1. Summarize and report out on the results of the SKS exercise.  (start, keep, stop)

2 things we want to start doing as a team:

1. Delegating tasks effectively according to each team member’s strengths and weaknesses. Having a record of what tasks are completed, in progress, and upcoming. 
2. Generating fresh ideas and not being reluctant to share them with each other even if they seem minor. Have SMART tasks and goals.

2 things we want to keep doing as a team 

1. Keep committing time outside of the classroom to be able to collaborate 
2. Keep being open-minded with constructive criticism on ideas and not being afraid of changing the direction of the project 

2 things we want to stop doing as a team 

1. Stop assuming everyone knows what you are doing and communicate to the team what is being done and what needs to be done. Also not being afraid to ask for help
2. Stop setting goals and then not upholding them.

1. Develop a detailed Collaboration Plan for your team clearly articulating your Goals (Small and Big), Roles, Procedures, and Relationships. 

• Goals: 
  • Have a rough draft completed of the paper we are submitting to the IEE CHTC Conference in Seattle by mid-April
    • Send to Prof. Mehta so that he can review before submitting 
  • Touching base with our connections in Kazakhstan
    • Formulating a plan with them
  • Have a model laid out for the website by the end of April 
• Roles: 
  • Alondra
    • Implementer, Monitor-evaluator, 
  • Hugo
    • Specialist
  • Josue 
    • Team worker, resource investigator 
  • Nathaly 
    • Monitor-evaluator: critically analyze information before coming to conclusions 
    • Completer/finisher: detects errors and omissions; ensures adherence to deadlines

• • Rebecca 
    • Implementer: actually gets things done; turns ideas into actual plans 
    • Resource investigator: develop external contacts; negotiate for the team’s resources
  • Ulan 
    • Shaper: maintains a positive mental attitude; finds the best ways to overcome challenges facing the team 
    • Specialist: expert knowledge in a particular area 

• • Professor Duvanova 
    • Team worker, coordinator, specialist 
• Procedures
  • Decision Making: 
    • Majority Rule
    • If we are split down the middle, we will use our advisor as a mediator to help come to a consensus. 
  • Effective Meetings: 
    • Setting up goals for each meeting 
    • Checking in with each other→ Where people are with their designated tasks, etc. 
    • Splitting up work so that we are being proactive and productive with the time we work on tasks
    • Creating documents that have everyone’s assigned tasks for the week so we know how to check up on eachother 
  • Communication:
    • Best time to work: In the mornings, any day of the week, preferably the end of the week
    • Frequency: Meet at least once a week besides our weekly advisor meetings
    • Location: Online
    • Type of Technology: Google Docs and Zoom
  • Relationships 
    • Make sure to consider everyone’s perspective 
    • Do not get frustrated with each other

3. If we can’t go in the summer what will we do?

• Trying to finalize the design/function of our website
• Creating online surveys that we can send out to people in Almaty 
• Formulating algorithms to help organize survey data and determining the best forms of advice
• Learning more about the country through partners in Kazakhstan
• Good communication with the Kazakhstan students 

• Does your work require IRB approval?

Our plan to address the air quality issue in Kazakhstan is being developed. We have many different ideas floating around regarding our plan, so we are still working out the specifics. However, based on the rough draft of our plan, we will need IRB approval. One component of our plan is to interview locals regarding the air quality problem in their city. The interviews will allow us to strengthen our approach to the issue by learning about the first-hand experience of living in Almaty with the challenges of dangerous air quality. 

We are aware that people are extremely concerned just by scrolling through Facebook pages. For example, there is a Facebook page named, “SMOG ALMATY” which is used as a platform for Almaty locals and allies to discuss their concerns and opinions on the way people in power are handling the air quality issue. 

Although we will be receiving a lot of constructed criticism regarding our plan and presentations before abroad fieldwork, the most impactful criticism will come directly from the people of Almaty. 

We might also set up a survey that provides feedback for our project. As a result, in order to interview, we need IRB approval. According to the certification that my group completed, we learned that any research that will consist of surveying requires IRB approval to make sure that we protect any revealing information of the participants. 

Another idea that we are working towards finalizing are nasal filters. In order for my group to review whether or not our filters are effective and used amongst the Almaty population, it will involve having locals test them out. We might not be the exact group of undergraduate students that will have this filter finalized because of it being a long process of lab work and engineering. However, we recognize that this type of research needs to be reviewed by IRB in order for any of it to be implemented and continued. 

If yes, articulate your detailed IRB strategy.

If not, explain why you don’t need IRB approval and identify situations when you might need IRB approval.

• Develop an outline for your mid-semester presentations. What supporting evidence will you provide for each point? How will you boost your credibility every step of the way?

1. Introduction slide: 
   1. Picture of Almaty’s mountains and introduce team members
2. 1st Slide: (problem/ solution)
   1. Jumps right into the problem with a statistic or two about the severity of the air quality problem in Almaty
   2. Picture of Almaty on a day with bad air quality 
   3. State our proposed solution: 
      1. Increasing data collection points
      2. Mappings of specific areas that are suffering more due to air pollution (include image)
      3. Creating an easily accessible server for the population to access data
      4. Giving strategies to minimize exposure to air quality
3. 2nd Slide: 
   1. List causes of the problem in Almaty
      1. Traffic
      2. Power plant 
      3. Coal-burning furnaces 
      4. Bad air circulation, cold weather
   2.  Sighting health risks from being exposed to air pollution
      1. Cardiovascular disease death rates
4. 3rd Slide: Potential Solutions
   1. Addressing possible solutions (our ideas of what we came up with or ones other cities have tried implementing)
      1. Public services announcements 
      2. Government policy 
      3. Increasing greenery 
      4. Creating new power plant filters (nasal strips, other)
5. 4th Slide: Details on our solution
   1. Showing app we found that isn’t reliable
      1. Providing images of what it looks like
      2. Data and statistics is provides
      3. Including single data points 
   2. Improving the quality of data (Account for more air pollutants)
      1. Getting more air quality detecting devices to distribute throughout the city
      2. Including public areas like parks, walkways, schools, neighborhoods… 
6. 5th Slide: Existing Kazakhstan Proposed solutions
   1. Government Regulation
   2. Improve Transportation with efficiency and reliability
   3. Reliable Bike Lanes (Promoting bike riding)
   4. Greenway
   5. Investigate Airflow in city 
   6. All long term solutions, no short term
   7. Public announcements on when pollution is high and low
7. 6th Slide: Prototype
   1. What kinds of air quality testers are we going to use? 
      1. Still pending, but have a meeting with an expert on 3/3
      2. Sustainable, maintainable, cheapish
   2. Pollutants we are trying to target
      1. PM 2.5
      2. CO, SO2, NO2
8. 7th Slide: Our overall plan 
   1. What are we planning to do with the data
      1. Create understandable models and analyzing the impacts of specific polluted areas
      2. Connecting info to health advice and actable things to do to minimize exposure
      3. Detecting -> Transmission -> Public Awareness/ Public Safety