We offer life-long learning opportunities

to improve communities and to help people to live better lives.

Training citizen scientists to fight climate change

In disturbed meadows, soil carbon can be decomposed by microbes, producing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. To find out if restoring meadows increases their ability to retain and store carbon, Ben Sullivan recruited about 75 volunteers from northern California and the Reno area, including a student organization at Hug High School in Reno; students in a University of Nevada, Reno English composition class on "Science and Society;" and students from the University of California, Berkeley Forestry Camp. Together, they studied four meadows in the Truckee River watershed. This increased scientific literacy of area students and residents, engaged citizens in the scientific method and improved our understanding of how carbon stocks in meadow vegetation change from the forest to the stream.

Learn more about our citizen scientists

University students using the museum's insect collection

Museum combines research and outreach in an eclectic space

The curious and eclectic Museum of Natural History houses an impressive collection of preserved plants and animals from Nevada and beyond, dating as far back as 1851. The animal collection was in storage until Beth Leger and a colleague visited the storage unit one Halloween night. They decided then that it must be shared with the scientific community and the public. So, they united the plant and animal collections on campus and created University’s first museum of natural history. The museum is open to the public, hosts classroom tours and summer camps, participates in campus and community events, and is packed during the University’s annual Day at the Museum. The only one of its kind in the state, this unique and important resource for understanding Nevada’s natural heritage continues to gain momentum as a space for outreach, teachers and researchers.

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Bringing scientists, stakeholders together to plan field station

Franco Biondi was awarded a grant to explore the establishment of a Field Station for research- and academic-oriented field work that could potentially take place at three Spring Valley sites in close proximity to Great Basin National Park in White Pine County. The Great Basin features a range of ecosystems and natural features at varying elevations, plus a surprising number of plant and tree species. With the possible development of a Spring Valley Field Station, there may be a greater opportunity to study its diverse, high-desert setting, which encompasses much of Nevada. Biondi held a workshop with scientists and stakeholders to explore potential and future fieldwork on the wonders and biodiversity of the basin. This biodiversity and the range of elevations in the Great Basin make it ideal to intersect with Biondi's work, which focuses on trees.

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Researchers test pet food for mercury at CABNR lab

How much mercury in popular dog and cat foods?

After a University of Nevada, Reno project found mercury in pet food, a new research team is taking a closer look. The team is led by Mae Gustin and includes Sarrah Dunham-Cheatham, Mike Teglas and Lindsay Chichester. They want to learn more about what is really in pet foods and help people to make informed decisions when purchasing food for their pets. Their objectives are to determine the total amount of mercury in pet foods and how much is present as methylmercury (the toxic compound that can have negative health impacts), determine if the ingredients listed on the label are really what is in the food and share their results. The project is crowd-funded, and the public can donate to help its cause. Pet owners can even donate a sample of their pet's food, ensuring that they receive information about the products important to them and to their pet's health and happiness.

Learn more about our pet food mercury research

Taking Molecules on the Road to Nevada schools

Marjorie Matocq has taken her lesson plan on tour with her Molecules on the Road weeklong program for Nevada high school students and teachers. The primary goal of the program is to awaken the minds of young scientists, and the program helps teachers too. Participants get to extract and test their own DNA using cheek swabs. They gain hands-on experience with modern genetic tools, and they learn something about the relationship between their genes and the outward traits that make them who they are. Science teachers get a refresher course on modern biotechnology and genetics research that can inspire them to create new curricula. This gives teachers some tools to design different programs for themselves and helps kids to realize that science is cool and is something they can do.

Learn more about Molecules on the Road