Guiding Innovation with Fire Service Research

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT

Location: Junior Ballroom C

Presenter(s)

Ray C. Ivie

Director
TEEX Testing & Innovation Center
College Station, Texas

Poster Presenter(s)

Jenna Yentes, PhD

Associate Professor
Texas A&M University
Benjamin S. Miller

Training Manager Online Continued Education/Technology
Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service/ESTI
North Zulch, Texas
Ashley Watson, Firefighter/Paramedic, Functional Medicine BSN RN

Driver-Engineer/Paramedic
Euless Fire Department, Healthology Functional Medicine for Firefighters, TCFP Health & Wellness Committee
Aledo, Texas
Rachael Brady

Deputy Director of Research
ALERTCalifornia | UC San Diego
Ross Puritty

Founder & CEO
Hotwash
New Haven, Connecticut
Hunter Ray, PhD

Researcher
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Adrian Kombe

Student Researcher
Harvard University
Swarnamouli Majumdar

Founder and CEO
Zenext AI
Montreal, Quebec
Praveen Manimangalam, DBA (Candidate), MBA, MSBA

Doctoral Candidate & Innovator – Drone Tree Network (Patent Pending)
Florida International University
Irving, Texas
Abi Rolfson

iSite Project Coordinator
Indiana University RedLab
Daniel I. Pineda, PhD

Associate Professor
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

This session is all about using fire service research to spark meaningful innovation. We will look at how universities, advisors, and academic partners help departments solve real-world problems by connecting the lab with the field in practical ways. The conversation highlights where research is shaping the fire service already, where new opportunities are opening up, and how departments can work with .EDU partners to take good ideas from pilot to practice faster. If you come, you will leave knowing how to tap into academic partnerships as a force multiplier, turning fresh evidence into practical tools, smart policies, and strategies that actually improve fireground safety and everyday decision making.