California Fire Science Seminar Series

Presenters:

• Crystal Kolden, Assistant Professor of Fire Science, University of California, Merced
• Jeanette Cobian-Iñiguez, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Merced
• Michael Gollner, Assistant Professor and Deb Faculty Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley

California has a long history of fire science and an even longer history of extensive fire, both natural and human in origin. Today, California is also the epicenter of increasing wildfire disasters, yielding calls for solutions to what has been termed the “wicked problem” of wildfire. Such solutions will likely need to be complex and interdisciplinary in nature, highlighting the utility of developing collaborative fire science partnerships and efforts across the state. Here, we visualize the strengths and opportunities for fire science across California in the hopes of seeding new ideas for cross-campus and collaborative partnerships between the broad spectrum of fire science practitioners across the state, as well as with the science communicators who seek to inform science-based management. We also highlight the need to train a diverse population of new fire scientists who will continue to tackle the unknowns of the discipline into the evolving future.