science in ACTION
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
www .epa .gov/researc h
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING FOR COMMUNITIES
Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), through its Science
to Achieve Results (STAR) grants
program, is providing funding to six
institutions that will advance air
monitoring technology while helping
communities address unique air
quality challenges. The research
teams are working in collaboration
with other organizations and local
communities to engage and inform
the public about local air quality.
Air sensor technology has advanced
rapidly in recent years, providing
less expensive, more portable air
pollution sensors that can be used by
the public to learn about local air
quality.
The goals of the studies are to
address the following questions
about the technology and their use
by the public:
•	How accurate and reliable
are the sensors used by the
public?
•	What is the quality of the
data the sensors produce?
•	How can sensors be used
by communities and
individuals to monitor air
pollution exposure?
•	How can the information
help communities and
individuals understand and
reduce harmful air pollution
exposures?
Researchers conducting the diverse
portfolio of studies are working
with communities across the U.S.
to address local challenges.
The grants are funding the
following research projects:
Carnegie Mellon University
Award: $749,780
Project Title: Democratization of
Measurement and Modeling Tools
for Community Action on Air
Quality and Improved Spatial
Resolution of Air Pollutant
Concentrations
Project Location: Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
This project is focused on improving
air quality and human health in
Pittsburgh particularly in
Environmental Justice communities.
Multiple real-time, affordable, multi-
pollutant (RAMP) air monitors and
high-resolution air quality modeling
will provide localized information
instead of generalizing pollutant
levels for all of Pittsburgh. Carnegie
Mellon University researchers are
partnering with several local
community groups to investigate the
accuracy and reliability of existing
sensors and their potential effective-
ness in helping communities
understand local levels of air
pollutants and how to respond.
Kansas State University
Award: $750,000
Project Title: Shared Air/Shared
Action (SA:Community
Empowerment through Low-cost Air
Pollution Monitoring
Project Location: Chicago. Illinois
This research project involves
multiple universities and four local
community organizations working to
improve air quality for citizens of
South Chicago. Researchers are
investigating whether people
become more engaged with their
enviromnent if they are provided
with relevant scientific and technical
tools, including low-cost portable
sensors and appropriate technical
assistance. Collaboration between
academic researchers and the
communities in planning and
conducting the study is key to this
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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project, with plans to evaluate how
community-led research with
sensors can help improve
community understanding of
pollution concentrations. This
project features development of
sustainable, community-specific
strategies to monitor pollutants and
analyze and communicate results
and to see if communities can
leverage their resources to create
coordinated action plans to reduce
exposure and mitigate health risks.
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Award: $750,000
Project Title: The Hawai'i Island
Volcanic Smog Sensor Network (HI-
Vog): Tracking Air Quality and
Community Engagement near a
Major Emissions Hotspot
Project Location: Hawai'i Island
Air quality on the island of Hawai'i
can be poor due to high emissions of
sulfur dioxide (SO2) from Kilauea
Volcano. The resulting "volcanic
smog" ("vog"), a mixture of SO2 and
fine particulate matter
(PM), can have negative impacts on
human health as well as agriculture,
and is a major local concern. Because
community members' exposure to
vog cannot be easily estimated, the
region can be a unique test case for
the use and assessment of distributed
air quality (AQ) networks based on
portable low-cost sensors. This
project includes the development and
deployment of a state-of-the-art
community-based AQ sensor
network across Hawai'i Island to
measure air quality and vog
exposures. Researchers will assess
the utility of AQ sensor networks as
community resources and as tools for
atmospheric chemistry research.
Researchers are working with the
Kohala Center, a community-based
institute, and the Hawai'i Island
School Garden Network.
Research Triangle Institute
Award: $749,837
Project Title: Monitoring the Air in
Our Community: Engaging Citizens
in Research
Project Location: Globeville, Elyria
Swansea (GES), Colorado
This research team is investigating
whether communities can
successfully use low-cost sensors to
understand the air quality in their
neighborhood, as well as their
personal exposure to pollutants.
Researchers plan to identify what
types of air pollution data would
best fulfill community needs and
preferences. They will then assess
how well community members are
able to understand the data and
whether they modify their behavior
to reduce their exposure to
potentially harmful pollutants.
South Coast Air Quality
Management District
Award: $749,820
Project Title: Engage, Educate, and
Empower California Communities
on the Use and Applications of
"Low-cost" Air Monitoring Sensors
Project Locations: Northern, Central
and Southern California
The overall objective of this research
project is to provide California
communities with the knowledge
necessary to appropriately select,
use, and maintain low-cost air
pollution sensors and to correctly
interpret sensor data. Researchers
plan to develop new methodologies
to educate and engage communities
on the use and applications of the
sensors. Additionally, they are
conducting testing to characterize
the performance of the sensors and
identify candidates for field
deployment. The group plans to
deploy the selected sensors in local
communities, interpret the collected
data and communicate the lessons
learned to the public through a series
of outreach activities.
University of Washington
Award: $746,021
Project Title: Putting Next
Generation Sensors and Scientists in
Practice to Reduce H ood Smoke in a
Highly Impacted, Multicultural
Rural Setting
Project Location: Washington State
This research team plans to deploy
next-generation, low-cost particulate
matter air sensors in student-directed
studies pertaining to wood smoke
impacts in the Yakima Valley, a
rural community. The researchers
and students will evaluate the
quality of sensor measurements and
identify effective platforms for data
dissemination and communication to
the community through
multigenerational and multi-cultural
outreach. Researchers are partnering
with faculty at Heritage University,
whose students represent the
community's population of
predominately Yakama Nation and
Latino immigrant families. This pro-
ject builds on the EnvironMentors
program, which pairs
undergraduates with high school
students. Students are being trained
to formulate and test hypotheses on
wood smoke exposure and plan to
compare sensor data to validated air
pollution measurements.
Information about the awards:
https://www.epa.gov/air-researclV
air-pollution-monitoring-
communities-grants
Information about EPA Air
Research:
www.epa. gov/air-research
Technical Contact:
Rich Callan
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Enviromnental
Research
callan.richardVv.cpa. gov
October 2017
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development

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