Tamara Qawasmeh and Piotr Krzystek

Recorded May 19, 2020 Archived May 18, 2020 39:38 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id: ddv000002

Description

Tamara Qawasmeh (27) speaks with her friend and coworker Piotr Krzystek (27) about their work as data curators for the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, how they arrived in their roles, and what they love about the research.

Subject Log / Time Code

PK and TQ speak about coming to the University of Michigan from their upbringings in Florida and Michigan, respectively. PK speaks about being home for his dog's 15th birthday amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic.
TQ recalls starting off as an arts major before pivoting to public health and eventually doing health research. TQ and PK speak about ICPSR's intensive interview process, job hunting, and fate.
TQ and PK discuss the community at the University of Michigan, and the support they feel. PK mentions community enabling him to shed preconceived biases of others. TQ and PK speak about data curators' introverted nature, their close friendships, and the "human" approach to statistical data.
TQ and PK speak about what motivates and inspires them in the job, and the passion to learn. They discuss their personal support from family and partners. TQ speaks about being a 1st-generation immigrant and wanting her family to be proud.
PK and TQ share some of their favorite archival discoveries. TQ speaks about "Love Data Week" at the ICPSR, in which overlooked data sets are showcased. They reflect on enjoying their work.

Participants

  • Tamara Qawasmeh
  • Piotr Krzystek

Transcript

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00:01 My name is tamerica Watts me. I am 27 years old. And today is May 19th, 2020 and I am in the wonderful city of Dearborn Heights, which is a Metro city of Detroit Michigan and I'm recording with Peter 1 of a one of my good friends and a colleague of mine and my name is Joe sestak. I am 27 years old today is May 19th 2020. I'm interviewing with tomorrow who is a co-worker of mine also been even though usually I live in Ann Arbor Michigan at this very moment. I am in Tallahassee Florida, which is where I grown up for almost all my life before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan or the position of data curator with icpsr.

00:59 So but I pretty much do what we do is where data keep readers with icpsr and what that is is that in our position. We receive the deposits were date of documentation from ppis and other individuals who participate in what icpsr do so they provide us the data we take it do all kinds of quality checks and LSD process the data and documents make sure that there are no issues with it.

01:40 Make sure that there isn't any sensitive that's closer than formation remaining and all those documents. And after we're going through all these process sees quality checks and make sure that it's all good to go. We take part in publishing that documents and data online and anybody who's interested in taking a look at it can see for themselves.

02:08 You always give the best description of our jobs. Like I am more than one occasion. You definitely been like the one to give a very clear depiction of what we do is like a very elaborate and descriptive. So I like leaving that part of tu-22 cuz you do really well. So, okay. So you said you came from Florida. So is there a reason why you wanted to come to Ann Arbor? I know you talked about Florida law but I've never actually like asked you why Michigan why here like what brought you here? So what my professionally is just to be involved in any combination of social science research data practices to like data analyses or in this case data curation. Where is the live where I grew up there? Pretty much is absolutely no job market for any of these kinds of job like not even just in the sea.

03:08 I grew up in like anywhere in Florida at all. There are just there's almost no market for this sort of stuff. So when I was the last time I was looking for jobs and I was looking up on indeed or something the majority of these places that would have these kind of jobs. They would be like DC New York Chicago and Ann Arbor example So eventually I was applying for all kinds of jobs having plenty of interviews and that's how I ended up in Michigan. So they Harbor and you know, I really like, you know, everything about icpsr does what the position entails really like it.

03:50 Did you ever hear of like University of Michigan before applying cuz it's always like a I feel like there's a Prestige with the name University of Michigan. But because I'm like lived here my whole life. It's always been like oh, yeah, that's up the road U of M. It's fine sir. I mean, I don't know whether there is much of her something. I knew that it was something but I didn't realize before coming here. Just how much really there was something to it. But it's honestly when I started being here and realizing what this place has to offer that University of Michigan definitely really holds up to that Prestige like it has a lot to offer to everybody whether it's students to researchers the community around I'm just started and I'll stick it in sink it into myself. Just what there is suffering contact. I went to this University.

04:50 Where I grew up in Florida State University and comparing what FSU has with one University of Michigan does so University of Michigan definitely has so much to it. It's just really amazes me what University of Michigan possesses

05:10 And that just really, you know, kind of got me like struck me as just very foreign and very

05:19 Interesting in that sense

05:22 Yeah, I must be really different to be back at home. But in doing your job at home in like coming back to Florida. I know it's been like when did we start what we started September right September 2019. So how's that going for you with the sole covid-19?

06:08 Subway with my mom now next upcoming week in Baxley my dogs 15th birthday, so I thought I'd you know.

06:20 Aubrey de baby Ruda. She's going to be 15. We bought her a birthday tutu and we'll make sure she will make sure she has something good to eat. But I hope you post those pictures on slacker. I'm going to be really sad make sure like, you're not the only one who's going to want pictures. There's a lot of people who really want to see her happy.

06:45 Plus que however long Governor Whitmer is going to make all these decisions about staying at home or whatever. I'm guessing. Well either way. I think I was going to be back in June. It's just there are some things I still have to take care of back up. But yeah, I think I liked was planning on being in Florida for the time. I'm currently planning. It's nice and it's nice to also be able to continue having

07:16 Even with the computer but it all works out.

07:23 So, what about you? What made you want to come to icpsr?

07:32 So I've been working within like an academic setting for a long time. So like when I first started college, I started off as an art major and then took like a semester of that and was like, you know, this is not what I want to do, even though I love art. I like the program structure wasn't really right for me. So I ended up just finishing out with like a basic Associates in general science trying to do I wanted to be a dietitian. That was like my first like go to sew like my associate's degree was like filling out my prereqs so that I could get into the dietetics program at Wayne State University. So then I got into you to Wayne State University after I graduated with my associates and just kind of started working towards that path and realized it was like way better than I anticipated cuz I kind of messed up in and skipped out on taking like bio and chem at the community college and then just jumped in at the University level and it was just like

08:32 Way over my head. So I ended up changing my major third time like about a year-and-a-half before graduating. I switched over to a new major that we had at the University which was a public health major. It was pretty cool actually cuz I ended up being like the second cohort of students who were who were in that public health program and I actually just like absolutely love it was like a little bit of everything like I got a little bit of science. I got a little bit of mass a little bit of social science. Like it was like a package like all wrapped in one eye and it's a really like that and then I ended up, you know during that time like as I Was preparing to be a dietitian. I was working at Beaumont hospital and you know started working in the Nutrition department. Like I was like ready to be a dietitian and so that didn't end up happening but it ended up working at Belmont for a really long time which ended up leading me into a job at Wayne State University where I am.

09:32 Ended up getting into a research lab and working on fetal neuroimaging with a really great professor. And so like my support they're really kind of like shaped literally everything that I am right now and I probably don't talk about that as much but like working as a research assistant and working in the neurosciences has really shaped like everything that I'm doing now, maybe a phone like a calling or something. I don't know. I feel like I calling isn't the right word it just kind of fell into it and it works and I liked it. So that's that's kind of where I ended up for a couple of years and working on some research and working on, you know, developing a lot of my skills. And so I graduated in 2019 last year. And so I was like, well, I need a job in person looking everywhere and you know you have done was like top

10:32 Westlake I was like I'm going to work there. I want to work there. My little sister is actually a student at U of M as well and she hadn't ended up moving on campus and like she's like my best pal. So anyway, I can kind of like get closer to my sister. However, I could I was like I'm going to do it and so I swear I think I applied to like, I don't know I want to say hundreds of jobs like at U of M and I was like just anybody call me before and I did get a couple of callbacks, you know for some positions but nothing that really like piqued my interest so late when I know I see pets PSR contacted me. I was like, oh man, this is this is the one I'm going to do this and you know, the interview process like that video interview thing. That was just crazy. Like I don't know how long you spent on the video interviewing process like the pre-recorded stuff. I sound like 4 hours on that cuz I really was like

11:32 I want this job. I'm going to be good at the shop. I'm going to get it. Yeah, like 4 hours trying to

11:40 Make that happen. Actually, I think when I did that I did it on the first takes like I just want like after every question that you have it all my yo gabba what I got and I just submitted it. I actually, you know, I have also applied for this one with other places at University of Michigan. I think I may have been like for Public Policy maybe the public health programs or something. But this was like the first position at U of M bed. I was even considered for like it wasn't enough that they like interviewed me and eventually offered me is just like interviews me even so just know it was nice to get that far.

12:27 But I have like I kind of just said that I did all those pre-recorded stuff in one TIG. I just have gained a sort of Barry. I don't know how he would stay like Creed Des position their predestined attitude, you know, people say it's like everything happens for a reason but I put it take it from like this show. I watch they said they call it the way she goes. So I just went in there and just get it like that and I was like the way she goes. So if it doesn't go then it doesn't go so that's the way she goes.

13:04 But yeah, or what is it? I think maybe are you familiar with Leroy Jenkins Jenkins. I've heard of the name, but I don't know probably like figure it out has recorded World of Warcraft live stream or something. So there are these people planning a raid and like this very dangerous dungeon place. So then this one guy just ran inside yelled his name Leroy Jenkins and apparently made it to the other side. But then all these other people to say the trail them and they ended up getting destroyed by like whatever moms were in there.

13:43 So yeah, that's like the whole thing. I think that's pretty much what I was like with those recorded interviews actually.

13:52 Yeah, that was pretty pretty crazy. It's nice the way I mean also, maybe I'm more of a fan of the in-person interviews. So I did have to do that of course and those are even more brutal so many people in that room. Like I think there's like six or seven people in a minor be there is like at least six or seven people in there. Yeah, but it's all right, we made it through and that's a cool thing that U of M to is like I know that you're going into like like policies and more of like the political stuff. So that's the one thing about U of M is like the jobs out here are very like very interesting and like there's like a niche for every like style of study and it's just it's really cool. So

14:48 Yeah, that's one thing. I'm like really into about U of M. There's a lot of things. I love about U of M like in comparison cuz I've worked at a university. I worked in like the healthcare field and like there's nothing like how it is here. It's just amazing, especially with like this covid stuff like the support that at least I know I'm getting from you know, our like our supervisors University is like a whole like I've never felt so supported in like this kind of a scenario in my life. I don't know how it's going for you but I just feel pretty good about you know, how they're handling everything. Nice pretty yeah. I like how they are also dealing with that but in something of a Segway from how your we're pretty much stricken by the uniqueness of how U of M is as a community. How do you think that the community has made a difference in your life?

15:46 I I have a new standard. I think like I used to think one way, but the kind of community that is here at U of M is so unique and different and just again like supportive now. I have like created my own like standard of how I feel a community should really be

16:10 What about you be more exposed to genuine diversity and just being able to actually empathize with people cuz like they're just in our unit even within curation. There's just the whole colorful batch of people like in terms of their backgrounds. It's just really ever whatever pre-established biases iPad. I completely let that all go just because I've got to know people more just what you know, their background is what they've gone through two event eventually getting face year and it really makes me appreciate the mall and really get along with them in all kinds of ways.

16:57 It's amazing. Honestly, it's just something like I said, it's just like such a unique place and I I personally love to be around like so many different types of people different ages just different backgrounds like I love it. And if I don't have that kind of diversity around me, like I don't know it gets kind of boring. It makes work really fun. So that would be very like that is nice to have a diverse. But at the same time you could make it a little difficult to define the community. So how would you try to describe it the community as simple or however much you want to

17:42 What kind what community are we talking about Eurasian?

17:47 Okay, like I was the question how would you describe curation our community? Let's say that curation is simply our community or if you want to go to Whole of icpsr.

18:00 Well unique obviously very diverse are in very just like supportive. I know that like specifically curators like we're all like pretty sucked into our computers were all like kind of natural introvert with extrovert attendance. He's I think and I'm not speaking for everybody obviously, but I definitely think that you know, it it's it's nice to be around people who are kind of like you like. Yes, we're all diverse. But also, I feel like we're all like a little bit introverted and really like love that time that we have to just do our work and do our work independently. I think it's a really big a really big deal for a lot of people in like our own unit in our own community and we can even better I think is like you really can kind of like shoes like when we want to be extroverted like we can choose if we want to go to like, you know, like a holiday party or choose to be a part of a committee and likely get to like ourselves instead.

19:00 I feel like that's a that's that's a very supportive community in a sentence to because we're really trying to like make it work for everybody even though we're all different and have different needs.

19:13 No, that's all pretty good. I would say for myself. Another thing that I like it is that they take a very human approach how things happen. So it's not your credit to say though. He's yes, we have all these processes but we understand how flexible things can happen if they happen. So if there's an issue with the data bad has never been encountered before we bring it up we incorporate we first have to understand how I can be remedied and if it can we incorporate that into the processes and if it ever happens again people will know how to deal with it and I feel like that at Fosters inability for us to contribute to the process and get recognition for its even when we're not expecting it. Like I got an email today from our director mentioned that there was a recent issue that came up and they

20:13 Mention my name and add that I brought it up and I was like, wow, I wasn't expecting that at all.

20:20 I know it's just like the smallest like him to recognition is like just like really nice like when we finish projects and we get that email like every week I'm looking and I'm just checking it out Mike. What are you guys working on if my name is on there? I get really excited. Like yeah, I did all I did all those studies and turn them over like even just that small like name recognition is cool cuz everyone gets a email. So everyone easiest way to like get, you know, get that kind of recognition since it's really not like face-to-face kind of stuff. It's sort of what's a 10 * a question of what I appreciate most about it that is in a way how I would describe that. It's it just Blends in in a way how the community has made the difference how to describe it and what we appreciate about it, so

21:13 Yeah, I don't really have no work. We just have words to describe it when people when I tell people what I think about my job where I work and it's like I like it. I have no words to describe it yet. Here. We are. Just describing it.

21:31 Yeah.

21:33 Well, I guess it's a lot easier than I thought I thought huh?

21:38 Well, okay, so you appreciate that the most so I am not going to lie. I appreciate our coffee crew very much. So like they are the are the real MVPs of our unit. They take care of us. It's so nice. And also what I like about slack aside from the professional channels to address any updates or concerns we can do all kinds of fun things. So I guess the coffee crew is nice.

22:13 Yeah, just I don't know how you been with coffee. But I only just had my first cup of coffee and the entire locked down like yesterday and it was like super cute. By the way. Is that where did you get the porcelain cup like Fine China Elegance stuff feel like something I would do if you had like a fancy 5T with like president or something. But yeah, I just patted and having Bustelo is a nice check till I get you back into the mood because that's usually for espresso. So yeah, I really miss having coffee.

22:57 I know it's like a love-hate thing with coffee and like every day we've been drinking coffee. So my partner is 2 / into his coffee. And so we like order are beans online. We have like different kinds that would kind of like rotate through and making sure that like, we got like the good consistency and our machines. It's a very serious think coffee is very serious in our household. So when you said you were drinking coffee, I'm like man, not that I don't not that you can't do it. But like it's just so good.

23:29 No General, face everything so aside from coffee. I don't know if that's like your main inspiration or motivation. But what motivates you what does job or inspires you?

23:44 I think that.

23:49 That's kind of a tough question because we can really kind of like take it wherever we want. I feel like especially like within our role of data curation. Like I feel that everyone needs everyone needs a data curator like wherever you are. What kind of job you have? I feel like a data curator could definitely be used in any sort of scenario. And so for me what motivates me the most is like just learning a whole bunch is like the one thing I think it's like incredibly important and also something I just absolutely love about her job that we get to learn so much stuff and we get to have the time to do that too. So like not only do we get to like do our jobs, but we get paid to be better out of the tubs and that sounds listen to normal right like this something I should be done all the time which is like again to something. I've never experienced before and it in a job prior. So I've definitely think that that motivates me a lot just having the opportunity.

24:49 To learn and continue learning cuz you know it gets boring. If you just keep doing the same thing over and over again every day. So definitely makes it worthwhile know about you. What's inspiring you I'm just kind of let the icpsr does like this or apply flying or moving cure even after I got the job. I didn't realize like kind of impact that icpsr had and this is coming from somebody who never like I pretty much am into the social sciences feel like my background bachelor's with political science minor in statistics. I have a master of public administration. It's pretty aligned with the social sciences. But even then I never was the mother with what I say PSR did but I'm coming over here getting all these studies to work on. I realize that this is important material that this is stuff that people count on

25:47 So wet and it's just not I don't know how to bring up examples cuz there's all kinds of data that's involved just that it's it really has me amazed like how dependent we are and how we're making an impact getting helping people be informed with what kind of data gets released to the public or to anybody who's interested in it. And also there's this continuing need for professional development, which I really appreciate though aside from learning on the job these new skill sets with like new programs Etc were invited to like look explore other formats and templates that even though argued that doesn't practice them at the moment that if we have the opportunity to incorporate them. We would be ready to do that and going back to being able to

26:47 Contributing get recognition that the fertile ground for that opportunity.

26:54 Do you have like anyone who motivated you to get here or like so I guess my question is like who in your life has like supported you up until this point to be where you are right now. Is there really any particular person that's been like your your cheerleader or he knows someone who just like really pushes you to do things differently to say like in like the specific sense of the social sciences. Like I'm the only person in my family who is like hard into social sciences proper. So like learning like I always knew that I liked for my studies politics like I was fascinated by politics, but when my family thought that I chose political science for my degree, they thought I wanted to be a politician and I was like the absolute worst thing they could imagine me doing so they try to like get me to new site.

27:54 Holiday or something which fun fact I only took like introduced like my last semester of college, but after I took that I really wished you know that if something happened that could have been my Masters or like my proper degree, but like that's one thing but then in terms of trying to make it irrelevant, I did pick up statistics and also I got a certain certificate in one of the statistical packages and I did that like mostly on my own.

28:25 But in terms of like a broad motivation, I guess it would have to be family like just even whatever I choose to do. Even if it's something bad nobody's done before I do can count on their support.

28:41 Throughout all of its and that I have Bears. Yeah Prima support respect for what I do and I really like how I am now pulling into this field of study.

28:56 Oh, yeah family is something bad I count on for support and motivation.

29:03 Very cool cousin. Did you ever answer that like who motivates or inspires you?

29:11 Oh, I didn't necessarily say any particular person. But so for me, so my partner Matt he is definitely a big supporter of mine and he is always like helping me and guiding me and kind of like, he's like my my voice of reason I say otherwise, you know, my family is also like a really great supporter. So I'm a first-generation immigrant. So I was saying earlier I was born in Jordan and so my parents didn't really go to college or anything like that and so we came here and it's kind of like a blank slate. So I just got to you know, can I explore and see what I want to do? But yeah, my family motivates me a whole lot just because I was the first person to graduate college was the first person to graduate with any degree just in general and so I guess my motivation is just to impress my parents as much as I can so they can say, you know cool things.

30:11 About me to their friends. Yeah, I guess I don't know. I never expected much of the you mentioned like The Prestige of the University of Michigan. I wasn't expecting that but there are a lot of people like family friends, especially who expect me to Boulder wondering what I'm doing up there. Like how am I in Michigan has a lot of reputations such as having the second worst Winters in the country. So last winter apparently was mild compared to any but apparently local stay so it's all kind of things like that.

30:53 But yeah SS just like to tell people I work where I work and I like where I work and that's all that matters and with this current economy going how they're such high unemployment opportunities, and apparently we're going to be

31:14 Hiring soon. So I do like to offer myself as the opportunity to like just refer people to join us that you know, I want to see myself valuable like anybody who needs help with like trying to join us or something or if not just with us individually like try to join the University of Michigan, which I mentioned that this place has so much to offer so also any other positions that are around

31:45 But yeah, it's all.

31:48 Do you mind if I ask a question to you guys?

31:51 Call I try to have this like brought idea of what data curation is. So I guess my question is what are your favorite?

32:02 Pieces of data that you've curated or learned about what's the most fascinating or really like interesting thing to you for like studies for example bed does it have to be what we've worked on or what we've seen in the archives, you know, something's really blowing your mind. I'd love to have you tell each other about it.

32:25 Yeah, well, that's really interesting facts silly. I could probably bring up like my I don't know whether I should say it or not. But if it's in the archives, I guess it's safe to say as I was experimenting with the website like the filters or like what kind of studies in terms of subjects. The structures is the studies that I've heard about like clinical trials and Dad but I've never liked Delta that so the first thing I pull up when I was like searching public health and clinical studies was a study that's titled like best science of BDSM.

33:07 Yeah, and I was like, wait a minute. Is this like bad and the person who was onboarding us? She was like yeah, that's exactly what you think that is. So that's like an example of the kind of work that you know studies that get curated here. But that's like I haven't looked at the actual data that is a nice example of like oh, this is something that y'all like to curate in.

33:39 So like I actually saw something so we do this thing every year I guess it's called love data week. And so what happens is you sponsor like a study that you want to kind of show off a little bit more like maybe like an underrated study that you just want to tell people about and so I came across this study about assassins like overtime like on political leaders and like all documented. It's a really old study. Like when I open up the documentation, it was like in CSV files and text files and I was like, oh my gosh, but that one was definitely cool and like they even like when it's far as like getting the location that times how they got assassinated like it was actually really interesting study that I sponsored for for that week.

34:34 But yet I I didn't personally curated or anything like that, but it was definitely a fairly interesting to see.

34:42 Yeah, I know that I can't say how much that we worked on them like the individual data. But in terms of the studies that I've worked on so far, I would have to say that the most interesting. Let's see. So we started with survey of consumers which is an economic study. I would have to say I think probably the most interesting study that's been released on my card which haven't been to many was like this.

35:15 It was like heart that it's hard to describe it because this is how much all these social sciences course site or studies blend in together. So the official title of the study is called kit steps to broadly speaking is like an early childhood education development study. So I meant like early childhood education so that psychology also education not just on the students but also background of teachers and this study was put together by the University of Massachusetts Medical Campus.

35:51 It's just interesting how all this stuff Blends in together into this one study and it shows how diverse.

36:00 Our work is the kind of subjects that can be curated and released only been working in about like 7 months now I think but I was looking at my list of like all of the studies that I turned over and I'm actually surprised at how many actually got turned over at this point because by really fast

36:28 I guess I don't know. They really don't expect us a definitive number of how many studies get released. Cuz some studies take much longer than others. Like one of the most recent ones. I work done this sort of Corrections study and I was having issues with that data. So for example, some variables would not appear. I couldn't put together the clues book source file because even a minute spot and its format that despite the fact that I could produce an output. It wouldn't be recognized by the quality checks that I've had to spend like full one month on a single study trying to like get it to work properly.

37:16 So many like back and forth things I totally feel you on that. They can take long sometimes.

37:24 Yeah, that has means thinking I actually there's the study I'm working one. Well, it doesn't fully count because it was on hold but there is a study I got assigned back and I hope Ur, I think Dad actually I still am working on even though I only resumed working on it last month that deals with the whole how do you say funding that goes into special archives? And I think that's what happened with it. Either way. It kind of also is an interesting feeling when you weren't working on a study for like 3 months or something and then you have to get back to it. And then you're like what what do I do?

38:09 Yeah, yep in there.

38:14 Yeah, well, you know we're going on for however long. I feel like I could be happy over here to hypothetically for the rest of my life. I mean not to say that it's like a necessity or something, but I could see myself. It's just I like it here and that's like

38:36 Just how much I look forward to whatever happens here. It's just I don't like that thing about what's going to be next. I just like to be in the present but if the president is going to be the future so did yeah. Yeah, I agree with you. I definitely am not a good place to look good like where I am, and I'm glad you liked it too. I think we all like it.

39:04 Well, thanks for having this conversation with me. I I definitely miss this like chit chat at the office. I'm not going to lie. So it's really nice that this break with you.

39:14 Yeah, I like it, too. I really like having these conversations some glad we did what we did.