Eniola Shokunbi, a 12-year-old Nigerian-American student, helped champion a low-cost classroom air filter that attracted $11.5 million in funding. The young student became interested in cleaner classroom air while studying at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Connecticut.
During fifth grade, Eniola contacted University of Connecticut researchers and requested plans for building affordable classroom air filtration systems. Scientists later worked with Eniola and her classmates, helping them construct Corsi-Rosenthal box filters using inexpensive, readily available materials.
Each filter costs approximately $60 and uses a box fan, four furnace filters, cardboard, and duct tape for construction. Testing by UConn and the Environmental Protection Agency found the device removed more than 99 percent of airborne viruses.
The testing took place inside an EPA bioaerosol chamber, where researchers assessed the filter under controlled conditions. Connecticut’s State Bond Commission approved $11.5 million in October 2024 to support the statewide school filtration programme.
The funding will help purchase materials and support construction and installation of the filtration devices throughout public-school classrooms across Connecticut. Importantly, the $11.5 million does not represent money personally awarded to Eniola for her invention or project.
Instead, the funding supports the University of Connecticut’s Indoor Air Quality Initiative and its school filtration programme. Eniola continues advocating for cleaner classrooms while encouraging students to explore science, engineering, and practical solutions to community challenges.
Her project demonstrates how a simple classroom experiment can develop into a broader initiative involving researchers, schools, and government funding.
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