By: Josh Medrano, Natalie Crnosija, Richard Prather, Devon Payne-Sturges
Air Pollution & Math Learning: an Interdisciplinary Study on Cognitive Development
Another example of my interdisciplinary work is my collaboration with Dr. Richard Prather at the University of Maryland’s College of Education.
In 2019, we were awarded the UMD New Directions Catalyst Award to investigate how air pollution may impact children’s ability to learn math by affecting the development of essential cognitive processes. Research shows that early numerical skills are strong predictors of academic performance and future employment, highlighting the need to address these environmental disparities.
Medrano J, Crnosija N, Prather RW and Payne-Sturges D (2022) Bridging the environment and neurodevelopment for children’s health: Associations between real-time air pollutant exposures and cognitive outcomes. Front. Psychol. 13:933327. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933327