Research project guides for CSUB student researchers
S: So this research we are conducting is about air quality in Bakersfield, and I’m conducting a research with my colleagues. Dr. Lee at Loyola Marymount University, you know, in Los Angeles, and Sung Hyoun Hong from Georgia State University.
S: So basically, what we’ll do is listen to your valuable idea and your perspectives on how air quality impacts the life of employees in San Joaquin Valley.
S: Okay, so and after we finish the year view I will send you a $20 Amazon gift card for the appreciation for taking your time, and it would be great if you can share this opportunity with your colleagues or your family members, or your people around you about this opportunity. It would be great if you can recommend this opportunity, for the people who thinks the error quality here is not good.
S: Thank you very much.
S: So first, let’s talk about your current role in your job.
S: Can you please tell us about your current role in your job, like, you know,
S: whether there are physical required, physical presence or flexibility in time you work or work and indoors or outdoors something like that.
They’re pretty flexible. But yeah, I primarily just work indoors. Sometimes I’ll work outdoors like this. Saturday. We work the runner’s Day event for [university X] and so that required us to be outdoors for most of it. I don’t know if you want me to expand or.
S: Can you walk us through a typical day for you, including both work and non-work activities?
S: Depend on the air quality in Bakersfield, you know, the air quality varies daily. Right? So do you typically pick some certain day to run? Or do you pick specific time or window? You run in a day.
But say, if it’s in the like right now, I’ll go at 4 Pm. 5 pm, I’d say that’s probably like the best time thankfully. The air quality hasn’t been too terrible right now. It has been worse in in the past years. But I know it’ll it’ll come back again soon.
S: Okay, thank you.
S: So how long you? How long have you lived in San Joaquinbelly?
S: So your parents brought you here before you were born.
S: That’s wonderful. So you might have some experiences how air quality has been changed across multiple years.
S: You mean athletic asthma.
S: How do you feel about air quality in San Joaquin Valley, including Bakersfield.
It’s it’s just a little unfortunate, you know, but it’s for the most part manageable.
S: Okay, you expressed that. You feel shame you didn’t committed contribute to the bad air quality. But can you elaborate more? Why do you feel shame?
S: Okay. So you just shared us that you frequently change your running time based on the season, and depends on the season, the air quality. The pattern of the air quality varies. But beside that, in what ways does the air quality affect your daily life at work and home?
And you know it’s kind of the sort of the same thing. Wear a mask, and just hope and pray that you’re all right, and by the end of it.
S: So you describe how air quality affect your life and outdoor. But how about at your home?
S: Okay. I remember that I had to teach on the day it was a fall season when there’s a heavy dust tornado.
S: And I can. I could barely see. The places like, you know, a few feet away from me. So yes, I remember that it was a soci week, and all students need to come to the class to evaluate me as a lecture. But there were only 5 students in classroom. So in in those days. Do you also stay at your home?
and then I’ll try to stay there not as long as others. I don’t wanna be outside for too long, you know.
S: Okay. But there are some people who does not care about the, their air quality around them. They just don’t. They feel that that does not affect them.
S: So you said, red, red, brick.
S: So they provide some medical information.
S: So our campus does provide some information about the risk of the valley fever and air quality issue for our students and employees.
S: So regarding facing those air quality issues. What actions have you taken to deal with these challenges regarding air quality.
S: Pretty much just that I don’t satisfy with the air purifier in our building. So when the air comes from the ceiling. There was a time I kept coughing. Does not have a proper filtering system.
S: Do you also experience those kind of issues in your building.
S: Regarding the air quality impacting us. Have you noticed the the impact of air quality on the others around you, including your family members.
So he had to get a heart heart surgery. So it was kind of scary having to see all that, especially with his asthma, because it can affect them in that way as well.
S: Okay. I heard that many people had to move to Tejapi for the clean air, as of the younger ones, asthma or relative symptom. Have had your parents also considered to do that. Maybe that’s not the official option for all family, because it’s too far away. But.
S: Okay, how do you feel about when your brother had health issue because of the bad air quality in Bakersfield.
S: Okay, does that impact you on the decision that you? You want to work at the company in Bakersfield? Or you want to work at a company outside of Bakersfield because of the air quality issue. Does your experiences with your brother kind of influence, those preferences.
S: Have you shared have you ever shared your personal, your individual, or your family concerns relates to the air quality with your colleagues.
But yeah, I would say. It’s a discussion that that I’ve had before.
S: Okay, is that discussion happens quite frequently.
S: Be like, you know, especially there’s a heavy dust wind, maybe.
S: All people talk about the air right?
S: I just curious that Are there any colleagues share their own personal or family concerns with you related to the air, quality.
S: Can you please share that? How your your friends or colleagues around you cope with a bad air quality. So you said you could wear a mask, but I just curious how the other people cope with a bit bad air quality.
So that’s that’s one of the the big things that I feel like most people do here.
S: So if you have a appointment on certain day. And if there’s a like bad air quality going on then do you experience, often canceling those meeting because of the air. Bad air quality. Do you have those incidents.
S: Okay, she is kind of concerned with the air quality and her health right?
S: So in some occasion people feel connected with each other when facing common challenges, like dealing with air quality in certain region, like in Bakersfield or people who’s facing, you know, Wildfire in LA. So I just wonder those kind of process also occur in Bakersfield around employees. So how did it feel when your colleagues are also experiencing similar challenges with air quality.
So I mean, if it’s affecting me, and I know it’s gonna affect them. So we just talk about it. And then we express our distaste for it, and we just it. In a way it feels. It makes us feel better because we’re both going through it. And we’re gonna have to eventually go outside and then breathe it in. So I guess it’s it’s it. It makes us feel a little bit better, knowing that it’s not just like enough thing. It’s everybody else.
S: So some frustration from the air quality would be relieved if you share those concerns with your colleagues or friends. Right.
S: Okay. Great.
Sung Hyoun Hong: Question. Yeah, I understand. There’s no doubt that dealing with air quality issues is very kind of tough and disaster. But just beyond knowing their struggles. Is there anything positive or upside that you guys are facing the common challenges, or something like that?
Sung Hyoun Hong: Because you guys may talk about the same thing. And you guys might feel like you guys are in a common fate or something like that.
S: And you said, when you share concerns related to the air quality, you feel good and better and do you feel some connection with your colleagues. When you talk about the same challenges, you need to go through.
I feel like it makes us closer, just because it’s a it’s a common thing, like I know somebody from Spain. And they’ll tell me like, yeah, it sucks. But I mean at least we’re going through it together. And and it’s everybody around the county who feels it.
S: So there might be many discussion with the people around about air quality issue. Can you share any specific example or moment when you felt this sense of connection with the people when you talk about, you know, air quality.
we would. Our practices would usually get canceled because of the bad air quality. So we would still talk over the phone and we would we would realize like, Oh, this, this is a pretty bad time, especially for our team right now. But I mean, since we’re all going through it, it’s gonna be okay. Sometimes it would. It would even be that, like both practices in a week would get canceled, so we would just get together eventually on the weekend when the air quality would get better. And then it kind of just it’s bonding through it in a way.
S: So I think you have shared a really valuable experiences that you are feeling connection, bonding with the people who who receives the same experiences. So how has feeling more connected to others, influenced your thoughts related to the air pollution? So air pollution can influence the connection with others, and it could develop bonding. But with those feelings of connections, how that again influence your perspective related to the air pollution.
So since I was bonding with these people. I was kind of getting accustomed to it. Even though you shouldn’t, because at the end of the day it’s it’s something that’s not good, and it’s bad.
S: So let’s move on to the next section. Talking about how your organization help their employees to cope with the air quality issue. So what steps has your organization taken to address air quality issues? So, for example, it could be like distributing masks using air purifiers, as you said, or even planting trees or also adjusting work schedules based on the weather.
S: So there’s that we’ll we’ll stop that process, and then we’ll give them masks if it’s if it’s really that bad. H: That’s just to add to that. What’s Are there certain standards in which you stop those services? Or is it just the decision made by the manager at the time.
But I mean, if if the conditions really are that bad like if it’s if it’s really flooding, or something like that, or their quality super bad, or it’s really hot. Then I mean it’s we kind of just have to
H: Understood.
S: How about in [university X]? You are working as a student workers. But I know you’re involving. You are involved in many events and important. you know, activities. So are there any steps that see us to be taken to address air quality issues.
Sung Hyoun Hong: If I remember correctly, you mentioned that your school provides some information about the belly fever for the students right. So I’m curious. Do they mainly share, like basic information? What like. what belly fever is, and how, where, where it comes from, something like that? Or do they offer some guide on how to prevent the belly fever, and like? Or they provide some specific resources or medical help to deal with those problems.
So it it just depends because they mentioned that when they go to the doctor sometimes, since it gets confused with the common cold. They won’t test for it, so that’s where it can get lost. Unless it gets severely triggered. But yeah, they they give out a good amount of information for that. It’s just that you have to actively seek it. It’s not something that I feel like it’s shared a lot with us.
Sung Hyoun Hong: I see. Do they provide more like specific resources? So something like a medical checkup or. Test. something like that.
S: Do. They are flexible with the work schedule. You know, sensitivity. regarding the air quality might be quite different across each employee, and each employee would like to escape certain day for work if the air quality is not good. But does your workplace or manager accommodate those needs.
Your reliability hasn’t been the best. Is there a way that maybe you can drop your desired hours since you’ve been missing a lot of work. But we’ll we’ll we’ll accommodate. It’s just that in the grand scheme of things. We’ll. We’ll then look into the bigger picture and try to get them closer to less hours if they’re not willing to work. That is.
S: Regarding your organization’s actions, especially in a [company X] and organizations inaction, especially in [university X]. Regarding the air quality, I mean can you please share your general thought about their action and inaction?
But you know, I I think that’s that’s mainly what what both organizations do it. It’s just hard.
S: Have your concerns about air quality changed because of your organization’s efforts.
Just because I have heard from other. You know, student workers how much it really does affect us. So I think in a way, it has played a part.
S: So you are more aware of the valley fever right.
: I’m privy to it, so I think it’s it’s better this way.
S: Okay, how about [company X]’s efforts regarding air quality? Does that change your concern about air quality?
But yeah, I probably wouldn’t, wouldn’t say so. I don’t think it would affect me for that.
Sung Hyoun Hong: That’s really interesting. Do you think that the more people learn about air quality issue and problems or belly fever, something like that? Do you think the more vulnerable they might actually feel about the air quality issues or challenges.
They’ll realize how it’s affecting their daily lives. But if they don’t want to learn, or they just ignore those facts, then they’re just not gonna care. they’re not going to be as as aware of what they’re really feeling, because if you take note of what’s happening in the county, you’ll see how it has already affected the way you live.
S: That’s good.
Sung Hyoun Hong: Really interesting. Do you know anyone around you who doesn’t really worry about air quality issue? Because maybe just because they do not know about it, and they do not have much information about those symptoms or disease.
I feel like that’s why. So they they’re just so accustomed to it. They don’t even realize that it’s basically shaped the way they live and I feel like if they go somewhere else, and they live there for a while, they’ll notice that it’s way different.
Sung Hyoun Hong: Thank you.
S: have your feelings of connections to your organizations changed, based on how it has addressed air quality issues.
S: Okay. Great. Great. And what kinds of support or initiatives do you think your organizations could provide to better address air quality concerns?
So I think that’s just the 1st steps to it, and that that’s something they could do.
S: Do you think the organization can help making the air quality better.
I just don’t know how they would do it and like logistic wise, but I feel like. If they had the money, it should be something that they’re they would they should try to do just because sometimes these organizations play a part in causing the bad air quality at times, but I know, like something like for the oil companies here that could they should reinvest and try to mitigate as much as they cause the problems here.
S: Correct.
S: considering the current air quality issues. Do you see yourself continuing to live and work in this area? Long term.
That’s probably one of the bad parts about it. So it it might affect my long term. But yeah.
S: Okay, this is the last question, and we value you’re sharing your experiences. It was really helpful for us to understand how air quality impact our employees. Thank you. And is there anything else you’d like to share about your experiences with air, quality and community connections in Sun Hawking Valley that we haven’t discussed.
It was something weird, but it was something that was kind of the norm was seeing somebody’s nose bleed. Because of the bad air quality. That’s something that I grew up seeing. And it would be like, Yeah, this is this is just something that happens whenever I’m outside, and their quality is bad. So that’s something that would happen. And I would see on occasion.
S: Okay, Hoon and song. Do you have any other questions?
Sung Hyoun Hong: I do have one last question. Since you have live in Bakersfield for your entire life has your perspective on the air quality issue changed during that time like looking back. And would you say your thinking has changed, or shift compared to how you saw it in the past when you are young, when you’re young.
Sung Hyoun Hong: Yeah, of course, our thoughts and views can naturally evolve over time. Especially if we learn about it. But was there any specific moment or event or conversation that really cause that change for you maybe, can be the company’s effort, or it can be your like. Daily conversation with your friends.
Sung Hyoun Hong: That’s helpful. Thanks for sharing.
S: Okay, thanks for your valuable opinion. And if you have other folks who want to join this interview. please help us to you know, sharing this opportunity with them.
S: Yes.
S: Any any folks who works who is currently working.
S: And also who feels air quality is bad, would helpful for this interview. I had interviewed some employees.
S: but they didn’t provide many valuable, you know, opinion because they were. They were not concerned with the air quality.
S: Any of the these questions were not valid.
S: okay. Great. Great.
S: So once, he sent me an email and I will send the potential available time. And along those time he could pick.
S: Okay, we can have the interview alright, thanks for coming, and I hope to see you around in the campus, and possibly next semester.
S: Thank you. And can you share your personal email other than Csv email.
S: In the chat. Can you please share? Yeah, I don’t. I just want to make a mistake and send a gift card to this. The wrong person.
S: All right.
S: Okay, I will send you the gift card right away, and I hope you have a great day.
S: Alright. Thank you. You as well. Thank you.
H: Thank you.
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