What I Am Taking From Boulder - Rick Sharpe

There are several things I am taking from the Learning to Research conference. The main thing is the number of contacts with people who are committed to the GLOBE program and understand the value it represents to educators. I got to know the teachers from the schools whose data my students used in their surface temperature campaign last year. This is my first experience with so many people who are doing many different things that benefit students and who feel as strongly as I do. I came with the expectation of acquiring the skills to design a study of aerosols and ozone in Huntington, WV and carrying out that study effectively. While I have not completed that process, I have gained the equipment, training, and the contacts that will enable me to complete it. I also got to know many of the GLOBE people who are responsible for making the program work and are committed to helping students learn. GLOBE protocols will now play an even greater role in my classroom and enable my students to engage in genuine science instead of worksheets and lectures.