CAREER: CAS-Climate: Neighborhood-scale Assessment of the Air Quality Co-Benefits and Tradeoffs of Transportation Electrification

面对气候变化，一个目标是将燃烧动力部门（如内燃机汽车）转变为电力驱动的技术。该战略是，电网——目前由燃烧、可再生能源和核能发电机组组成——将随着时间的推移变得更清洁、更环保。研究表明，无论电网构成如何，电气化都将减少温室气体排放，然而，人们对相关的空气质量效益知之甚少，特别是在影响和公平相关的社区尺度上。该项目将开发和验证一个精细尺度（约1公里）的气候和空气质量分析框架，该框架可以在社区尺度上评估电气化交通选择的共同利益和权衡。该项目将（一）创建考虑电网需求增加和电网演变不确定性的排放情景，（二）模拟气象和化学过程的相互作用，（三）表征温室气体和空气污染物的变化特征，（四）在与公平相关的社区尺度上评估经济、社会和公共卫生影响，(v)通过以气候解决方案为重点的课程开发和指导机会，教育和激励下一代科学家和学生。研究主题、方法和产品将通过共同开发“下一代科学标准”内容整合到中学课程中，并在课后辅导项目中共享，服务于代表性不足的学生群体。该项目将结合精细尺度的气候和化学运输模型、空气质量传感器监测数据和监管级建模框架（WRF- CMAQ-SMOKE-MOVES），将重点放在电动汽车（EV）对公平相关尺度的影响上。社区尺度的模拟是至关重要的，因为空气污染和补救措施往往会对当地产生影响和影响——这对获得政策制定者和环境正义支持者的支持至关重要。此外，公众对气候解决方案的讨论传统上是围绕其碳减排潜力展开的。然而，随之而来的空气污染物减少所带来的效益可能超过温室气体减排成本。对新兴技术进行经济、社会和公共卫生分析，如果是互利的，可以推动消费者购买和/或制定采用奖励政策。该项目的教育目标旨在同时解决地球与环境科学中的多个相关挑战，包括学校课程中有限的地球与环境科学内容以及这些领域缺乏多样性。通过与西北大学外展组织合作，开发基于可持续性的内容，作为正在实施的下一代科学标准的一部分，研究者将把该项目的研究介绍给不同的学生群体，并帮助在学校和校外的stem教育活动之间建立桥梁，同时促进潜在的变革性学习体验。与这些学生有意义和持续的接触旨在促进他们的大学准备和STEM兴趣，并为研究者的学员提供教学和拓展机会。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In the face of climate change, one target is to transition combustion-powered sectors (such as internal combustion vehicles) into technologies powered by electricity. The strategy is that the electric grid – currently comprised of a mix of combustion, renewable, and nuclear generation units – will become cleaner and greener over time. Studies indicate that electrification will reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of the grid’s composition, however related air quality benefits remain poorly understood, particularly at impact- and equity-relevant neighborhood-scales. This project will develop and validate a fine-scale (~1 km) climate and air quality analysis framework that can assess the co-benefits and tradeoffs of electrified transportation options at neighborhood scales. The project will (i) create emission scenarios that account for increased grid demand and uncertainties in grid evolution, (ii) simulate the interaction of meteorological and chemical processes, (iii) characterize changes in GHGs and air pollutants, (iv) assess economic, social, and public health implications at equity-relevant neighborhood-scales, and (v) educate and inspire the next-generation of scientists and students with climate solution-focused curriculum development and mentorship opportunities. Research themes, methods, and products will be integrated into middle school curriculum via co-development of Next Generation Science Standards content and shared in an after-school mentorship programs serving under-represented student populations. The project will combine a fine-scale climate and chemical transport model along with air quality sensor monitoring data and a regulatory-grade modeling framework (WRF- CMAQ-SMOKE-MOVES) to bring focus to electric vehicle (EV) impacts at equity-relevant scales. Neighborhood-scale simulations are critical because air pollution and remediation efforts often have local impacts and effects – features vital for engendering support of policy makers and environmental justice supporters. Additionally, public discussions of climate solutions have traditionally been framed around their carbon emission reduction potential. However, benefits from concomitant reductions in air pollutants may exceed GHG abatement costs. Economic, social, and public health analyses of emergent technologies, if co-beneficial, could provide the impetus for consumer purchases and/or development of adoption incentive policies. Educational objectives of the project seek to simultaneously address multiple related challenges within the Earth & Environmental sciences, including the limited Earth & Environmental science content in school curricula and the lack of diversity in these fields. By partnering with a Northwestern University outreach organization to develop sustainability-based content as part of the on-going implementation of Next Generation Science Standards, the investigator will introduce the project's research to a diverse population of students and help to bridge in-school and out-of-school STEM-focused educational activities while facilitating potentially transformative learning experiences. Meaningful and sustained contact with these students is intended to promote their college readiness and STEM interest, as well as provide teaching and outreach opportunities for the investigator's trainees.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.