Last Updated on October 07, 2020 at 12:00 PM

Originally published October 07, 2020

By Christina Rodriguez

UTEP Communications

The University of Texas at El Paso’s Department of Civil Engineering was awarded $30,000 by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) through the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin to address community exposure to traffic related air pollution near school zones in the Paso del Norte region using low-cost air sensors.

The University of Texas at El Paso’s Department of Civil Engineering was awarded $30,000 by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through The University of Texas at Austin to address community exposure to traffic-related air pollution near school zones in the Paso del Norte region using low-cost air sensors. Leading the research efforts at the University are, from left, principal investigator, Wen-Whai Li, Ph.D., professor of civil engineering, and co-PI, Mayra Chavez, Ph.D., postdoctoral research associate.

Through this award, researchers at UTEP and Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) will conduct a case study to analyze the air quality of the Paso del Norte region aimed at reducing exposure to traffic-related air pollutants in children, particularly those who attend schools near heavily traveled roadways.

Leading the research efforts at the University are principal investigator Wen-Whai Li, Ph.D., professor of civil engineering; co-PI, Mayra Chavez, Ph.D., postdoctoral research associate; and Evan Williams, undergraduate research assistant. Adrian Vazquez Galvez, Ph.D., professor of civil engineering, is charged with research efforts at UACJ.

The study will address the air quality issues in the Paso del Norte region by strategically placing low-cost air sensors, requiring only a power outlet and WiFi, near schools throughout El Paso and Juárez, Mexico. The sensors will provide the research team with real-time, precise air quality measurements and related data to develop an algorithm that predicts air pollution for near-road receptors.

“We are concerned about the impacts of traffic-related and regional industrial pollution on the health of children and community residents in the border cities of the Paso del Norte region,” Chavez said.

The need to address exposure to traffic-related air pollution is imperative due to the high rate of urbanization and industrial development of the region that has led to rapidly deteriorating air quality. The region’s air quality also faces unique challenges due to a number of factors that include complex terrain, arid weather, frequently occurring temperature inversions, congested roadways, insufficient emission inventory for Juárez’s uncontrolled emissions, a large number of underserved communities and rapid urban sprawl.

“Transportation in Ciudad Juárez is the blood for our maquila industry but at the same time remains one of the principal challenges to improve the air quality in the basin,” Vazquez said.

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Anahy Diaz | September 18, 2020

Emiliano Ruiz is the definition of hard work. As a civil engineering graduate student at The University of Texas at El Paso, Ruiz has strived to achieve success and help his community by working alongside engineering professionals in a project aimed at improving airport security checkpoints.

“Dynamic Workforce Management at a Network of Screening Facilities,” is a collaborative project funded by the Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE), a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence (DHS COE) that involves the provision of new technology to assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in creating security checkpoints that are more efficient and continue to keep air travel safe.

UTEP is a partner of the CAOE consortium led by Arizona State University (ASU). The COE network is an extended consortium of hundreds of universities conducting groundbreaking research to address homeland security challenges.

As a leading researcher of the project, Ruiz’s role is to develop a digital and detailed simulation model of screening checkpoints and their corresponding screening operations. The model serves to evaluate performance under uncertain conditions and produce virtual animations of these operations. The goal is to make the system more responsive to customer demand and provide passengers the immediate benefits of avoiding long queues and delays at checkpoints.

“What I particularly enjoy about my role as a researcher in this project is that it has expanded my career interests,” Ruiz said. “It has also allowed me to enrich my interpersonal and professional skills.”

Driven by curiosity, Ruiz initially became interested in transportation-related topics in the summer 2018, when he interned as an undergraduate student at the Center for Transportation, Environment, and Community Health (CTECH) at UTEP. There, he focused on research and innovation capable of supporting the sustainable mobility of people and goods while preserving the environment and improving community health.

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