2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Indoor Air Quality Initiative is a public health program to improve indoor air quality in K12 public schools in the state. Poor indoor air quality has negative health consequences [1], especially younger students whose respiratory systems are still developing [2]. Indoor air pollutants can also lead to decreased productivity, cognitive function, and academic achievement [3]. The Indoor Air Quality Initiative provides schools with air monitors and enough materials for every classroom to build a DIY air purifier. Using four MERV 13 filters, a box fan, and duct tape, the low-cost air purifiers capture particulate matter [4]. This public health initiative presents an opportunity to increase awareness of the importance of indoor air quality. School indoor air quality is especially important, because classrooms are densely populated and can suffer from inadequate ventilation [5].

To complement the program, this series of mini lessons adds an educational component, where students not only learn about indoor air quality, but build air purifiers. The program takes advantage of the opportunity to include engineering education aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Engineering Design standards. In the first lesson, students learn about indoor air quality to scope and define the engineering design problem. Before brainstorming solutions, they identify success criteria and constraints. In the second lesson, students build the air purifier in small groups. In lessons three and four, students collect, analyze, and communicate data from the air monitors, evaluating effectiveness of the air purifier.

The series of mini lessons is adapted for grades K-2, 3-5, middle, and high school. The lessons highlight how engineers tackle real-world, complex problems, as well as the importance of evaluating a solution and communicating with stakeholders. The NGSS Science and Engineering Practices addressed include asking questions and defining problems, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics and computational thinking, constructing explanations and designing solutions, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. While the main NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea is ETS1.A Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems, the lesson series has ideas for each grade band to extend or adapt content to additional science standards as well as other subjects.

This resource connects engineering to public health, empowering students with the knowledge that they can improve their classroom’s air quality using readily available, low-cost resources. Aligned with research on educative curricular materials that point to how teacher learning can be connected to curriculum implementation, the lessons are aligned to standards and specify instructional strategies [6]. Elementary schools often prioritize math and reading because of yearly testing requirements. These lessons make connections to Common Core State Standards for ELA and mathematics, potentially lowering the barrier to implementation [7]. The lessons can be used as written or adapted to meet the needs of specific school contexts.