Our team was awarded a 2025 Community Clean Air Grant by the City of Boston Air Pollution Control Commission. Leveraging a long-standing collaboration between Boston University and Boston Public Schools (BPS), this project will inform the Air Pollution Monitoring and Action Plan at BPS.

Using data from over 4,000 real-time indoor and outdoor air quality sensors installed across BPS classrooms and rooftops, we are:

1. Building algorithms to detect hyperlocal high-pollution events across the city using the network of rooftop air quality sensors

2. Testing what works to improve indoor air quality in classrooms in practice

3. Co-designing communications about air quality and solutions with teachers

4. Translating findings into actionable school policies 

This work is being developed with a small subset of schools in Dorchester, and findings will be generalizable across the school district. The project aims to reduce air pollution exposures for BPS students, teachers, and staff. Study results will also benefit the broader community as we report our findings and communicate key takeaways.

Field Work