Educators & Teens Get Hands-On With TEMPO Data to Help Investigate Local Air Quality
NASA-funded TEMPO-Lab, a free online tool, was introduced to educators in July 2026 to help teens investigate local air quality using real-time NASA data, supporting community-focused research and action.
From July 27–29, 2026, the CosmicDS project, led by Harvard University, collaborated with the Smithsonian Institution’s BEST AQI initiative to host a Leadership Institute at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. The event brought together 13 educators who advise BEST AQI, an effort guiding teens in air quality research to improve their communities. The workshop introduced TEMPO-Lab, a free online tool funded by NASA, which allows users to explore near-real-time air quality data from NASA’s TEMPO mission.
During the institute, educators co-developed curriculum and resources using TEMPO-Lab to create case studies on real-world air quality issues, such as wildfire smoke and emissions from traffic, power plants, and agriculture. These case studies will help teens investigate local air quality and identify potential actions in their communities. The tool’s flexibility was demonstrated when a new ozone data product was integrated overnight, allowing participants to analyze cutting-edge data the next morning.
The Leadership Institute highlighted TEMPO-Lab’s role in empowering youth to use NASA data for evidence-based decision-making. Educators noted the platform’s potential to foster data literacy and community engagement. The initiative aims to build skills teens can apply in future careers while addressing health and environmental concerns in their neighborhoods.
The 13 educators plan to share the BEST AQI toolkit and TEMPO-Lab with approximately 100 additional educators across South Dakota, Maryland, and New York, potentially reaching thousands of teen researchers. TEMPO-Lab is accessible at https://projects.cosmicds.cfa.harvard.edu/tempo-lab, and the CosmicDS project is detailed at https://cosmicds.cfa.harvard.edu.