The Built Environment Research Group at Illinois Tech has a track record of conducting societally relevant research on indoor air sensing and air cleaning technologies across a range of laboratory and field settings. While the group is funded in part by research grants, they also rely on everyday citizens to help guide their research and testing to inform decision-making for cleaner indoor air. The group specializes in evaluating the impacts of in-duct and standalone/portable air cleaners on particles and gasses in indoor air; assessing ventilation, filtration, and pollutant sources in buildings; and developing and applying low-cost accessible methods to measure pollutant dynamics in buildings. They seek support to continue their work and expand in new directions, with the overarching mission to inform policy and practice for cleaner indoor air.

Interest in clean indoor air has never been higher. HB 3713 recently passed in Illinois, which seeks to require IL schools to conduct ventilation verification assessments, measure indoor air quality in classrooms, and deploy HEPA air cleaners in classrooms. IDPH recently launched a $30 million program to distribute air purifiers in IL schools. The US EPA announced its Clean Air in Buildings Challenge last year, and federal money is available to improve indoor air across the country.

With a significant amount of resources going into attempts to clean indoor air, independent evaluations of technologies, interventions, and resultant data are needed to make informed decisions and deploy effective solutions. BERG@IIT is ready, willing, and able to help fill this role.