Dr. Misty Levy-Zamora and her research team have made great strides in environmental health. This initiative focuses on empowering students and teachers to improve their own classroom environments using low-cost, do-it yourself air filtration systems known as Corsi-Rosenthal boxes.

These devices are constructed from a box fan and MERV-13 filters, and our research has shown them to be highly effective at reducing the concentration of viruses, wildfire smoke, and other harmful particulate matter. The newly published NSTA lesson plan, “How can we clean our classroom’s air?”, provides a comprehensive framework for middle school students to engage in hands-on STEM learning.

Students define air quality as an engineering challenge, build their own purifiers, and analyze the resulting data. This project not only teaches critical scientific principles but also results in a tangible improvement to the health of the school community.

The full lesson plan can be accessed here

Dr. Megan O’Grady, Associate Professor in Public Health Sciences, was awarded a new NIH/NIDA R34 grant titled “Measurement-Based Care as an Implementation Strategy for Long-Acting Injectable Medications for Opioid Use Disorders in CCBHCs”. This 3-year project is a collaboration between UConn Health, UConn Storrs (School of Pharmacy), and Community Health Resources Inc (a community-based behavioral health services provider) to improve use of long-acting injectable medications for opioid use disorders in Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.