This week, Joyce speaks with Jalal Awan, a PhD candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. They discuss the coffee cup-sized air quality monitoring devices Jalal is using to test cheaper ways to measure air quality in the Los Angeles area. They also discuss Jalal's master's degree from the University of Southern California, where he was a Fulbright scholar, and his ongoing work as vice president of the Los Angeles Fulbright chapter. We discuss a bit about technology policy, Jalal's externship in Sitka, Alaska, and how smaller non-profit organizations can often have more direct and tangible impact than large organizations in the policy world. We talk about that and more in this episode.

Here is the NPR article that Jalal, for the record, does correctly talk about, which discusses how communities of color in the US are much more impacted by air pollution.

You can also read some of the writing Jalal has done about technology policy, like his piece on blockchain's potential for web-based vaccination records.

During the pandemic, Jalal co-founded Raabta - a 501 c (3) engaged in connecting primary school children in Pakistan with their peers in the US (you can connect with the organisaiton here).

All opinions expressed in this podcast are Jalal’s own – and do not reflect the organizations he is affiliated with. To learn more about his work and get connected, you can contact Jalal on twitter @jalal_awan, instagram @jalal_awan, or linkedin.