News Releases from Region 10

EPA Awards $750,000 STAR Grant to University of Washington for Next-Generation Air Pollution Research

UW research aims to put next generation sensors in practice to reduce wood smoke in a highly impacted rural area

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $749,999 grant to the University of Washington to develop low-cost air pollution sensor technology and help communities learn about their local air quality. The grant is funded through EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program.

EPA awarded the grant to UW for new research aimed at “Putting Next Generation Sensors and Scientists in Practice to Reduce Wood Smoke in a Highly Impacted, Multicultural Rural Setting.” UW will use low-cost, next-generation air particle sensors to address wood smoke exposures within the Yakama Nation and Latino populations in a rural area of Washington. Researchers will work with local students to both understand and help reduce the community’s exposure to wood smoke. UW will partner with Heritage University in Toppenish whose students represent the community’s population of predominately Yakama Nation and Latino immigrant families. The project will build on the EnvironMentors program which pairs upper level undergraduates with high school students. Students will disseminate the findings to their families, elders, and other community members.

STAR grants were also awarded to the following research organizations: Carnegie Mellon University, Kansas State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Research Triangle Institute, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District and University of California, Los Angeles.

Learn more about the grantees: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/air-research-grants.

More information on EPA’s air, climate and energy research is at: http://www.epa.gov/airresearch.