December 7, 2023 Workshop
The Air Quality Monitoring Project is expanding to cover the Route 50-Sheriff Road-Kenilworth Ave Quadrant. An in-person workshop was held on Thursday, December 7th, at 6:00 p.m. at the Cedar Heights Community Center to hear about this Air Quality Monitoring project for the Route 50-Sheriff Road-Kenilworth Ave Quadrant, and implications for public health. University of Maryland PhD students Vivek Ravichandran and Blean Girma led the presentation on low-cost real-time air monitors and how community members can become "neighborhood scientists." Tad Aburn, Formerly the Director of the Air and Radiation Administration at the Maryland Department of the Environment, spoke on policy and enforcement. The workshop discussed how the air quality data can be used by the research team and community advisory board, as well as all quadrant residents.
Quadrant Community Air Quality Monitoring Workshop at the Cedar Heights Community Center
AGENDA
Meet and Greet (6:00-6:15pm)
Pre-workshop training survey by all attendees (6:15-6:30pm)
To test knowledge before workshop
Vivek delivered presentation (6:30 - 7:15pm)
Air Quality and Environmental Justice
Health Impact Assessment for the Quadrant
Policy Piece - Guest Appearance from Mr. Tad Aburn, Formerly the Director of the Air and Radiation Administration at the Maryland Department of the Environment
Existing Cheverly Infrastructure and Expansion of Community-Engaged Infrastructure to Include Seat Pleasant, Fairmount Heights, etc
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and Community Science Principles
Low-Cost Air Monitors
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Demonstration of PurpleAirs and C-12s (7:15-7:45)
Next Steps- Call for CAB Members and Host Volunteers and Closing Discussion (7:45-8:00pm)
Notes
Seat Pleasant attendees expressed interest in joining the CAB and future installs
Attendees want to create and email group to facilitate coordination of air monitoring and other community concerns (noise, illegal idling, etc)