Overview
Students engage in a blend of theoretical and hands-on learning that moves beyond traditional textbook study:
• Foundational Science: The curriculum covers heat transfer, fuel loads, and topography.
• Physical and Digital Modeling: Students build tabletop simulations using sand, fans, and heat sources to visualize how slope and wind affect fire. They also create digital terrain maps and compare real-world data from local vegetation samples—such as grass and branches—to digital simulations.
• Data Analysis: The project involves analyzing historical wildfire maps from the fire department, which allows students to identify patterns and transition from being "science people" to advocates and storytellers.
The Process
A pivotal method used in the lab was the analysis of historical wildfire maps provided by the local fire department. By examining where and how fires had moved in the past, students transitioned from basic scientific study to identifying complex patterns that "tell stories" about the region. This allowed them to move beyond general theories of heat transfer to understand how fire behaves in their specific local context.
Geospatial Mapping and Digital Simulation. Students employed digital terrain mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to visualize risk. Supported by City Environmental Services, they developed:
• Digital fire prediction models: These were used to compare real-world vegetation data against simulated scenarios.
• Layered risk maps: Students created maps that integrated topography, weather patterns, and local vegetation data to show fire probability under varying wind conditions.
• Predictive modeling: The project involved an iterative process of refining these digital models with updated weather patterns and new data sets to improve accuracy over time.
Qualitative Research and Observational Fieldwork
The lab integrated qualitative scientific methods, such as interviewing and field observation, to provide context to their quantitative data.
• Incident Report Reviews: Students visited fire stations to analyze firefighter incident reports, which provided insights into professional decision-making under pressure.
• Expert and Community Interviews: The students recorded video interviews with firefighters and held sessions with community members to capture personal accounts of evacuations. They treated this "listening" as a specific scientific discipline that shaped the questions they asked in their research.
Iterative Experimental Design and Variable Control
The students practiced rigorous experimental design by identifying and controlling specific variables such as slope, wind speed, and fuel moisture. Because "real science is full of uncertainty," a core method used was data verification and debugging. When simulations crashed or data sets proved inaccurate—such as one instance involving faulty wind readings—students had to use iterative methods to recalibrate their models and ensure the accuracy of their findings before presenting them to the public