News - Mission Earth
GME-UT Hosts a New Group of SEES Students Studying Air Quality
GME-UT decided to expand their efforts in hosting another group of SEES students.
Sara Mierzwiak and Janene Smith, GME Teacher, led a group of seven high school students in exploring the science of Air Quality using a variety of sources (Purple Air, Center for Disease Control, EPA, etc.). Six students were NASA SEES interns, and one student was involved via her internship work with Dr. Margaret Pippin at NASA Langley. Olawale Oluwafemi assisted one group with satellite imagery/NDVI analysis.
Caydence Palmer, Mescalero, NM
Ishan Dasgupta, Austin, TX
Nihar Janga, Austin, TX
Gardenia Liu, Austin, TX
Audrey Kuo, Morris Plains, NJ
Alli McCabe, Benicia, CA
Djamilatou Koura-Bodji, Fredericksburg, VA
Students were guided through an introduction to the science and then in conducting their own independent research projects. Students were invited to the University of Toledo’s ArcGIS Online account, through which they created ArcGIS Online Storymaps of their research projects. Students were introduced to both PurpleAir and GLOBE and even collected some GLOBE atmosphere data; however, all chose to utilize larger databases for their research projects (i.e., EPA and CDC databases). Students met twice a week for eight weeks via zoom and upon request. The materials were housed in a Google Classroom and Google website designed specifically for the Urban Heat Island Effect.
The last two weeks of the internship were in-person, in Austin, Texas at the Center for Space Research (CSR). Students collected some Atmosphere data while on site in Austin, Texas during the in-person portion of their NASA SEES internship. The data collected included surface temperature, air temperature and clouds data. A Google photo album showcased their on-site activities. Students completed their projects at the end of July 2022 and recorded videos of themselves giving their presentations. These videos were showcased in the NASA SEES Virtual Student Symposium August 1 - 3, 2022. All of the students registered for AGU Bright STaRs.
SEES Air Quality Students with the Research Project Titles
Caydence Palmer-EPA Monitors vs. PurpleAir Sensors
Ishan Dasgupta & Nihar Janga-Quantifying the Need for More EPA Monitors Based on Correlations Between Air Quality and Socioeconomic Factors
Gardenia Liu, Audrey Kuo & Alli McCabe-Air Quality vs. Health Factors: Determining Correlations Between Particulate Matter 2.5, Vegetation Coverage, Asthma Rates, and Birth Weight
Djamilatou Koura-Bodji-Varying Air Quality in Relation to Environmental Health: Focusing on the aspects of natural resources & public health and observing if they are affected by the Air Quality
GLOBE Mission Earth News: Student Research & Activities General ActivitiesNews origin: University of Toledo - Partnership