For media: Experts available to discuss topics related to Los Angeles wildfires

Colorado State University has numerous experts available to discuss a variety of issues related to the historic wildfires occurring in Los Angeles, including insights about the health dangers of smoke and how civil engineers can model a wildfire’s path through urban environments.  

To arrange interviews, please contact Allison Sylte at [email protected] or call 720-849-1907.  

Sheryl Magzamen, professor of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences 

Magzamen is an air quality expert who studies the impacts of wildfire smoke on respiratory and cardiovascular health.  

Hussam Mahmoud, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering  

Mahmoud specializes in natural disasters and infrastructure resilience, with a focus on wildfire prediction and community-level damage assessment. He developed a model that can predict how fire will travel through a community and which buildings will burn. 

Luke Montrose, assistant professor of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences 

Montrose is an environmental toxicologist with research interests in public health, epigenetics, and chronic illness, particularly as it relates to vulnerable and understudied populations. A primary focus of the Montrose lab is studying the negative health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure among communities and workers (e.g., wildland firefighters). 

Jeff Pierce, professor of Atmospheric Science 

Pierce is an atmospheric chemist who studies how air pollution, such as wildfire smoke, affects human health.  

Satellite imagery of fires available:  

CSU’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) has numerous high-quality satellite images available for media use depicting the growth and location of the Los Angeles fires.  

These visuals are available for download here: https://satlib.cira.colostate.edu/daily/  

Media can also find the latest imagery on CIRA’s X account.