California has many state-supported institutions of higher learning. Most of the students at those institutions have a home address with the letters CA. Hayward, CA is the site of one such institution.  The studies undertaken by the students at Cal State Hayward could determine the speed with which California can deal with its many asthmatic young people. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) hopes to direct more students toward the study of air pollution.

When Bruce Hensel, M.D. addresses the attendees at the 2006 conference on the "Asthma Impacts of Air Pollution," he hopes that his words reach the students at the California State University in Hayward, CA. Hayward students comprise part of the whole group of California students whose career choice could determine the cleanliness of the air in California. The SCAQMD hopes that many students will choose to pursue studies in air pollution.

It is clear from the title of Dr. Hensel's talk that he wants to speak to the students at Cal State Hayward, and to students at all of the colleges and universities in California. The title of his talk is "Air Quality in California-Current Status and Future Challenges." On the morning of February 17, 2006, Dr. Hensel will share the podium with Barry Walkerstein, M.D.

Both doctors know that many asthmatics receive mail at an address that ends with CA. Hayward contains students who are part of that group. Those young adults, who have endured a childhood under a cloud of concerns for their asthma, long for the creation of medical researchers willing to look for new asthma treatments. Some of those students might even know Jonah Ramirez, the child asthma sufferer who will speak at February's SCAQMD conference.

Jonah Ramirez needs to complete several more years of school before he too can think about possibly attending California State University Hayward. Yet the words that he utters on February 17, 2006 could influence the choices of the current students at CSU's Hayward campus. He is going to speak about the challenges that have confronted him daily. He will focus on what it is like to be an asthmatic with an address that ends with CA. Hayward students could later get a chance to hear a recording of Jonah's talk.

Jonah's story promises to show how he managed to be successful despite facing great adversity. The other speakers at the Conference hope to create changes that could eliminate some of those adversities. They intend to try reaching one or more of the students at California State University Hayward. Will they reach their intended audience? It remains too early to tell.

All that is certain is that many young asthma sufferers continue to have an address that denotes their residence in CA. Hayward continues to offer programs that could place one or more students on a path to helping such young asthma sufferers. The response of the Hayward students to the information revealed on February 17, 2006 could help to either expedite or delay the advancement of asthma research within California.