Middle schooler Eniola Shokunbi is making a significant impact in classrooms.
Shokunbi, then a fifth-grade student at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Middletown, CT, was tasked with developing a solution to address future pandemic challenges in collaboration with her classmates, Shoppe Black reports. This inspired the creation of an air filter system designed to combat COVID-19 and cold viruses within classrooms, as reported by NBC Connecticut.
“The air goes through all the sides,” Shokunbi explained to NBC Connecticut. “And it comes out of the top, so it filters in and out.”
Her device, which cost $60 to make, is composed of a box fan, four furnace filters, duct tape, and cardboard. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in North Carolina further validated the invention.
“It showed that the air filter removed over 99% of viruses in the air,” Shokunbi told NBC Connecticut. “And that it was effective.”
Shokunbi and her classmates installed the air filters, which have been in use at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy ever since.
“Eniola is fabulous. She wows every room she’s in front of. She’s a real rock star,” said State Senator Matt Lesser, according to NBC Connecticut.
In October 2024, $11.5 million in funding was unanimously approved to expand the implementation of these air filter systems to more schools across the state. The funds will be allocated to UConn under its Supplemental Air Filtration for Education Program.
“A lot of people don’t realize sometimes that the only thing standing between them and getting sick is science,” Shokunbi expressed. “If we’re not investing in that, then we’re not investing in kids’ futures.”
She added, “I want them to go to school knowing that they’re safe, that they’re healthy, and that they can learn. I really love explaining this to people and seeing their faces, seeing them realize that this could change so many lives.”
