By Anna Heiney
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Dr. Dave Breininger has long been a champion of conservation at the Florida spaceport.
Breininger is a senior scientist on the Kennedy Space Center Environmental and Medical Contract (KEMCON) supporting Kennedy Space Center’s Ecological Program. On March 7, he was recognized as Kennedy’s 2016 Scientist of the Year, accepting the award from Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.
“During the past two years, Dr. Dave Breininger has demonstrated outstanding scientific and leadership skills in support of the KSC Environmental Management Branch Ecological Program,” the award citation reads. “His internationally recognized technical expertise has been instrumental in negotiations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Office for favorable biological opinions and permitting requirements associated with protected species and their habitats at the space center.”
“Dave’s experience, knowledge and leadership continually contribute to the NASA mission of sustainable space exploration.”
Kennedy Space Center shares boundaries with the 140,000-acre Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Here, space technology and a workforce of several thousand people must carefully coexist with several hundred species of animals and plants.
Breininger began working at Kennedy in 1978 while studying for his master’s thesis. His interest in endangered species management and the relationship between population size and habitat quality was piqued in the early years of the Space Shuttle Program when the eastern indigo snake, Florida scrub-jay and southeastern beach mouse all were listed as threatened species. These species were headed toward extinction due to rapid habitat loss as a result of land development and wildfire suppression throughout the state of Florida.
Breininger has studied these species and their habitat requirements at Kennedy and throughout east central Florida, supporting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state recovery efforts while ensuring Kennedy continued to protect and preserve these species.
Today he works closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the development of a prescribed-burn program that enhances the habitat for its resident animals and plants while reducing the chance of wildfires that could impact space program facilities and operations. Breininger is recognized internationally as an expert on this topic, having published more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific articles, book chapters and reports in addition to providing numerous professional and educational presentations.
Breininger received the University of Central Florida Outstanding Alumni Knight Award and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Regional Director’s Conservation Award in 2016.
Actively involved in education outreach and community service, Breininger serves on graduate committees at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne and University of Central Florida in Orlando, where he is a research associate.
He has served on several endangered species recovery teams and other conservation organizations, such as the Florida Institute of Conservation Science, Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Selection and Management Committee, and Allen Broussard Conservancy. Breininger has collaborated with the Brevard Zoo and helped develop education materials for public display and for use by students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
As a senior scientist at Kennedy, he mentors staff in the use of modern statistical practices, modeling techniques, and field experiment design.
“I feel very lucky to work in such a great place surrounded by great people,” Breininger said.