Academia

We have partnered with a number of local universities to work on various projects. The goal is to collect data and express it to the public in an engaging and informative way.

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PurpleAir Sensor Installation

Dr. Cesunica Ivey
Xavier Gomez

With the contribution of 25 sensors by Dr. Ivey, and the help of Xavier Gomez and the Promatoras, we were able to install a number of new sensors throughout South San Francisco.

In addition to installing the sensors, Xavier considered the largely Spanish-only-speaking population of the city, many of whom didn't go to school beyond elementary. He made it a point to create easy-to-understand maps in both English and Spanish.

This map displays the average air quality between December 2022 and May 2023. He opted for color-coordinated smiley faces to communicate how good the air was to breathe, especially over a long period of time.

Here is the live PurpleAir Map that displays local air quality. You can interact with the map directly from this page, or you can visit it at map.purpleair.com. You can find more information about Air Quality Index (AQI, which the map displays by default) on our Resources page.

PCJ in the Bay Fellows

Alan Cuevas
Leanna Lewis

We partnered with the Stanford Haas Center for Public Service and their program, Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay. This summer, we were able to host two fellows.

They helped to create a number of organization informational documents, as well resources for the community like info sheets and flyers. Following the organization's brand style guide, they made a brochure in both Spanish and English, and updated the website regularly with announcements and new information. They put together a StoryMap in ArcGIS that went over the various toxic sites in South City, including previous uses of the sites, potential contamination, and clean-up efforts.

In August, they helped organize and facilitate one of two field trips the PCJ Cohort took. After learning about the history of Colma Creek, San Bruno Mountain, and the characteristics of some of the native plants, the group walked through areas that had been restored using native flowers and grasses. After reconvening at the Rise office, Leanna and Alan spoke about their work and were both interviewed for a short film about the fellowship experience. ,I

Learn more about PCJ in the Bay

Vulnerability Map

JieQi Yan

JieQi Yan created a vulnerability map containing sensitive receptor locations and high-risk areas of air pollution, incorporating data from sources such industry emissions, and on-road pollutants for the city of South San Francisco. The map aims to provide an initial glance of pollution intensity in spatial distribution.

This is the jpeg image of the map. Continue scrolling for an interactive map, or visit it here.

With this map, we are able to compare the areas of the worst air quality with the locations of special sites where the individuals may be at more of a health risk, like hospitals or child care centers. This map utilizes the CalEnviroScreen Overall Score as well as PM 2.5, but the colors remain the same: green is good, yellow is not as good, and red is bad.

Alan Cuevas

Stanford University

Alan Cuevas is a senior and incoming master’s student in the earth systems program, primarily focusing on land and resource management strategies for climate adaptation. He is a FLI student from South Central Los Angeles, a neighborhood plagued by environmental and social justice issues. This summer, he will be joining Rise South City to tackle environmental justice issues in predominantly low-income communities in South San Francisco. He is one of our Partnerships for Climate Justice (PCJ) in the Bay Fellows this summer.

Xavier Gomez

Stanford University

Xavier Gomez was born and raised in South SF and is a co-terminal student pursuing his Master's degree in Earth Systems at Stanford University. He took the lead on installing the first PurpleAir sensors of the initiative. His work was part of his capstone project for the Earth Systems undergrad program.

Dr. Cesunica Ivey

University of California, Berkeley

Dr. Cesunica Ivey is an assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley, and generously provided over 25 air quality sensors to Rise.

JieQi Yan

UC Davis

JieQi Yan, Graduate Student Researcher from UC Davis, created a vulnerability map containing sensitive receptor locations and high-risk areas of air pollution, incorporating data from sources such industry emissions, and on-road pollutants for the city of South San Francisco. The map aims to provide an initial glance of pollution intensity in spatial distribution.

Leanna Lewis

Stanford University

Leanna Lewis is graduating from Stanford with a bachelor's degree in Design, with a focus in Human Behavior and Multi-Stakeholder Research, and an additional focus in Climate and Environment. This summer, she will be joining Rise South City to help create more sustainable and equitable communities in South San Francisco. She is one of our Partnerships for Climate Justice (PCJ) in the Bay Fellows this summer.

Academia

PurpleAir Sensor Installation

Dr. Cesunica Ivey
Xavier Gomez

With the contribution of 25 sensors by Dr. Ivey, and the help of Xavier Gomez and the Promatoras, we were able to install a number of new sensors throughout South San Francisco.

In addition to installing the sensors, Xavier considered the largely Spanish-only-speaking population of the city, many of whom didn't go to school beyond elementary. He made it a point to create easy-to-understand maps in both English and Spanish.

This map displays the average air quality between December 2022 and May 2023. He opted for color-coordinated smiley faces to communicate how good the air was to breathe, especially over a long period of time.

Here is the live PurpleAir Map that displays local air quality. You can interact with the map directly from this page, or you can visit it at map.purpleair.com. You can find more information about Air Quality Index (AQI, which the map displays by default) on our Resources page.

PCJ in the Bay Fellows

Alan Cuevas
Leanna Lewis

We partnered with the Stanford Haas Center for Public Service and their program, Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay. This summer, we were able to host two fellows.

Sustainable Cities

Andrew Mancini

Brydie Sigg

Caroline Reinhart

Maya Levine

We worked alongside the Stanford course, Sustainable Cities to send out a community needs surveys to uncover what the biggest problems are in South San Francisco.

Vulnerability Map

JieQi Yan

This is the jpeg image of the map. Continue scrolling for an interactive map, or visit it here.

Academia

PurpleAir Sensor Installation

Dr. Cesunica Ivey Xavier Gomez

With the contribution of 25 sensors by Dr. Ivey, and the help of Xavier Gomez and the Promatoras, we were able to install a number of new sensors throughout South San Francisco.

​In addition to installing the sensors, Xavier considered the largely Spanish-only-speaking population of the city, many of whom didn't go to school beyond elementary. He made it a point to create easy-to-understand maps in both English and Spanish.

This map displays the average air quality between December 2022 and May 2023. He opted for color-coordinated smiley faces to communicate how good the air was to breathe, especially over a long period of time.

Here is the live PurpleAir Map that displays local air quality. You can interact with the map directly from this page, or you can visit it at map.purpleair.com. You can find more information about Air Quality Index (AQI, which the map displays by default) on our Resources page.

Dr. Cesunica Ivey
Xavier Gomez

In addition to installing the sensors, Xavier considered the largely Spanish-only-speaking population of the city, many of whom didn't go to school beyond elementary. He made it a point to create easy-to-understand maps in both English and Spanish.