Hello! My name is Jack . For my internship this summer, I worked with Public Health Seattle-King County (PHSKC) and the University of Washington (with Dr. Tania Busch Isaksen) to conduct a pilot study (a small scale test of methods and procedures to be eventually used on a larger scale) with the goal of monitoring the effects of wildfire smoke on several households within King County. To do this, we collected both quantitative data, by placing PM2.5 sensors in the households of survey participants, and qualitative data, by surveying participants on the physical and mental outcomes that they felt in response to wildfire smoke events (days in which the air quality in Seattle was significantly negatively effected by wildfire smoke). I was able to work with a team which included representatives from PHSKC, Tania, and another intern from UW to design the surveys we would administer, and elements of the overall process by which this study would be conducted. We also had the opportunity to directly interact with our survey participants and install the sensors in their homes in person. Most of the internship was completed online, with the exception of the home installations we conducted.

To design these surveys, I worked extensively with a software designed to assist in data collection and analysis for clinical and translational research databases, called REDCap. With REDCap, I developed surveys that could be administered online, with data being automatically organized in an easily accessible database. I enjoyed a high degree of independence in how I went about designing the surveys and materials I was assigned to develop, and was solely responsible for handling the data and ensuring the survey was functioning as we thought it should. At first, when I realized the extent of my responsibilities, I was nervous, as my failure could mean a major setback to the study for which multiple organizations and researchers have been devoting time and resources to. However, thanks to my training in DEOHS classes, I proceeded with confidence and my contributions to the study have so far been a success, in no small part due to support I received from mentors I had the chance to work with such as Tania, and my intern supervisor. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of this research team, and I look forward to using the skills I’ve gained from this internship in future endeavors!