News & Events
We Are Air Aware Featured by CBC News
October 7, 2026
How can art make the air we breathe visible? CBC reporter Anand Ram explored this question with Grace Grothaus, bringing together two strands of her work: AtmoSpheres 01, a wearable artwork that translates pollution readings into illuminated lungs, and AirWear, a portable monitor being developed with input from Bathurst Quay residents.
The coverage connects artistic expression with community research, highlighting how wearable sensing can open conversations about pollution and help people explore air quality along their everyday routes.
Thank you to CBC for sharing this work with a wider audience.
Watch the video from CBC’s The National on YouTube.
Participants Sought for November AirWear Study
September 30, 2026
Please join us in collecting air pollution data in Bathurst Quay.
We Are Air Aware is seeking 5–12 adults aged 18 or older to carry or wear AirWear during their usual commutes and travels for two weeks in November 2026. This portable personal monitor measures PM1.0 and PM2.5, recording particulate readings with time and location to help create a community map of neighbourhood air quality.
The study has been approved by York University’s Research Ethics Board. Participation is voluntary and compensated, and participants may withdraw at any time.
To express interest, email grothaus@yorku.ca with “AirWear study” in the subject line. An email of interest is not a commitment to participate. We will follow up individually with confirmed dates, payment details, and data privacy information to help you decide.
Bathurst Quay Residents Helped Shape AirWear
August 15, 2026
In July, We Are Air Aware worked with Bathurst Quay residents through co-design workshops held in the Arcadia Room, in collaboration with the Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association (BQNA).
Through discussion, sketching, and hands-on activities, participants explored how an air-quality monitor could fit into daily life: how it might be worn or carried, how readings should be communicated, and how personal measurements could contribute to a shared neighbourhood map. Privacy, comfort, and the social visibility of wearing a monitor were central to these conversations.
Their contributions informed AirWear’s development, including a cloud-shaped enclosure, adaptable attachment options, and an interface designed to make readings understandable at a glance.
Thank you to BQNA for their support and facilitation, and to everyone who shared their time, ideas, and neighbourhood knowledge.
First We Are Air Aware Workshop Held at York University
July 14, 2026
The first We Are Air Aware workshop was held at York University, bringing together students and researchers to pilot the project's co-design activities before the upcoming community workshops.
We are grateful to everyone who participated and shared thoughtful feedback. Their insights will directly inform the next iteration of AirWear and the public workshops beginning this weekend.
Participants Sought for AirWear Community Workshops
July 10, 2026
Adults aged 18 and older are invited to participate in a paid series of co-design workshops exploring wearable air-quality sensing devices.
Participants will share their thoughts and experiences of air quality in Toronto and take part in hands-on activities about mobility, wearable technologies, and the future design of AirWear.
Workshop location:
Arcadia Room, Arcadia Housing Co-operative
680 Queens Quay West, Toronto
Saturday, July 18: 11:30 a.m.–1:45 p.m.
(lunch provided)
Monday, July 20: 6:30–8:00 p.m.
(refreshments provided)
Participants will receive a fixed $40 CAD honorarium. Please email grothaus@yorku.ca to register.
AirWear Co-Design Workshop at York University
July 10, 2026
Next week, the We Are Air Aware research team will hold a co-design workshop at York University to refine the workshop activities, facilitation methods, and AirWear prototypes before the community workshops begin.
Participants will explore mobility, wearable technologies, future AirWear concepts, and collaborative design methods that will inform the next stage of the research.
Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Time: 12:15–3:30 p.m.
Location: York Lanes, Room 280N,
York University
Feedback from this session will help prepare the research team for the upcoming Bathurst Quay community workshops.
AirWear Community Workshops Featured by BQNA
June 7, 2026
The Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association featured the We Are Air Aware project in its community newsletter, inviting local residents to participate in our upcoming co-design workshops.
The workshops bring together community knowledge, wearable sensing technologies, and collaborative design to explore new ways of understanding personal air pollution exposure.
We are grateful to the Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association for helping connect this research with the waterfront community and for supporting public participation in the project.
AirWear Presented at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research
May 5, 2026
Grace Grothaus presented We Are Air Aware and the development of AirWear at the Critical Social Sciences Perspectives in Global Health Workshop hosted by the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research at York University.
The presentation explored how wearable environmental sensing, community participation, and public art can help make otherwise invisible air pollution perceptible, supporting greater public awareness and engagement with everyday air quality.
We Are Air Aware Presented at the Crossing Boundaries Symposium
May 4, 2025
We Are Air Aware was presented at Crossing Boundaries: Mobilizing STEAM to Tackle Climate Change, held at the University of Ottawa and organized by the Boundary Crossing Collective.
The presentation introduced the project's vision of making particulate air pollution perceptible through wearable sensing, community mapping, and public art, while also sharing that progress on the team's black carbon isolating sensor development was successful.
York University Highlights We Are Air Aware
April 16, 2025
York University's YFile featured the launch of the SensingChange project, highlighting the interdisciplinary collaboration bringing together engineering, atmospheric science, design, and computational art to make invisible air pollution perceptible through wearable technologies, community mapping, and public engagement.
The article introduces the vision behind We Are Air Aware, including the development of AirWear, the AtmoSpheres wearable artworks, and plans for community participation through workshops and citizen sensing.
Read the full story:
It's in the air: art, science and engineering merge to light up airborne pollution