Local Kensington MP sees air quality research at South Kensington Campus

Imperial PhD students running a demonstration to see the health impacts of poor air quality

Felicity Buchan MP, MP for Kensington, visited Imperial to discuss teaching and innovation and see how air quality research impacts locally.

Hosted by Imperial's President Professor Hugh Brady, Felicity Buchan MP visited Imperial’s South Kensington Campus and discussed the College’s world-class teaching and cutting-edge research and innovation. Ms Buchan also heard more about Imperial’s partnership with the University of Cumbria to create a new graduate entry medical school and how this will train doctors for Cumbria and North West England to transform healthcare in their local communities and build capacity in the life sciences sector.

Professor Brady outlined how the partnership with the University of Cumbria was one of the many examples of the positive impact of Imperial’s research and innovation beyond the borders of the university and across the UK.  

Local transport and air quality

The local MP met Director of the Transport and Environment Lab, Dr Marc Stettler for a visit to the Transport and Environment Lab based at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He explained that the lab looks at the interactions between transport and the environment in order to develop approaches to mitigate negative impacts like poor air quality and greenhouse gas emissions in the face of growing transport activity. 

"It was great to visit Imperial’s Transport and Environment Lab and see first-hand how local air pollution is analysed. This furthers our understanding around the impacts of poor air quality on people's health which is a significant concern for my constituents." Felicity Buchan MP Local MP for Kensington

PhD students Georgia Gamble and Joel Ponsonby showed Ms Buchan their latest air quality research at the lab, including an interactive demonstration of measuring the particle properties of soot and how they create poor air quality. They discussed first-hand how this research can help us better understand the impact poor air quality has on people's health. 

Dr Stettler also explained how the lab was working locally, for example through samples taken on Exhibition Road taken during the Great Exhibition Road Festival.