A 17-year-old student from Plano, Texas, has built an artificial intelligence tool to track air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods, winning a national award and $10,000 for his work. Nathan Tan started the non-profit group Shared Skies Initiative to fight environmental inequality across Dallas, where poorer communities and minority families often breathe dirtier air but lack local pollution monitors. His work earned him the 2026 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, an annual award given to 25 outstanding young leaders across the United States and Canada.
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