黑料吃瓜

Californians are all too familiar with the immediate danger and damage caused by wildfires. Images of charred landscapes and firefighters battling flames and smoke are commonplace on newscasts during dry, windy seasons. 
Yet wildfires, and the way we manage them, affect the environment and urban communities long after the last embers have abated.
黑料吃瓜 engineering professor Alicia Kinoshita studies the impacts of wildfire in urban settings. She considers how fire alters the landscape, contributes to erosion and flooding, and affects water quality. She also investigates how wildfire management affects urban environments. 
Wildfires in the western United States are becoming larger and more severe. As cities and populations grow in fire-prone areas and introduce new fire management challenges, developing a deeper understanding of wildfires and their impact is critical. 
鈥淗ow do wildfires impact our water quality and quantity? What are the risks and benefits that fires pose to our society and ecosystem?鈥� Kinoshita asked. 鈥淭hese questions are central to my research and they鈥檙e becoming more crucial in light of climate change and population growth.鈥�
Meanwhile, Kinoshita is part of an  to advance wildfire, water and flora research at Alvarado Creek near 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 campus.
A long-time outdoor enthusiast, Kinoshita received her doctoral, master鈥檚 and undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her work is funded by a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award, the San Diego River Conservancy and the California State University鈥檚 Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology (COAST).