Kayleigh
My name is Kayleigh Cornell. I am a student at CU, majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Geology, Education, Leadership, and Classics. I have always been passionate about learning and understanding. This project gave me an opportunity to expand my knowledge about factors playing into climate change. I knew very basic stuff when it came to atmosphere, most of it I learned in high school science classes. By working on this, I gained a better understanding of what the word ozone meant and how it is part of the atmosphere and greater Earth systems. I loved working on this because I was learning right along side of developing the project. This also shaped our final project – it became an opportunity to lessen the roadblocks we faced for others. I think we saw an opportunity to take the knowledge we got, and put it in terms anyone can understand it in. And I really hope that people are able to understand it, and that they finally know what an Ozone Alert Day actually means.
Klara
My name is Klara Smith and I am a third year undergraduate studying anthropology with a minor in sociology. Anthropology is not heard by many in the general public, but it is something that plays a key role in the daily life of every human being. It is our behavior, our unique cultures,our past and our present. Originally, I had been given the option to work on a project based on gun violence or climate change, specifically tropospheric ozone. I decided to work on the tropospheric ozone project because climate change has been a constant interest of mine. Even though I had never heard about tropospheric ozone, I was eager to learn more. As well as possibly bridge the gap in the knowledge on this topic through an anthropological lense.
Nicole
I am currently an undergraduate at CU as an Anthropology and EBIO double major. Hearing of the effects of tropospheric ozone, and how detrimental it is to plant life and human health, I wanted to gather better understanding on what can be done. I wanted to know what this looked like, and what action was being taken to try and implement policy to reduce tropospheric ozone. This project brought facts to my understanding of how climate change is actually being handled. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to scientist and policy makers, who are passionate about these same aspects of life, and seeing how they are moving forward on the issue. I hope to one day be very involved in the scientific community to encourage taking action towards changing our world for the better.
Sawyer
Having grown up in the Zirkel Wilderness of Colorado, environmental conservation has always been close to my heart. I initially started my undergrad at CU as an Environmental Studies major, but felt that it didn’t answer questions I had about social aspects of environmental issues. I was drawn to Anthropology because it encompasses not only our cultures and unique aspects of human existence, but elucidates the complex ways we relate to our environment. This project was a way for me to connect my Anthropological learnings to actual research while embarking on long held questions relating to climate change and environmental issues. Tropospheric ozone is an environmental issue I was previously unaware of, but soon realized is pervasive among the Front Range. I hope that our research informs you on ozone pollution, how it relates to you and sparks you to ask questions and inquire about environmental issues in your community.
Shanel
I am a graduate student in CU’s ATLAS Institute, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the engineering college. Coming from an undergrad degree in physics/computer science and an established artistic practice in fiber crafts, this course was my first experience conducting anthropological research. To me, studying how different people think about ozone pollution was an interesting challenge to blend an understanding of the technical, scientific concepts with an understanding of social and political issues. I hope to incorporate anthropological methods into my research on smart textiles and human-computer interaction.
