What this project is really about
Imagine living in a city where the air is so polluted that stepping outside feels like breathing smoke. That’s what happened to Professor Thomas Talhelm in Beijing. Instead of buying a fancy $1,000 air purifier, he rolled up his sleeves and built his own for a fraction of the cost—and it worked!In this project, you’ll follow in his footsteps. Your mission: design and build a low-cost air purifier that can actually clean the air in your room. You’ll discover how air purifiers work, why HEPA filters are so good at trapping tiny particles, and how to make air flow work in your favour. Then you’ll sketch your design, gather simple materials like a household fan and a filter, and start building. Once your purifier is ready, it’s time to put it to the test. You’ll measure the air quality before and after running your machine, see if your design works, and think about how you could make it even better. By the end, you’ll realise you don’t need expensive gadgets to solve real problems—you just need curiosity, creativity, and the courage to try. Project Deliverables:• A labelled sketch of your air purifier with a materials list• Photos or drawings showing how you built it • Air quality test results before and after• A short reflection on what worked, what didn’t, and what’s nextLearning Outcomes:• Understand where air pollution comes from and why it’s harmful• Learn how air purifiers and HEPA filters clean the air• Apply design and engineering skills to build a working prototype• Use experiments to test and improve your ideas• Build problem-solving skills using everyday materials
Indoor air pollution is often worse than outdoor pollution — caused by cooking fumes, dust, mould, and chemicals in cleaning products. It affects concentration, sleep, and respiratory health, and most people do not even know it is happening.
You will learn the science of air filtration, measure the air quality in your home using simple tools, and build your own low-cost air purifier using a box fan and HEPA filter — then test and iterate to improve its performance.
DIY air purifiers have been proven as effective as commercial purifiers at a fraction of the cost — this is accessible science that genuinely improves health. The experimental design, data collection, and engineering thinking you develop are deeply practical and transferable.
What you'll walk away knowing how to do
This project isn't about memorising facts. It's about building capabilities that transfer — to your next project, your next class, and beyond.
Learn from people who do this for a living
You're not learning from a textbook. You're learning from practitioners.
Thomas Talhelm
Professor
Professor Thomas Talhelm is an Associate Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, known for his research on cultural differences, particularly the idea that the agricultural history of rice or wheat cultivation in different regions influences cultural traits like collectivism and individualism. He founded...
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