Community Science and Air Monitoring Networks

Community Science is a research technique that encourages scientific democracy, accessibility, and accuracy through crowdsourced data collection. Community science can take many forms; however, the primary goal of this technique is to equip communities with the knowledge and tools that allow people to address their own pressing concerns. 

In Maryland, the passing of the 2010 Maryland Healthy Air Act generated overall improvements in air quality. However, air quality concerns continue from communities surrounding point sources emitters. The insufficient amount of air monitors across the state contributes to this issue.

Please join the Maryland Philanthropy Network’s Green Funders for a conversation about increasing air quality monitoring in Maryland through community science initiatives. We will discuss Air Monitoring Networks as a strategy to fill in the current gaps in monitoring and advance community health and air quality. We will also discuss public policy opportunities to legitimize the collected community science data. We will hear from Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Associate Professor, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, and Luis Olmedo, Executive Director of Comité Civico del Valle - an environmental justice organization in Imperial Valley California that has a 100-mile community air monitoring network of particulate matter sensors from Mexico to Northern California.   

This program is for Maryland Philanthropy Network members and invited guests only; lunch will be served.