Literature v3 · Research topic
Do minority neighborhoods get hotter and dirtier air?
Using public data from EPA, NOAA, and the Census, this project tests whether racial minorities face higher temperatures and worse air quality across different US climate regions.
Why this matters
While heat waves and air pollution individually threaten public health, their combined burden may fall hardest on already vulnerable communities. By stitching together open-source temperature, air quality, and census data, we can map where the dual exposure is worst—and ask whether our environmental policies are protecting everyone equally.
Project scores
Difficulty
In 8 weeks, students will learn to merge large environmental datasets with demographic data, apply spatial analysis methods, and interpret statistical models to assess environmental justice. No prior coding experience required, but willingness to learn basic Python or R is helpful. Expect to spend 1-2 hours on data wrangling weekly.
3 of 5 difficulty
Strengths
- Clear societally relevant research question
- Use of real-world open-source data
- Addresses environmental justice and public health
- Combines multiple data sources for comprehensive analysis
Skills built
Zero-cost data
Zero-cost dataResearch gap
While heat waves and air pollution individually threaten public health, their combined burden may fall hardest on already vulnerable communities. By stitching together open-source temperature, air quality, and census data, we can map where the dual exposure is worst—and ask whether our environmental policies are protecting everyone equally.
Curriculum alignment
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