BREATHABLE Futures – Portable Air Quality Monitor

This project was developed in response to the critical need for localized air quality data in underserved communities, where environmental health risks are often overlooked or unmonitored. Students engaged in a full design cycle—starting with community needs assessments and pollutant research, followed by electronic circuit prototyping using Arduino microcontrollers and off-the-shelf air quality sensors. Participants coded firmware for real-time data capture and built mobile dashboards using platforms like Blynk and ThingSpeak to visualize PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and humidity levels.

Additional Context: This project is grounded in the research and thought leadership of scholars like Dr. Amy Yeboah Quarkume, whose work on democratizing data science, AI for climate resilience, and environmental inequality directly influenced the BREATHABLE Futures initiative. To explore the intellectual foundation of this project, see:

Making Data Science Democratic – A. Y. Quarkume (New America)
https://pitcases.org/portfolio/making-data-science-democratic-amy-yeboah-quarkume

Innovating AI for Climate Resilience & Speech Delay Solutions – The Dig, Howard University
https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/dr-amy-quarkume-innovating-ai-climate-resilience-and-speech-delay-solutions

Not Blowing Smoke: Highlighting Earth Science Data Inequalities – The Dig, Howard University
https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/not-blowing-smoke-howard-university-researchers-highlight-earth-science-data-inequalities-amidst