Community Air Research Experience (CARE)
Community Air Research Experience (CARE)
Funded by the National Science Foundation’s GEOPAths Program (2021–2024)
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Post-NSF Funding Period Development
Post-NSF Funding Period Development
Continued Support and New Initiatives
Continued Support and New Initiatives
Following the conclusion of NSF funding, the CARE project has continued to grow through new partnerships and funding opportunities that support our mission of community-based environmental research and education.
Funding Highlights
Funding Highlights
2026–2027
Smoke-Related PM2.5 Exposure, Health Outcomes, and Community Disparities in Chicago
Funded by the Center for Health Outcomes and Informatics Research (CHOIR)
P. Jing (PI), J. Harbison (co-PI), M. Whalen (collaborator)
2025–2026 (CLEAR Lab)
Addressing Health Disparities Through Community-Engaged Air Quality Monitoring in Chicago: Insights from Low-Cost Sensors
Funded by the Schreiber Venture Fund Innovation Grant
M. Whale (PI), T. Tran (co-PI), P. Jing (Co-PI)
2024–2025 (CARE 6-12)
Engaging Grades 6–12 Teachers in Community-Based Environmental Science Learning in Chicago
Funded by the Schreiber Venture Fund Innovation Grant
T. Stolinga (PI), J. Jacobi (Co-PI), P. Jing (Co-PI)
Recent Publications
Recent Publications
(*Student authors are indicated with an asterisk )
Schusler, T., Jing, P., *Dahal, D., Maertens, J., *Barraza, Z.I., Zhang, B., *Sablan, O., Pollack, I., *Hartnett, N., Bautista, O., Fischer, E. (2026) Promoting Undergraduate STEM Interest and Skills through Prosocial Research: The Community Air Research Experience. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-026-01121-z
Jing, P., Deng, W., *Crabtree, T., *Chen, D., Harbison, J., Whalen, M., Wang, J. (2026) Assessing the Impact of 2023 Wildfire Smoke on Ozone and Public Health in Chicago Communities. Atmospheric Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2026.121773
Jing, P., Whalen, M., *Chopra, M., *Schmidt, L., *Post, J., *Rodriguez, N. F., *Olson, A. (2025). Assessing Indoor Air Quality in a Chicago Sports Center Using Low-Cost Sensors. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/s44408-025-00076-0
Whalen, M., *Peer, A., *DeRango, L., *Ghorbani, N., *Kraus, L., *Post, J., Jing, P. (2025). Closing Demographic Gaps in Air Quality Monitoring: Community-Deployed PurpleAir Sensors and PM2.5 Data in Chicago. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-025-01870-w
Jing, P., Whalen, M., *Hartnett, N. (2025). Indoor Air Quality Response to Wildfire Smoke: A Case Study in Chicago. Water, Air & Soil Pollution, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-025-08781-7
*Hartnett, N., Jing, P., Zhang, B., Stuart, M., Wang, J. (2025). Wildfire Smoke and PM2.5 Pollution in Chicago: Evidence from 2019 to 2023. Urban Climate, 61, 102472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102472
*Wenner, M.M., *Ries-Roncalli, A., Whalen, M.C.R., Jing, P. (2024). The Relationship between Indoor and Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter in a High-Rise Building in Chicago Monitored by PurpleAir Sensors. Sensors, 24, 2493. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24082493
What is CARE?
What is CARE?
Logo designed in fall 2021 by Isabelle Borkowski (a Loyola undergrad, BA in Environmental Policy)
The Community Air Research Experience (CARE) is a geoscience learning community that engages underrepresented undergraduates in research on air pollution in Chicago neighborhoods that differ in socioeconomic demographics and proximity to industrial facilities.
CARE has three aims:
provide an applied, socially-relevant research experience for URM students,
increase understanding about the spatial distribution and temporal variation of particle pollution in Chicago, and
provide air quality data for community discussions about how to reduce air pollution and better protect public health.
What We Have Achieved
What We Have Achieved
CARE has increased the monitoring of PM2.5 in Chicago communities. ( See the map of sensors installed by CARE.)
CARE has supported 16 undergraduate students from a diverse background in research on air pollution in Chicago communities. (Read their short bios.)
CARE students communicated their research results with the local communities and at conferences by posters and other outreach materials.
The research results of the 16 undergraduate researchers support the following arguments:
Air quality improvement in Chicago is not equal, with less improvement in the south side than in the north side.
Fine particle pollution remains a real concern for residents in Chicago. Episodic peaks (>35 µg/m3) were often observed, causing greater health concerns. Wildfires elsewhere aggravate this concern.
Traffic contributes to fine particle pollution in Chicago. Residents living within 450 feet of major roadways should be alerted of air pollution impacts.
Greater efforts are needed to monitor the unequal air pollution burden in Southeast Chicago.
CARE has increased the monitoring of PM2.5 in Chicago communities by deploying 20 sensors, 9 in Edgewater (3 of which are indoor sensors), 8 on the southeast side (one of which is an indoor sensor), 2 on the southwest side, and 1 on the west side of Chicago. (View the map in higher resolution)
Check air quality in Chicago monitored by sensors installed by CARE [ [Link]
What the Experience Includes
What the Experience Includes
Students talk about their CARE experiences
Students talk about their CARE experiences
The video was made in fall 2023 by Michael W. Chopra (mchopra@luc.edu), a Loyola undergrad in Film & Digital Media.
Spring
Spring
Orientation and Training
CARE students participate in 10 seminars and field trips to learn about research design and methods, geoscience career opportunities, and professional skills, plus consult with community organizations to prepare for the upcoming research.
Summer
Summer
Internship
During a 4-week research experience in Chicago, CARE students install air monitoring instruments, learn and practice computer programming, and collect and analyze data to answer research questions of interest to local communities.
Note: Picture above is an example of real-time air quality monitoring using a PurpleAir sensor which will be installed by CARE students in summer.
Fall
Fall
Dissemination
CARE students finalize their research results, learn and practice scientific communication skills, and present their results in communities and conferences.
Media Coverage of CARE
Media Coverage of CARE
SES Alum and Grad Student Works for Clean Air, an interview of former CARE student, Ethan Bower, by Avery Elowson, School of Environmental Sustainability, 2025.
Studying Air Pollution from Ground Up , by Kelly McNees, Loyola Today, 10 September 2024.
Loyola Students Conduct Research on Air Quality and Pollutants in Chicago, by Julia Pentasuglio, The Loyola Phoenix, 28 February 2024.
Researchers Study Air Quality Differences Across Chicago, by Adam Doster, Loyola Today, 2023.
Partners
Partners
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