Stars and STEM Stories

Cameroon Hosts 'Open Day' to Build Locally Sustainable GLOBE Learning Community

GLOBE Cameroon hosted a one-day event open to community members to showcase this year's student research accomplishments and to encourage local officials, parents, teachers, and students to engage in future GLOBE activities. GLOBE Open Day, held 28 August 2008 at the GLOBE Program Regional Training Facility in Lycée Général Leclerc, Yaoundé, Cameroon, drew eighty participants, including members of the Ministries of Secondary and Basic Education, the GLOBE Parent Council Cameroon Representative, GLOBE teachers, students, parents and other invited guests.

The Cameroon student delegation to the GLOBE Learning Expedition (GLE) in South Africa reported on the event, which took place from 20-27 June in Cape Town, South Africa and presented results of their scientific research project, "The Relationship Between Soil Water Storage and Altitude." Also introduced were highlights of the GLOBE Africa Consortium (GAC) Meeting that took place concurrently in Cape Town. Organizers of the Open Day event presented information about the upcoming GLOBE Student Research Campaign on Climate Change to local decision-makers and GLOBE Learning community members. These presentations served to introduce the work of GLOBE Cameroon to the local community for the purpose of soliciting greater support for improved and expanded in-country implementation of the GLOBE Program.

Community members were apprised of the importance of the GLOBE Program as a tool through which students can investigate the impacts of global warming at the local level and learn about environmental issues to collectively reduce the carbon footprint of human activities. The program included a bilingual news brief, in French and English, hosted by the youngest GLOBE pupils (seven and eight year olds).

The Open Day followed a two-day GLOBE Teacher Training Workshop organized by GLOBE Cameroon, 26-27 August 2008. The Workshop was conducted by Master Trainer Mr. George Nditafon, current GAC Executive Secretary, who had participated in a five-day ESSP/DLESE workshop in Boulder, CO, USA 3-8 August 2008 which introduced the GLOBE Earth System Science Projects (ESSPs) and the on-line Earth system resources found in the Digital Library of Earth System Education (DLESE). GLOBE ITC resource person Lawrence Kambiwoa; Master Trainers George Afong and Grace Nguffo; GLOBE teachers and incountry trainers Mercy Tayim, Jerome Medjo, Geoffrey Tanga and Lawrence Nchia, along with GLOBE Alumni Tamsu Fogue Marcelin, facilitated at the workshop.

GLOBE Cameroon has quickly built capacity among its teachers with respect to participation in the ESSPs and serves as a leader in this initiative for the region. Together, the Workshop and Open Community Day served to communicate the GLOBE Cameroon Plan of Action that will be implemented during the 2008-2009 academic year.

10 September 2008

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