Firefighters battle part of the Smokehouse Creek Fire outside Miami, Texas, on March 2, 2024.
Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing Communications
Twenty experts from Texas A&M University will discuss wildfires and wildfire risk factors across the U.S. Texas A&M University faculty will provide insight into various aspects of wildfire outbreaks and response, from weather conditions to community planning and disaster mitigation strategies.
Weather, climate and wildfire outbreaks
John Nielsen Gammon is state climatologist and professor of atmospheric sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University. He is available to discuss the effects of weather conditions on wildfires, the effects of drought on wildfires, and the effects of climate change on wildfires. Contact: ng@tamu.edu, 979-862-2248
Luke Kanclerz is the director of predictive services for the Texas A&M Forest Service. He can speak to fire weather, fuel conditions and how weather and drought affect wildfires. Contact: lkanclerz@tfs.tamu.edu, 903-918-9073
Wildfires and power lines
B. Don Russell is a distinguished professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering who studies the role of power lines in igniting wildfires. As part of Texas A&M’s Texas Wildfire Mitigation Project, he works with power companies to detect threats and make the state’s power grid safer. Contact him at bdrussell@tamu.edu or 979-229-8963.
Economic impact of wildfires
David Anderson is a professor and livestock and food marketing economist at Texas A&M University. He is available to discuss the economic impacts of wildfires on farms, ranches and beef cattle markets. Contact: david.anderson@ag.tamu.edu, 979-845-4351
Human and Animal Health
Somin Chung is a professor in the Department of Public Service and Administration at the Bush Graduate School of Government and Public Service. Her research focuses on the unique health risks faced by wildfire responders, with a particular focus on monitoring the mental and physical health of wildfire firefighters. Contact her at somin@tamu.edu
Miquela Smith is a health specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Disaster Assessment and Recovery Unit. She is available to discuss the mental health aspects of wildfires on individuals and families, the impacts on farms and ranches, and resilience and recovery from disasters. Contact: miquela.smith@ag.tamu.edu, 806-746-6101
Jacob Dykes is a wildlife specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Corpus Christi. Dykes is available to discuss the meaning of wildfires and their impacts on wildlife, post-fire ecological responses that benefit wildlife, and more. Contact: Jacob.dykes@ag.tamu.edu, 361-265-9201
Wildfire
Jacob Donellan is the field operations division chief for the Texas A&M Forest Service. He is available to discuss response operations and firefighter mobilization. Contact: jdonellan@tfs.tamu.edu, 936-546-1383
Jason Keiningham is the director of capacity development for the Texas A&M Forest Service. He can help support fire departments and discuss grant funding opportunities. Contact: jkeiningham@tfs.tamu.edu, 979-985-4477
Wildfire Mitigation, Recovery, and Community Planning
Monty Dozier is the program director for the Texas A&M Agricultural Life Extension Service Disaster Assessment and Recovery Unit. He can speak to the impacts of wildfires and their effects on farms, ranches and infrastructure. Dozier led wildfire response efforts in the Texas Panhandle and established three animal supply depots that provide hay, feed and other assistance to producers in the region. Contact: monty.dozier@ag.tamu.edu, 979-458-9271
Bruce Woods is the Mitigation and Prevention Division Chief for the Texas A&M Forest Service. He is available to discuss mitigation and prevention programs, Community Wildfire Protection Grants, additional grant opportunities, defensible space and community risk reduction. Contact: bwoods@tfs.tamu.edu, 936-546-1485
Andy McCrady is a program coordinator for the Texas A&M Forest Service. He is available to consult on planned fires, planned fire training for landowners and partners, and hazardous fuels reduction. Contact: amccrady@tfs.tamu.edu, 936-689-9393
James Tate is an assistant professor of architecture in the Texas A&M University School of Architecture. He is co-principal investigator for FIRE-PLAN, a National Science Foundation-funded project evaluating wildfire impacts and mitigation strategies in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) of the southern U.S. Contact him at jtate@arch.tamu.edu
Siyu Yu is an assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. She is the Principal Investigator of FIRE-PLAN and a faculty fellow in the College of Architecture’s Disaster Reduction and Resilience Center (HRRC). Her experience spans land use, planning integration, and resilience issues in the U.S. and internationally. Contact: syu@arch.tamu.edu
Tara Goddard is an associate professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning who studies road safety and justice in wildfire evacuations. She is a co-principal investigator for FIRE-PLAN and a faculty fellow at HRRC. Contact her at goddard@tamu.edu
Michelle Meyer is director of the HRRC and an associate professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. Her research interests include disaster recovery and mitigation, environmental sociology and community sustainability, and the interplay between environmental conditions and social vulnerability. Contact her at mmeyer@arch.tamu.edu
Walter Gillis Peacock is a professor of urban planning and a faculty fellow at the HRRC. His research focuses on disaster evacuation, recovery, long-term recovery, and disaster mitigation and resilience. Contact: peacock@tamu.edu, 979-845-7835
Matt Malecha is an Assistant Professor of Education in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, a Faculty Fellow at HRRC, and a co-principal investigator for FIRE-PLAN. His research focuses on community resilience to natural hazards, specifically the role of planning, policy, and regulation and how they relate to a community’s demographic and geographic characteristics. Contact: mmalecha@arch.tamu.edu
Professor Galen Newman is chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, where he focuses on topics such as urban regeneration, land use science, spatial analysis, and community/city-scale design. He is a HRRC Faculty Fellow. Contact: gnewman@arch.tamu.edu
