ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Young people in the Lehigh Valley will put the pedal to the metal to help measure air quality and urban heat.

The initiative will train local youth ages 9 to 18 to collect real-time environmental data during Community Bike Works summer bike rides, according to a news release from the Allentown Mayor’s Office.

Allentown was awarded a $16,000 grant from the Urban Sustainability Directors Network to launch the youth-led citizen science project, Measuring Urban Heat Islands and Air Quality in the Lehigh Valley with Citizen Science, the mayor’s office said.

The mayor’s office said participants will measure temperature, humidity, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and other pollutants while traveling through neighborhoods across the city.

The bikers will use portable Atmotube Pro sensors.

Youth participants will help identify hyper-local pollution and heat hotspots that broader regional monitoring systems may miss, according to the news release.

The mayor’s office said the information gathered will be used to create maps and visualizations that can support local planning and climate resilience efforts.

The project addresses ongoing environmental health concerns in the Lehigh Valley, as the area frequently receives poor air quality grades and faces challenges related to air pollution, extreme heat, and asthma, according to the mayor’s office.

These impacts are not felt equally across the city, with some neighborhoods experiencing higher temperatures and greater exposure to pollutants than others, the mayor’s office said.

The City of Allentown in partnership with the City of Easton, Community Bike Works, and Penn State University will lead the project.

The mayor’s office said project findings may help inform future decisions related to tree planting, urban forestry, cleaner transportation infrastructure, and other strategies that improve public health and neighborhood resilience.

Youth participants will also have opportunities to present their findings to local officials and community stakeholders, according to the news release.

Any youth interested in participating in a ride can contact or visit their local Community Bike Works shop.

An Air Quality and Heat Island Citizen Science Toolkit that can be shared with communities throughout the USDN network will be created once the project is finished, according to the mayor’s office.