees receive free access to the exhibits from 5:00–6:30 p.m.
$15 – General Admission
$10 – Discounted Tickets for Students and Educators
Purchase Tickets!
Thank you to our community partners Nevada Humanities & Atomic Museum.

STEM Education Program: Reno Play-Powered Learning: Makey Makey, MicroBits, and Snap Circuits for Elementary Classrooms Training
2026-11-07 08:00 - 12:00 | DRI, Reno Campus, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
Explore the playful power of Makey Makey, Micro:Bits, and Snap Circuits—three affordable, safe, and engaging tools that turn everyday curiosity into real‑world science, math, art, and language learning. Participants will experience a basic Makey Makey banana piano, program a simple LED blink on a Micro:Bits controller, and snap together a basic circuit with Snap Circuits, all while seeing how each can support grade‑appropriate lessons. Training 8:00am-12:00pm, optional workshop 12:00pm-1:00pm.
All interested Pre-K-12 formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 4 Continuing Education hours. Please fill out the survey to register. Space is limited. A waitlist option will be added once capacity is reached.
Click here to register: https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/training-registration

STEM Education Program: Las Vegas Play-Powered Learning: Makey Makey, MicroBits, and Snap Circuits for Elementary Classrooms Training
2026-11-07 08:00 - 12:00 | DRI, Las Vegas Campus, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89119, United States

STEM Education Program: Las Vegas Fission, Fusion, and Radioactive Decay Training
2026-11-14 08:00 - 11:00 | DRI, Las Vegas Campus, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89119, United States
Discover how to bring nuclear science to life with DRI’s STEM Education professional development training! This immersive experience puts educators in the role of learners as they build and observe cloud chambers, act out fission and fusion with physical materials, and model radioactive decay through probability-based coin toss investigations. Educators will leave with practical strategies and ready-to-use resources to engage students in complex nuclear science topics with real-world relevance.
Although this training will cover high school level curriculum, all interested formal and informal educators are welcome to attend! Educators who attend the session will be eligible for up to 3 Continuing Education hours. Please fill out the survey to register. Space is limited. A waitlist option will be added once capacity is reached.
Click here to register: https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/training-registration
