About RAIN
Air pollution accounts for approximately 9 million deaths per year due to a range of heart, lung and other diseases and causes 150 million person-years lost to disability or death. Additionally, climate change, a major consequence of air emissions, will produce a spectrum of impacts including poorer air quality. Diverse sources of climate pollutants make emission estimates challenging. High-resolution monitoring of pollutants is important to understand patterns of climate-relevant emissions, especially those of methane and black carbon, which have high global warming potential. RAIN champions these efforts while also adding a significant layer of value, as we go beyond aerosol sensor development or static networks and apply creative instrument integration, conduct comprehensive assessment of the most important urban sources, and leverage real-time in situ data into interventions designed by experts in engineering, policy and public health.
Research Themes
Theme A: Health Effects of Airborne Contaminants
Resolving the critical gap in our understanding of how exposure to air pollution affects cellular responses and key biological pathways.
Theme B: Improved Real-World Monitoring at High Spatial Resolution using Fixed and Mobile Frameworks
Low-cost sensor networks promise unprecedented spatial resolution of air quality. We tackle the problem of current sensors having important limitations.
Theme C: Assessment and Optimization of Transportation and Building Systems
With a focus on emerging transportation and building technologies, this theme will provide air improvement measures that can be implemented rapidly.
Theme D: Effective Interventions using Integrated Sensing Frameworks
This theme bridges the gap from new data to improved decision-making and supports the rapid translation of knowledge from Themes A, B and C into actions.