Community Air Research Experience
A Project Funded by the National Science Foundation’s GEOPAths Program (2021-2024)
What is CARE?
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
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 diver 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
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
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
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
Dissemination
CARE students finalize their research results, learn and practice scientific communication skills, and present their results in communities and conferences.
PARTNERS
