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EHS Science National Honor Society students assess Colorado wildfire risks
During the summer of 2020, as wildfires ravaged the western United States, including Colorado, students in the Eaglecrest High School Science National Honor Society conducted a sophisticated community service project to assess potential fire risks to Colorado communities and forests. Their work was eventually published and presented at an international conference.
“In their collaborative teams, over 100 students learned to obtain, manage, assess and apply actual scientific data using various advanced software programs,” said Kathryn de Venecia, SNHS advisor.
The students recognized that unhealthy vegetation and drought conditions needed to be evaluated. Assisted by consulting engineering mentors from BAE Systems, students completed a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) virtual community service project using high-tech tools including multi-spectral imagery analyses to delineate and measure polygons of unhealthy vegetation with geospatial identification. The students imported data into additional software applications for visual comparative analyses and trend assessments. They worked on the project at the same time the largest wildfires in Colorado history were raging just west of their project location.
“The whole experience was really interesting and fascinating because it gives a great glimpse into real applications of technologies and how using remote sensing, I can impact the world on my own,” said EHS senior William Zhang.
“In applying research, technology, communication, analyses and writing skills, teams successfully achieved project goals,” said EHS senior Angel Tejawijaya.
The students’ findings were significant, showing extreme drought conditions and substantial fuel sources from tree loss due to infestation and disease, which continue to threaten forested areas to the east and south of the 2020 burn locations in Grand County, Colorado. Results of trend analyses could influence fire prediction and prevention of future destruction, leading to better environmental outcomes and the preservation of habitats and property.
Students created two interactive reports (https://arcg.is/1WXHq0 and https://arcg.is/1TrTHj0) to share their findings in hopes to help prevent future devastation by raising awareness of potential risk in vulnerable wildfire areas.
“This project is powerful and crucial because it brings more awareness through the actual participation and learning to better resolve issues as a community,” Zhang said.
“However, additional research and public awareness are needed to further understand complexities of wildfires for future prevention,” Tejawijaya added.
This student work was accepted and published in July for the “2021 Esri User Conference” Map Gallery, which was virtually attended by thousands of people around the world (https://www.esri.com/en-us/about/events/uc/plan/virtual-map-gallery#/submission-detail/60b8fbc309cb870011a65694). Recent interests attained by professional businesses further support the importance of collaborative STEM community service projects.
"It is the responsibility of all members of a community to understand the causes and consequences of wildfire. The honors students at Eaglecrest High School completed excellent research and analysis of this data and reported it in a way that is interactive and easy for the public to relate to and understand,” said Krystal Steward, the Administrative Manager of Grand Lake Fire. “I look forward to seeing what they can accomplish in the future."
Posted 11/4/2021.