Effects of Light Rails on Air Pollution
Mr. Zhang wins 2nd place at AGNR's Cornerstone Event Poster Competition, Optimizing Urban Environments category!
Geoffrey Zhang is a sophomore double major in government and politics, and information science at UMD. As a public transit nerd, he came up with the idea to look at the impact of light rails on air pollution after hearing about the Purple Line and its ongoing construction delays, as well as seeing a recent paper that hypothesized an air pollution impact after subways opened in urban centers. As a FIRE (First-Year Innovation & Research Experience) student, Geoffrey had the unique opportunity to propose his own research project in his freshman year, and with the guidance of FIRE faculty, conduct research normally reserved for upperclassmen and graduate students. He hopes that his research findings will help convince policymakers to build more public transportation like light rails, to not only reduce air pollution and improve sustainability, but also connect local communities [G. Zhang].
