Stars and STEM Stories
2019 GLOBE Asia and Pacific Regional Meeting Provides Opportunity to Share and Collaborate
In May 2019, the GLOBE Asia and Pacific Regional Coordination Office (RCO), in association with GLOBE Republic of Korea and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity (KOFAC), organized the Annual Regional Meeting in Seoul. The event brought together 14 GLOBE Country Coordinators and participants from around the region.
At the event, GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO) Director Dr. Tony Murphy; RCO Coordinator Dr. Desh Bandhu; KOFAC President Yeonoo Choi; and trainers from throughout the region presented on, and discussed, GLOBE-related achievements and challenges. They also ignited discussion on ways to strengthen the program in the region, and shared ideas on how to prepare GLOBE students for more active participation in the program.
The meeting commenced with Dr. Murphy providing an in-depth overview of The GLOBE Program, and offering his congratulations to students in the Philippines and Thailand for the outstanding research reports that they submitted to the 2019 International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) related to the GLOBE Zika Education and Prevention Project. Dr. Murphy completed his presentation by thanking the Republic of Korea and KOFAC for their support
Dr. Bandhu presented on activities and progress made by countries in the region during 2018. He thanked all of the Country Coordinators for showing enthusiasm in their ongoing efforts to promote GLOBE in their country, and encouraged them to organize one GLOBE event in their respective countries, especially considering that 2020 is the 25th Anniversary of The GLOBE Program. He ended his presentation by thanking participants – and the GIO – for their GLOBE-related efforts and support.
During the meeting, Country Coordinators gave presentations on the status of The GLOBE Program in their respective countries. Cornell Lewis, Web Manager for GLOBE/Science Systems and Applications, Inc., provided an overview of the GLOBE website. He also spent time answering questions and interacting with participants regarding issues related to the website.
Interactive discussions related to the GLOBE Working Groups were also held during the meeting. Rod Allan A. de Lara (Education Working Group member) and Yogendra Chitrakar (Evaluation Working Group member) gave presentations on the status of Working Groups in the region. Rod Allan A. De Lara explained the new certification process for GLOBE trainers and master trainers. Meeting participants also discussed efforts related to the GLOBE Zika Education and Prevention Project, and how it is being implemented in their respective countries. Participants from the Philippines, Nepal, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea agreed that they would submit an IVSS project on the Zika project.
All in all, the meeting provided an opportunity for Country Coordinators to share their year-long activities with community members from the region. It also promoted active participation in the program, and a deeper understanding of GLOBE protocols. The meeting provided a comprehensive overview of the program, with an emphasis on the educational philosophy behind “learning science by doing,” as well as the benefits of integrating GLOBE into regional schools.