Journal of Student Research 2019

Journal of Student Research 154 for light to pass through but stop any unwanted particles that may be harmful to the lungs. This study progressed and identified ways to help stop pollution from entering homes and buildings through windows. The material was called polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and was a material commonly found in making surgical gloves. This filter was made using the PAN material and taking it through a process called electrospinning. The material was converted into a liquid and then a spider web-like fiber that was one one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair. Yi Cui predicted this mesh could be used in the making of face masks, car exhaust filters, and power plants filter. The development of this mesh filter was important as it opened up the design for use in a variety of applications. Professor Matthew Johnson, co-founder of Airlabs, stated that pollution inside cars was becoming a much bigger problem (Pickering, 2017). Toxic air pollution passed through car vents and openings from outside the car, which caused the air in a car to become harmful. When researching pollution in urban areas, commuters were unaware of the pollution that could seep into cars. Researchers in Copenhagen have developed a device that quickly removed nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM from inside a car called the Airbubbl. In this study, they measured the amounts of NO2 exposure that happened while in traffic and they found that it is above 20 to 40 times above the exposure levels. This device worked by filtering air through a Nano carbon filter that removes 95% of nitrogen dioxide and a high performance filter for road and brake dust. There were two fans located on either end of the device that blew the filtered air back into the car. The device straps onto the back of the head rests and is powered by a lithium ion battery. There are removable filter that can be replaced and changed through long usage in a highly polluted area. Portable devices can provide the user a sense of personal protection and ease of mind, while bigger scale filtration devices help the mass without them knowing. When contamination and smog in bigger cities became an issue, larger scaled filtration devices were made available. In 2018, China built an air purifier that demonstrated how large structures with powerful filtration devices could help clean the air. This study identified that the limitations with large structures were that they can only clean within a small radius of the city. The tower stood 328 feet tall and was placed in Xian in the Shaanxi Province. China usually experiences heavy pollution during the winter due to heating methods that rely primarily on coal. To combat this, the tower worked by utilizing a system of greenhouse coverings at the base of the tower. Toxic air was “sucked into the glasshouses and heated up by solar energy. Hot air then rises through the tower and passes through multiple layers of cleaning filters.” (Chen, 2018). These methods significantly reduced the pollution to moderate levels and this system currently produces more than 353 million cubic feet of clean air each day. Although this tower method was proven effective, it only covered a limited area

Wearable Technology and Its Benefits in Urban Settings around the tower of approximately 10 square kilometers.

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Today, face masks have not only become widely accepted as the norm in certain parts of the world, but have evolved into a fashion trend and are now present in many designer magazines from these regions. LeTrent (2014) explains the QIAODAN Yin Peng Sports Wear Collection shown at the Mercedes-Benzes China Fashion Week showcased both fashion and functionality in the same breath. His incorporation of some outfits had built-in face masks, while others featured smog masks coordinated to match the ensemble. This awareness of face masks as a fashion item has not yet caught on in Western countries, where their use may be viewed as unnecessary or even abnormal. brought with them on their commutes and their knowledge on pollution protection. The study’s target audience was primarily active commuters in their mid 20s who walked or biked to work. The selected participants were people who experienced any kind of urban environment. Information was gathered primary on the greenways and coffee shops of Chicago, New York and Nashville. Individuals wearing facemasks were of high interest to the student researcher, as their perspective on facemasks may have been different from the norm. The primary topic of pollution was the emphasis of the interviews, but interest was also taken in the commuter’s everyday life. A questionnaire was made in advance to direct the conversation, but it was not limited to only those inquiries. Participants were asked to give verbal consent to participate in a conversation about their experiences with pollution and living in the city. This interview was not to be conducted as a questionnaire or script, but rather as a natural conversation. This was an important distinction as answers from participants would be open and honest, and other possible concerns that were not directly addressed in the opening were a useful addition to the discussion. Commuters were asked if they struggled with breathing when it comes to air quality and many of them said yes. They stated that they can feel the difference in air density when it comes to Wisconsin air compared to air in L.A. or New York. A commuter with asthma stated that it’s especially hard to breath in humid and crowded spaces. When asked about their concerns about air quality in today’s world, many of them brought up global warming and climate change. That there is little to no progress when it comes to keeping the air quality clean in urban areas. Every person interviewed expressed their concerns with pollution effecting their health in the long run and know that there are existing products out there, but at a costly price. Sustainability and recycling was also a common solution that commuters brought up in the case to combat pollution. Methods Observations and interviewing was focused on what commuters mainly

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