BU undergraduates’ air quality monitors have won them the 2024 Janetos Climate Action Prize
Imagine being able to contribute to scientific research just by riding a bike: your bicycle automatically collecting valuable air quality data from the different neighborhoods you pedal through, creating a mobile network of air quality monitors. That’s the vision a group of students at Boston University are working toward.
For their senior design project, a team of College of Engineering undergraduate students created a compact air quality sensor pack that can be attached to the front of a bicycle from Bluebikes, Boston’s public rental network. As air passes through the sensor box, it measures local levels of carbon dioxide, methane, particulate matter, and nitrous oxides, while also recording temperature and humidity. The sensor is equipped with a GPS to pinpoint where data is being collected, as well as an accelerometer, a device that senses movement of the bike so it knows when to switch on and off.
Squeezing all of those gadgets into a 5”x8” box, ensuring the electrical equipment could be jostled around on a bicycle without damage, all while remaining protected from harsh weather and rain, proved to be a challenge.
Read the full story at The Brink
Photograph by Jackie Ricciardi