News Brief
February 2016 GLOBE News Brief
GLOBE/SMAP Soil Moisture Field Campaign Reaches Goal of 1,000 Protocol Measurements by One-Year Anniversary of SMAP Launch!
On 31 January 2015, NASA successfully launched the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA. As part of the SMAP-GLOBE Program Collaboration, SMAP scientists are using "ground truth" measurements collected by GLOBE students to help validate the satellite moisture measurements and to monitor their accuracy.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of all participants, the current Soil Moisture Field Campaign (which began 1 October 2015 and will run through 30 April 2016) reached its goal of 1,000 protocol measurements by the first anniversary of the SMAP launch. On 27 January, looking at raw data and including non-measureable ground states, GLOBE broke 1,000 measurements. To date, GLOBE/SMAP has now received 1,073 protocol measurements.
News
Keep Up With GLOBE/SMAP Soil Moisture Field Campaign
There is now a SMAP L3 Data Layer on the GLOBE Data Map. Students participating in the Soil Moisture Field Campaign can choose to look at specific SMAP data for a particular day - and then compare it to their school data.
Keep up with the latest on the GLOBE/SMAP Soil Moisture Field Campaign, including other recent updates, past webinars, blogs, and the information necessary to help you collect soil moisture measurements (using the SMAP Block Pattern Soil Moisture Protocol), as well as a new protocol instructional video.
There have been some exciting changes to the SMAP Block Pattern Soil Moisture Protocol. These changes will aid in the understanding of our planet's soil moisture - and make your data collection easier.
Mark your calendars for the next GLOBE/SMAP webinar, which will be held on 01 March 2016 (11 a.m. ET/4 p.m. UTC), entitled: "Heading into the Spring Thaw and Global Shout-Outs to all the GLOBE Schools/Teams Collecting SMAP Soil Moisture Data."
If you missed the 02 February Webinar, "1 Year of the SMAP Mission and Global Shout-Outs to all the GLOBE schools/teams collecting SMAP soil moisture data," you can now view it here.
The latest blog, "One Year of SMAP!" by Brian Campbell is now online!
Four Eligible 2016 GLOBE International Virtual Science Fair Projects Will be Awarded Stipend to Help Defray Costs of GLOBE Annual Meeting in USA
Eligible projects entered for the 2016 GLOBE International Virtual Science Fair have the opportunity to be selected for a stipend to help defray the cost of attending the 20th GLOBE Annual Meeting and Student Learning Experience in Estes Park, Colorado, USA, in July 2016. (Read about eligibility requirements in more detail on the science fair webpage.)
Remember: Entries for the 2016 GLOBE International Virtual Science Fair are due on 11 March 2016.
Thanks for a Successful Surface Temperature Field Campaign
Even though the Surface Temperature Field Campaign came to an official close on 22 December, The GLOBE Program would like to encourage students to keep taking surface temperature observations - and present them at science fairs!
Thirty-four schools entered a total of 995 surface temperature observations. Read Dr. Czajkowski's blog for the complete list of schools and the corresponding observation totals.
Opportunities for Teachers
New NASA Video - GPM 2015: One Year of Storms
This new video offers a look back (via data animation) at the storms captured by the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission in 2015.
The GPM mission is an international network of satellites that provide the next-generation global observations of rain and snow. Through participating in GPM events and contests, GLOBE students are currently learning how a NASA mission - and how satellite information - can improve our knowledge of Earth.
NASA is also offering a GPM "Near-Realtime IMERG Early Run Half-Hourly Image" so you can take a look at how much precipitation is falling globally from the comfort of the indoors.
Climate Change and Michigan Agriculture Webinar: 07 March
Join hosts David Bydlowski and Andy Henry for the Wayne RESA ICCARS (Investigating Climate Change and Remote Sensing) Professional Learning Network for the 2015-2016 School Year. The one hour meetings are held at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (ET). To join the conversation, visit: http://www.resa.net/science and click on the event calendar for full information.
The next webinar in this series will be held on 07 March. It is entitled "Climate Change and Michigan Agriculture" and is presented by Dr. Phil Robertson.
Free NASA STEM Educator Webinars
The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) is presenting a series of webinars open to all educators. All pre-service, K-12, and informal educators, as well as university faculty, are invited to join NASA education specialists to learn about NASA missions, activities, lesson plans, educator guides, and online resources that integrate NASA and STEM into the classroom.
An upcoming webinar, "Solar System and Beyond: Modeling Our Solar System" is geared toward educators in grade levels 5 through 8. Through this webinar, which is presented by Steve Culivan (at 6:00 p.m. EST on 23 February), participants investigate classification, graphing and scale models to better understand and visualize our sun, planets, asteroids, and other objects as a true system, our solar system. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) will be explored and integrated into this out-of-this-world webinar.
NOAA Announce FY16 Environmental Literacy Grants Funding Opportunity
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Education has issued a competitive funding opportunity for education projects designed to strengthen the public's and/or K-12 students' environmental literacy to enable informed decision-making necessary for community resilience to extreme weather events and other environmental hazards.
The deadline for applications to this funding opportunity is 11:59:59 pm EST on 08 February 2016. Applications must be submitted online via www.grants.gov.
Connect With Us
The GLOBE Program depends on you to let us know what is happening in your regions, countries, communities and classrooms. Send us news you would like to share with the GLOBE Community and we'll include it in next month's News Brief. Be sure to include photos, too.
Send your message to communications@globe.gov
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Register by 15 February for 2016 Train-the-Trainer and North American Regional Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Registration is now open for the Train-the-Trainer (TTT) and the North American Regional Meeting (NARM). The events will take place 28-30 March at the Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Please register by 15 February!
The GLOBE Science Fair Research Report Upload Tool is Now Available
The Virtual Science Fair Report Upload Tool is now available! Research reports are due on 11 March 2016, but can be entered any time from now until the due date. (In order to get options for badges and the other required elements, you must make sure to select that the "Type of Student Research Report" is for the International Virtual Science Fair.) If you have questions on how to enter your report, send us an email at help@globe.gov.
If you missed the webinar, "Preparing for the 2016 GLOBE International Virtual Science Fair: An Overview of Resources and the Rubrics" (held on 16 December 2015), you can now connect with the archived recording, as well as PowerPoint Slides, and the Chat Archive.
Volunteers Needed for Translation of GLOBE Program Materials
The GLOBE Program is seeking volunteers to help translate GLOBE Program materials. There is a particular need for French, German, and Spanish - but assistance in all languages would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to help, please send an email to help@globe.gov and let us know what languages you can translate.
Have you noticed that the Data Entry forms are now available in nine languages (English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Russian, Spanish, and Thai)? GLOBE would like to thank all of our Data Entry translation volunteers: Henna Kausher, Desh Bandhu, Irene Farrow, Nadhira Ahmed Alharthy, Anna Heyne-Mudrich, Liudmila Gavrish, Inna Curkan, Thanapun Chalee, and Danielle de Staerke.
Register as a GLOBE Alumnus!
If you have participated in GLOBE as a student, we encourage you to register to become a member of the GLOBE Alumni Organization. GLOBE Alumni assist with local implementation of The GLOBE Program in schools and their communities. Alumni work directly with the GLOBE Country Coordinator in their country or U.S. Partners in their state, as well as with teachers, students, and scientists who want to collaborate with schools in their local area.
Stay connected by joining the growing GLOBE Alumni Organization today.
Lands' End Apparel with GLOBE Logo Available through GLOBE Materials Shop
Did you know that you can find a wide variety of Lands' End men's and women's apparel and promotional products through the GLOBE Materials shop? Lands' End Business Outfitters is offering a storefront that is designed to make shopping easier - and will add the GLOBE logo to your purchases. Satisfaction guaranteed! You can see what's in store by:
- Going to http://shop.globe.gov/
- Clicking on "Order GLOBE Apparel and Promotional Items" (bottom right column)
You can click on "Shopper Resources and Guidelines" for full instructions on how to order. And once you place an order, you will receive emails for savings on future orders (including free logo application and free shipping).
Are You Using the GLOBE Data Entry App? Data Entry Made Easy!
The GLOBE Data Entry App is available to the GLOBE community! If you have an existing GLOBE account, the Data Entry App allows you to enter protocol data directly from your iOS or Android device. The app also allows you to use your phone's camera to document your sites and measurements. Put science - and adventures in learning -- in the palm of your hands!
Upcoming 2016 GLOBE Teacher Training Workshops
Upcoming GLOBE teacher training workshops include:
- Rehovot, Israel (Pisga Rehovot): 06 October 2015 - 23 March 2016 (open to all teachers)
- Cologne, Germany (University of Cologne): 30 October 2015 - 12 February 2016 (restricted to teachers in the region)
- New Hampton, New Hampshire, USA (New Hampton School): 18 November - 01 July 2016 (restricted to teachers in the region)
- Durant, Texas, USA (Southeastern): 11 January - 02 May 2016 (restricted to teachers in the region)
- Fredonia, New York, USA (SUNY Fredonia): 25 January - 02 May 2016 (potential restricted attendance)
- Cologne, Germany (University of Cologne): 13 February (potential restricted attendance)
- Mitchell, South Dakota, USA (Mitchell High School): 20-21 February (open to all teachers)
- Flushing, New York, USA (Queens College): 26-28 February (open to all teachers)
- Wayne, Michigan, USA (Wayne RESA): 15 March (potential restricted attendance)
- Wayne, Michigan, USA (Wayne RESA): 23 March (open to all teachers)
- Reading, Pennsylvania, USA (The Nature Place at Angelica Park): 13 April (open to all teachers)
Anniversaries
Congratulations to the three GLOBE countries celebrating anniversaries of successful GLOBE implementation during the month of February:
South Africa - 19 years
17 February 1997
Netherlands - 21 years
28 February 1995
New Zealand - 16 years
29 February 2000
News Brief Archive
All past issues of the GLOBE News Brief are available in the online archive.
