It took me a while to find a theme for the RISE Grant Proposal. I searches different online books and article in Journals. I came across air-conditioning and decided to go with it. In the last 6 years we lived in different states across the country: desert (California, Arizona), high humidity areas (Maryland, Virginia), and very cold (Alaska). The air around me left traces at my skin and hair. In the desert and here in Alaska the air is very dry, that means we have indoors humidifier. Maryland and Virginia have a high humidity, so we used de-humidifier at home. But all places had something in common: public places like shopping malls, educational institutions, banks and so on were indoors very cool. I asked myself, why is that and figured out, that cool air feels more cleanly and fresh, and therefore more comfortable for people, than warm air. I also discovered that most class rooms at the university in Maryland and Alaska do not have windows. How does the air circulate, so we can breathe fresh air? Why is fresh air so important for our well-being? And how can our university enhance the air quality in the buildings? With the proposal I tried to answer the questions and find a solution.
Finding a specialist and/ or interview partner was impossible. I wrote emails to authors of Journals, but never received any answers back. Since we just moved here in the summer I do not know a lot of people at the University or in this area. Calculating a budget is also challenging, because there are different things the University could do. I am not sure, if I list every solution or just go with the cheapest one.
This weekend I plan to finish my budget and write a draft. I will also send it to an friend to check for grammar or spelling errors.