How’s the Air Out There? Using a National Air Quality Database to Introduce First Year Students to the Fundamentals of Data Analysis

Abstract

Chemistry is increasingly data centric and the undergraduate curriculum needs to adjust to keep up. To address this, we created the Air Quality Activity, a new first-year undergraduate activity where students use Microsoft Excel to analyze a unique subset of atmospheric ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) measurements from the Canadian National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program. Through this activity students develop their numeracy, graphicacy, and proficiency with Excel. Moreover, students are equipped with a foundational approach to data analysis they can leverage throughout their studies. To make this activity possible, we developed an open-source webbook detailing pertinent Excel operations for first-year students, and an interactive web-app for the generation, distribution, and exploration of NAPS data. Students were excited by the analysis of real-world chemical phenomena in comparison to traditional first-year lab exercises and appreciated their acquired Excel skills. The Air Quality Activity is readily adaptable for both virtual and in-person implementation, entirely open-source, and readily deployable at any institution wishing to teach data analysis in a chemistry context.