A remote-controlled helicopter flies outside the Desert Research Institute on Flamingo Road near Paradise Road. The helicopter, equipped with a camera that can provide live video feeds to a computer, is designed to provide researchers a birds-eye view of the desert floor. The helicopter will be on display Saturday as part of the institute's open house. Photo by John Locher.

Many people have seen the Desert Research Institute's building on Flamingo Road near Paradise Road.

Some might have been inside the Atomic Testing Museum next door.

But few probably know what happens behind DRI's doors.

The institute will host a free open house to the public on Saturday, showcasing some of the organization's most recent research, including archaeological exhibits from southern Peru, a remote-controlled helicopter that takes images while flying over desert terrain and a virtual reality science exploration exhibit.

DRI, a part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, conducts a wide variety of research in an array of fields.

The open house will be spread over the institute's two buildings, the original Southern Nevada Science Center and the Frank H. Rogers building, which houses the Atomic Testing Museum.

All of the exhibits at the institute will be free, but the Atomic Testing Museum will still charge its regular rate of $10 and less for seniors, military and children.

"It's a mixture of getting our image out there and getting them (the public) to understand the many different things that we do," DRI spokeswoman Heather Emmons said. "Many people don't understand what we do."

More than 14 scientific exhibits will be on display, including activities for children, such as an exhibit allowing children to create an "edible aquifer."

Visitors will be able to talk to DRI scientists and researchers as the scientists show off their latest research.

One of those scientists will be Lynn Fenstermaker, who has been studying what Southern Nevada's ecological climate will look like in 50 years.

In the remote desert at the Nevada Test Site, Fenstermaker and UNLV's Eric Knight have been injecting higher levels of carbon dioxide -- to simulate human-induced global warming -- into the air around an area and observing the effects on the plants and wildlife.

In order to compare the effects on the plant life, Fenstermaker and Knight needed overhead views of the controlled area to compare it to the surrounding, unaffected area. To do it, Knight equipped a remote-control helicopter with a video camera that provides a real-time feed to a laptop computer.

The helicopter and the team's findings will be on display Saturday.

The open house is a self-guided tour and will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.