The Brandys Environmental Science and Technology Academy (BEST Academy) is a volunteer organization focused on climate research for the Las Vegas Valley. It was founded in 2026.
BEST Academy does its own primary research. It measures the valley with its own sensor stations and turns the results into papers, free public lectures, and plant lists that homeowners, landscapers, nurseries and community groups can use.
For more than 40 years OEHCS has worked on safety and environmental protection: industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, mold investigation and remediation, asbestos and lead inspections, OSHA and EPA compliance, and expert testimony. Its work rests on primary scientific research.
Reference books published by OEHCS
Worldwide Exposure Standards for Mold and Bacteria (2003; 9th edition 2011)
Post-Remediation Verification and Clearance Testing for Mold and Bacteria (2005)
Global Occupational Exposure Limits for Over 6,000 Specific Chemicals (2005; 5th edition 2014)
International Indoor Air Quality Standards and Guidelines for Over 2,000 Chemicals and Biological Substances (2010)
In-Field Test Methods and Reference Standards for Portable High Efficiency Air Filtration (PHEAF) Equipment (2011)
Quantifying Bacteria Levels in Category 1, 2 and 3 Water. Indoor Environment Connections, 2007.
Interlaboratory Variability in Spore Trap Analysis. Indoor Environment Connections, 2007.
A Large-Scale Study of Real-World Comparison of Mold Sample Analysis by Seven Laboratories. Indoor Environment Connections, 2007.
Brandys R. and L. Robertson. A Multi-Laboratory Comparative Study of Spore Trap Analysis. Mycologia, 2010.
Primary research: testing portable HEPA air filtration
Are Your HEPA Filters Doing What You Expect Them To? Indoor Environment Connections, 2007.
Brandys R., D. Walsh and D. Baxter. Comparison of In-Field Efficiency of 3 Different Types of Portable HEPA Filter Equipment by Laser Particle Counter, Condensation Particle Counter and Light Microscopy Particle Counting. OEHCS Publications, 2011.
Brandys R., D. Newcomer, P. LaPuma and A. Northcross. Capture Efficiency of Portable High-Efficiency Air Filtration Devices Used During Building Construction Activities. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 15(4), 2018.
Brandys R., D. Newcomer, et al. Measuring Airflow Through the Portable High-Efficiency Air Filtration (PHEAF) Device to Assess Reliability of Instrument and Sample Location. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 69(6), 2019.
BEST Academy carries the same commitment to primary scientific research into the climate of the Las Vegas Valley: dedicated scientific research, and sharing the information to answer questions and solve problems.
What we study
Climate change in the valley
How summer heat and warm nights are changing, and how far backyard climates differ from the airport (KLAS) record.
Chill hours
Winter chill by neighborhood, why airport data should not be used to estimate it, and a branch-level study on fruit trees.
Precipitation and water
Rainfall, evaporation, irrigation timing and how much extra water each plant needs.
Geological history
Southwest climate history over millions of years, the Younger Dryas, the Grand Canyon, and caliche under valley yards.
Biological parameters of native species
Heat, warm-night, drought and establishment tolerance for 308 plants, and their home climates.
Sun and UV
Measuring sunlight and UV dose in desert yards, and what “full sun” really means in Las Vegas.
Microclimates
How walls, shade, reflected light and plant cover create cooler, wetter pockets where more can grow.
Urban heat
How roofs, heat pumps, electric vehicles and rooftop solar add to or reduce the heat over the valley.
Air and health
Air pollution and its effects on health, building on decades of environmental health work.
How we work
Volunteer and free. Lectures, papers and plant lists are free. BEST Academy sells no products.
Developing standards and guidelines for microclimates, irrigation, UV exposure, native plant selection, recommended trees, establishing wildlife habitats, garden safety and ergonomics, and other state-of-the-art environmental science.
Open results. Papers are posted on ResearchGate where anyone can read them.
Working with the community. Master Gardeners, local nurseries and an experimental orchard help test what we find.
Our lecture series
“Planting for the Future in Las Vegas”: ten free lectures.
1. Climate Change in Las Vegas
2. Why Do Full-Sun Plants Die in Las Vegas?
3. Las Vegas Geology: Caliche
4. When to Water: Irrigation Strategies
5. What Is a Native Plant? What Is a Genetically-Appropriate Plant?
Las Vegas Native Species Climate Matrix: A Scoring Framework for Plant Selection Under 2030 and 2040 Climate Projections
Arctomecon (Bear Poppy) Chill Hours and the Historical Climate of Las Vegas
Optimal Irrigation Timing and Practices for Desert Landscapes in Las Vegas, Nevada
Absolute Humidity as an Accessible Microclimate Metric: The Vapor-Pressure-Deficit Pathway to Leaf-Margin Scorch in Arid Landscapes
UV Brightening and Plant Damage in Las Vegas
A Proposed UV Energy Definition of Full Sun
Quantifying Cumulative Ultraviolet Radiation Dose in Desert Microclimates: A Gaussian Model and Peak-Weighted Shade Factor Classification System for the Las Vegas Valley
Quantitative UV and Sunlight Exposure Mapping for Climate-Adapted Urban Landscaping in Las Vegas, Nevada
Facilitation Ecology and Engineered Microclimate Design: Applying the Stress Gradient Hypothesis to Residential Desert Landscapes
Evapotranspiration Trapping at Low Atmospheric Levels: A Thermodynamic Analysis of Residential Microclimate Cooling
Heat in the city
Residential Roof Color, Attic Heat Discharge, and Anthropogenic Heat Loading in the Las Vegas Valley Airshed
Residential Heat Pump Adoption and Nocturnal Atmospheric Cooling in the Las Vegas Valley
Rooftop Photovoltaics and the Urban Heat Island in the Las Vegas Valley
Electric Vehicle Adoption and Transport-Related Anthropogenic Heat in the Urban Heat Island: A First-Order Engineering Assessment for Las Vegas, Nevada
Climate history of the Southwest
Las Vegas Climate Change and Its Relationship to the California Central Valley
Anthropogenic Climate Forcing in the American Southwest: From the Colorado River Compact to the Modern Megadrought
Post-Younger Dryas Climate Evolution of the American Southwest: 12,800 Years of Natural Variability from Megadrought to the Colorado River Compact
Hurricane-Driven Erosion and Coupled Isostatic Dynamics of the Grand Canyon–Gulf of California System: A Quantitative Model for Pliocene Landscape Evolution
Air and health
Combustion Aerosols as an Underrecognized Contributor to the Twentieth-Century Coronary Heart Disease Epidemic
Fine Particulate Air Pollution (PM2.5) and Violent Behavior: A Review of Emerging Evidence
Chronic Low-Level VOC Exposure from Fragranced Consumer Products: Neurological Effects and Cognitive Decline. A Systematic Review
Atmospheric Diffusion of Coal Smoke and Its Relationship to Consumption Mortality in London and Vegetation Damage in France, c. 1654–1665
Primary Researcher at BEST Academy. PhD in environmental safety and health, master’s in public health, and degrees in environmental and thermomechanical engineering. He has published more than 40 scientific papers and books. Designs and conducts scientific climate assessment studies using custom-built microclimate monitoring stations, statistically analyzes the data, and writes the research papers.
Master Gardener, University of Nevada, Reno Extension. Native plant enthusiast and guest lecturer for BEST Academy. She currently raises more than 100 different native species in Las Vegas, collects seed from 40 of them, and makes that seed available free to the public.
Contact
For questions, lecture updates, research collaboration or copies of papers, email BEST Academy:
Gardens.by.Gail.vegas@gmail.com
Facebook: “Brandys Environmental Science and Technology Academy (BEST Academy)”.
BEST Academy