Lofgren Applauds Over $200,000 in Funding for San Jose State University to Improve Wildfire Science

SAN JOSE, CA – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) will provide a $201,993 grant to San Jose State University (SJSU) to research wildfire behavior.

Under the grant, SJSU researchers will conduct field experiments to study how fires can develop and spread explosively in steep canyons.

"Across the West, fire seasons continue to get longer and more destructive.," said Rep. Lofgren. "I'm proud of the groundbreaking work that SJSU and its Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center do to improve wildfire science and prediction tools. The research conducted with this funding will improve our understanding of how wildfires spread and will help save lives and property."

This funding comes from the NSF's Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) funding. Government funding legislation for FY22, which Rep. Lofgren supported, increased funding for NSF's research activities by $243.6 million. Rep. Lofgren has consistently supported increased federal investment in scientific research, including in wildfire science. Rep. Lofgren previously secured $1.15 million in Community Project Funding for SJSU's Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center in FY22 government funding legislation.

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