The Trump administration terminated a National Science Foundation grant Friday that supported research on air pollution in Southwest Detroit’s 48217 ZIP code, one of the most heavily industrialized and polluted areas in Michigan.
Ember McCoy, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, was using the $10,000 dissertation grant to document how community members experience and understand air pollution, and how those non-technical ways of knowing are often excluded from regulatory decisions. Her work includes interviews with residents and community partners in Detroit, Ecorse, and River Rouge.