# Wildfire and Human Health in a Changing Climate

> **NIH NIH R25** · OREGON MUSEUM OF SCIENCES AND INDUSTRY · 2024 · $268,921

## Abstract

Project Summary
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), in collaboration with partners at Oregon MESA (MESA),
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and the World Forestry Center (WFC), proposes Wildfires and
Human Health in a Changing Climate, a project to promote public understanding of environmental health
research and its relevance to the health impacts of large and severe wildfires. This project is made possible by
a five-year Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Project deliverables include:
 Bilingual (Spanish/English) 1,400 ft.2 traveling exhibition
 Project website
 Educators’ guide for museum staff and classroom teachers
The exhibition and programs will focus on current research on the health impacts of large and severe wildfires,
and will reach a national audience of family visitors, with a special emphasis on youth underrepresented in
STEM ages 11–17. The project will be developed biculturally and bilingually (Spanish/English) to provide
accessibility to Latine and Spanish-preferring audiences. The visitor experiences will be co-developed with
youth using a human centered design process and tested with youth and family audiences.
The project has four specific aims that primarily target youth (ages 11–17) and their families:
 Foster public understanding of the health impact of wildfire and smoke exposure, especially on
 vulnerable and sensitive populations.
 Promote health strategies to assess risks and minimize harms of wildfire and smoke exposure.
 Foster public understanding of how land use practices and climate change contribute to more
 catastrophic wildfires.
 Promote and explore strategies to mitigate and adapt to wildfire and climate change, especially in fire
 management and forest restoration.
A collaborative, multidisciplinary team from MESA, OHSU, and WFC, with OMSI personnel with expertise in
informal science education and bilingual exhibit development, will work together to ensure that current science
is accurately interpreted and effectively presented to reach intended audiences. The project will foster better
public understanding of the health impacts of large and severe wildfires, and awareness of its causes and
strategies for mitigation and adaptation. Visitors will explore wildfire and human health through a variety of
forms—multisensory hands-on interactive exhibits, graphic panels, real objects, personal stories from frontline
communities, and an accompanying website. Following the project’s five-year development, the exhibition will
begin an eight-year national tour, reaching more than one million people.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10888171
- **Project number:** 5R25GM150140-02
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON MUSEUM OF SCIENCES AND INDUSTRY
- **Principal Investigator:** VICTORIA JEAN COATS
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $268,921
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10888171

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10888171, Wildfire and Human Health in a Changing Climate (5R25GM150140-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10888171. Licensed CC0.

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