Colorado State University students were awarded the top two prizes out of 80 posters presented at the Association of Fire Ecology (AFE) Congress in Orlando, Florida last week.

Scott Ritter and Alex Masarie, Ph.D. candidates in Forest Sciences, received first and second place respectively for their poster presentations at the event held only every two to three years. Their presentations were judged by a team of researchers seeking originality, quality and validity in the visual representation of research.

Scott Ritter, Ph.D. Candidate, Forest Sciences

Ritter’s first-place poster reported on findings from his physics-based modeling project that assesses how fine scale forest structure influences crown fire behavior. This was the first time he presented on this project.

“I was definitely asked some tough questions by the judging committee that were helpful in contextualizing my work,” he said. “At times the modeling work we do can seem somewhat removed from reality, but it was great to explain how this work is relevant to forest ecology and management to people from a variety of backgrounds.”

Ritter’s adviser Associate Professor Chad Hoffman has been a poster presentation judge in the past and knows the quality of work both the research and the presentation requires for national recognition.

“Scott is an effective communicator and his poster was well done and very well received,” said Hoffman. “His research is exciting and is a much needed first step in understanding how we can do fuel hazard management at smaller scales.”

Alex Masarie, Ph.D. candidate, Forest Sciences

Alex Masarie’s second-place poster reported on his modeling research that studies efficient allocation of fire suppression personnel and equipment to incidents nationwide. This was the eighth time he has presented on this project during its various stages since 2015.

“It was great to demonstrate these esoteric math modeling methods, and have this group of fire management practitioners as well as other scientists appreciate what our team learned,” Masarie said. “My crazy math talk might be an agent for change via its dexterity to untangle the complex human/fire ecosystem.”

Associate Professor Yu Wei agrees that it’s not always easy to explain their field of research, but his student is also an effective communicator across the board.

“Alex is very talented in proposing and discovering innovative ideas in challenging research environments.” Wei explained. “He’s dedicated and has high standards in developing state-of-the-art quantitative models and implementing them to support real world wildfire management decisions.”