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The CHESS project, led by researchers at Boston University, uses data-driven, community-engaged, actionable research to promote healthy indoor air quality, sustainability, and climate resilience in\u00a0 schools.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This graphic demonstrates pathways from exposure to indoor environmental stressors to reduced learning. These pathways are relevant to teachers and can impact teaching quality in similar ways.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With students spending approximately 6.5 hours a day in schools, IEQ in classrooms is a growing public health concern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Viruses, mold, air pollutants, volatile organic compounds, high temperatures, and relative humidity are just some of the many environmental stressors found in classrooms. People, cars, buildings, and climate contribute to the generation and accumulation of these stressors in classrooms. <\/span>Currently, there are limited standards for indoor environmental quality in schools, although many schools follow guidelines such as <\/span>EPA Tools for Schools<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A first step in improving IEQ is knowing what the conditions are in classrooms. Since the pandemic, many schools have increased environmental monitoring in their buildings.\u00a0 Boston Public Schools installed approximately 4,400 IEQ monitors<\/a> in\u00a0 their classrooms. The monitors help administrators promptly notice and address issues. The IEQ classroom data is publicly available<\/a> and has also been used to support funding applications<\/a> for school IEQ improvements.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Schools need to<\/span> balance IEQ, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and energy management goals. Informing these needs based on the billions of data points generated by the monitors is complex and requires strong building science, environmental health, and data analytics expertise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re <\/span>collaborating<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with Boston Public Schools to create data analytics to advance IEQ in all schools across the district. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n O<\/span>ur CHESS <\/span>team<\/span><\/a> at <\/span>BU\u2019s Sustainable Built Environment <\/span>Lab<\/span><\/a> is:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Sustainable Built Environment Lab (SBEL<\/a>) is located in the Department of Environmental Health<\/a> at Boston University School of Public Health<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n If you’d like to collaborate or learn more, please email us at <\/span>sustainableschoolsBU@gmail.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\nCase study<\/h3>\n
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Videos<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Publications:<\/b><\/h3>\n
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M. Pilar Botana Martinez, Priam Dinesh Vyas, Katherine H. Walsh, Lauren Main, Lauren Bolton, Yirong Yuan, Masanao Yajima, M. Patricia Fabian, Rethinking heat in thousands of school classrooms through continuous monitoring and novel exposure metrics<\/a>,<\/a> Indoor Environments<\/em>, Volume 2, Issue 3, 2025, 100105, ISSN 2950-3620, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.indenv.2025.100105<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/li>\nReports and Stories:<\/b><\/h3>\n
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How Classroom Air Quality Affects Students\u2019 Health and Learning<\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nSchool Buildings Play a Key Role in Classroom Air Quality <\/b><\/h3>\n
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If you cannot measure IEQ, you cannot improve it\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nAccurately measuring IEQ helps us improve student health & learning<\/h3>\n
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