Stars and STEM Stories
Zoo-goers and Animals Watch as Teachers Learn GLOBE Protocols in Madagascar
Families of lemurs, those wide-eyed primates that live only on the island of Madagascar, joined zoo visitors in observing a recent international GLOBE workshop at the Tzimbazaza Zoo and Botanical Park's Educational and Environmental Center.
The Malagasy Ministry of Basic Education sponsored the workshop, which included the full spate: hydrology, soils, phenology, land cover/biology, and atmosphere, including GLOBE's new aerosol and ozone protocols. Prime Minister Tantely Andrianarivo's envoy, Sylvain Ramaromanana, and representatives from the Malagasy Ministry of Basic Education, the United States Embassy, the World Wildlife Fund, the U.S. Peace Corps and the U.S. Agency for International Development participated in the opening ceremony and many workshop activities.
"Today, as we do these measurements in Madagascar, we join other GLOBE students, teachers and scientists in contributing important information about our environment.," said Mr. Albert Rafalimanana, GLOBE's Country Coordinator in Madagascar.
"Together we will enhance our national teachers' ability to teach our children about science and math by the use of our environmental data, and our scientists about the state of the world's water, atmosphere and soil."
Madagascar, the fourth-largest island in the world, is often called a "naturalist's paradise" because so many species of plants and animals, many of which exist only there. Madagascar is famous for its lemurs, beautiful orchids, chameleons, Baobab trees and butterflies.
20 January 2002