Meet Kelly Liu, 16, whose AI pollution project helped change county policy

Kelly Liu, a 16-year-old student, developed an innovative AI project to address air pollution disparities around San Jose. Traditional monitoring stations provided broad regional trends, but they often missed the specific conditions students faced near busy roads, industrial areas, or older school buildings. Recognizing this gap, Kelly combined AI, low-cost pollution sensors, and community organizing to fill the void.

Her project involved mapping local air quality using AI, which processed large amounts of data faster than manual analysis. This allowed her to identify pollution hotspots near specific campuses and compare communities. By visualizing these patterns, Kelly made the issue more accessible to students, parents, school administrators, and policymakers.

Kelly focused her efforts on underserved schools, which often faced greater pollution exposure but had less access to data, medical guidance, or political influence. By placing sensors in these schools, she produced evidence and involved the most affected communities. Students could see readings from their own campuses and connect the information to their science, technology, and health lessons.

Kelly's advocacy extended beyond individual school campuses to countywide policy. By demonstrating how pollution could disproportionately impact different communities, she helped push for stronger air quality protections in schools. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, and Kelly's work highlighted the importance of providing healthier learning environments for all students.