We Are Air Aware

First We Are Air Aware Workshop Held at York University

July 14, 2026

Participants taking part in the first We Are Air Aware workshop at York University

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

Call for participants for the AirWear co-design workshops at the Arcadia Housing Co-operative

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

Agenda for the We Are Air Aware co-design workshop at York University

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 presenting the We Are Air Aware project at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

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

Grace Grothaus presenting We Are Air Aware at the Crossing Boundaries Symposium.

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.

Presentation showing AirWear sensor development.

York University Highlights We Are Air Aware

April 16, 2025

Screenshot of the YFile article on York University's website

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