Meet the team
Breathe Providence is based out of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, with faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students making up our core research team. Since this project is deeply rooted in community, we have also partnered with local, national, and global organizations, all of whom have been crucial to the success of the project.
Our research team
Meredith Hastings
Dr. Meredith Hastings is Breathe Providence’s project lead. She is a professor of Environment and Society and of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University, as well as the chair of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences. Her research areas include atmospheric chemistry, biogeochemistry, and climate. Meredith is also a Providence resident, a mom of two elementary-school-aged daughters, and president of a non-profit called the Earth Science Women’s Network, which is dedicated to supporting diversity in science and promoting professional development of early career scientists.
Grace Berg
Grace serves as the project coordinator. She graduated from Brown in 2021 with an Sc.B in Geology-Biology; her senior thesis, completed in Dr. Hastings research group, made the case for hyperlocal air monitoring in Providence. Grace’s primary focus has been developing Breathe Providence’s air monitor and community partnership networks. Her work also includes data analysis, outreach event planning, and student mentorship.
Adam Gendreau
Adam graduated from Brown with degrees in Urban Studies and Environmental Science. He is primarily focused on transportation impacts on pollution in Providence works as a transportation planner for the consulting company Stantec.
Allyssa Foster
Allyssa is a senior concentrating in Environmental Studies. She assists with sensor maintenance, data analysis, and the Resident Task Force. Allyssa previously completed an internship with the RI Department of Environmental Management Office of Air Resources.
Vivien Chen
Vivien is a PhD student interested in the intersection of public health and exposure to environmental hazards. Before coming to Brown, she spent several years working at Esri, the developer of the spatial analysis tool ArcGIS. Her work with Breathe Providence thus far has centered on the dynamics of air and noise pollution in the city.
Lily Lustig
Lily does communications for Breathe Providence, generating and editing content for the team website and quarterly newsletter. She graduated from Brown in 2023 with degrees in Environmental Studies and English and now serves as a full-time communications coordinator for the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES), where the Breathe Providence project is based.
Undergraduate researchers
Former members
Wendell Walters: Dr. Wendell Walters worked primarily on guiding calibration and correction efforts for the data. As an assistant research professor of Environment and Society, his work broadly focused on understanding the impacts that humans have had on the composition of the atmosphere, biosphere, and climate. Dr. Walters now an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina.
Evan Donnachie: Evan graduated from Brown in 2024 with degrees in Geology-Biology and Literary Arts. He worked with volatile organic compound (VOC) data and with resident reports of odors by the Port of Providence.
Meg Fay: Meg graduated from Brown in 2023 with degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Science. They were instrumental in preparing the monitors for deployment and worked primarily on correcting and analyzing the particulate matter data. Meg is now pursuing a Master’s at the University of Vermont, studying the impacts of transportation on air pollution.
Vasu Jayanthi: Vasu graduated from Brown in 2023 with an Sc.B. in Environmental Science. Her efforts focused on community engagement, environmental justice, and youth education. She collaborated with the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences’ youth outreach program, DEEPS CORES, to implement some of the project’s guiding scientific principles into a curriculum for Hope High School. Vasu is now pursuing a Master’s of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy at Columbia University.
Olivia McClain: Liv graduated in the class of ’22.5 and concentrated in Environmental Science. As a summer researcher, she interviewed community members to add a narrative aspect to the team’s data. She is now a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Cote d’Ivoire.
Livia Gimenes: Livia graduated from Brown in 2023 with degrees in Computer Science and English. She brought her experience in data processing to help refine and condense our data correction code, and she developed the interactive pollution concentration map on our website. Livia now works as a software engineer at Tensure Consulting.
Aissata Barry: Aissata, Wellesley College class of 2025, joined Breathe Providence through the Leadership Alliance REU program. She developed educational curricula, hands-on activities, and communication materials for Breathe Providence's summer 2023 outreach events.
Kate Farber: Kate, University of San Francisco class of 2024.5, also joined Breathe Providence through the Leadership Alliance REU program. She studied the impacts of the 2023 Canadian wildfires on Providence air quality, examining how meteorological conditions brought wildfire smoke to the city and how it disrupted neighborhood-scale pollution dynamics.
Emma Amselem Bensadon: Emma is a member of the class of 2024 concentrating in Environmental Engineering. She spent the fall of 2023 developing a preliminary NO₂ correction scheme to improve the accuracy and precision of the data.
Nicole Samios
Nicole graduated from Brown in 2024 with a degree in Architecture. Nicole developed a digital repository for student research and works on visual communications for Breathe Providence. She is heading to graduate school at Tufts University for a Master’s in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.
Kendall Kwarko
Kendall is a senior concentrating in Health & Human Biology and Geology-Chemistry. She supports PhD student Vivien Chen’s research studying the relationship between outdoor air pollution and respiratory diseases in Providence.
Cade Woodcock
Cade graduated from Brown in 2024 with a degree in Geology-Biology. Cade has worked on developing case studies demonstrating the project’s areas of strength and identified steps the project can take towards building policy impact.
Asiah Donahue
Asiah is a senior studying Chemistry at Xavier University of Louisiana. She joined Breathe Providence through the Leadership Alliance REU program and is working on outreach and communications strategy.
Sophia Decherney
Sophia is a senior concentrating in Philosophy and Literary Arts. She is researching legal frameworks and policy precedents for mitigating air pollution issues raised by our Resident Task Force, including noxious odors and indoor air pollution.
Emma Blankstein
Emma is a junior concentrating in Environmental Science and History. She is working on developing an ozone calibration for our network and plans to work with Breathe Providence’s greenhouse gas data.
Our partners
These organizations have played active roles in building the Breathe Providence network while championing the climate, health, and environmental justice needs of the community. Through these partnerships, we hope to open channels for sharing air pollution information directly with community members.
Clean Air Fund (CAF)
CAF is a “global philanthropic organization working with governments, funders, business, and campaigners to create a future where everyone breathes clean air.” CAF funded Breathe London — a significant predecessor to Breathe Providence — and now funds our work as well.
Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH)
Through our partnership with RIDOH’s Asthma Control Program, we are laying the groundwork for connecting Breathe Providence data to local health initiatives.
Racial & Environmental Justice Committee (REJC)
REJC’s mission is to work against and transform current and historic social inequities. In addition to being the co-authors of Providence’s Climate Justice Plan, REJC has championed community involvement in the Breathe Providence project.
American Lung Association (ALA)
As a part of ALA’s mission to improve lung health and prevent lung disease, it publishes the annual State of the Air report summarizing statewide air quality. The Rhode Island ALA also hosts a healthy air collaborative that convenes local agency and community stakeholders, including Breathe Providence.
City of Providence Dept. of Sustainability
The Department aims to implement policies and programs that will create a healthy, low-carbon, climate resilient, and environmentally just city. This partnership provides mutual support for projects that further environmental justice and air pollution awareness.
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)
CLF is an environmental advocacy organization based in New England. CLF is currently collaborating with the REJC to craft legislation defining and protecting green justice zones in Providence. Together, we plan to convene a Resident Task force to collaboratively analyze and utilize Breathe Providence data.
RI Health Equity Zones (HEZs)
HEZs seek to address the social determinants of health in their communities. We have partnered with three HEZs: the West Elmwood 02907 HEZ, Central Providence Opportunities HEZ, and South Providence HEZ. Together, we have been able to identify meaningful monitoring locations and initiatives that this work can support.
RI Dept. of Environmental Management (RIDEM)
RIDEM has been a valuable parter for sharing local air quality expertise and reference-grade monitoring data. Several of or air monitors are co-located with DEM monitors for calibration and correction purposes.
Brown University’s DEEPS CORES
Members of our team have been working with The Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences’ Career Opportunities and Research in Earth Science (DEEPS CORES) to bring air pollution and environmental justice curricula to Hope High School Students.
Brown University’s Community Noise Lab
Based at Brown’s School of Public Health, the Community Noise Lab most recently supported our air filter building sessions at the Knight Memorial and South Providence Libraries, contributing supplies and helping to run the events.