Stars and STEM Stories
These Israeli Students Are Cloud Chasers
Students from across Israel engaged in cloud research this year, which culminated in a virtual end-of-year event aimed to provide students from about 50 schools with an engaging platform to present their research projects.
Organizers of the event provided all educational materials in Hebrew and Arabic to ensure accessibility for students in their native languages. Students presented their learning outcomes, and outstanding research projects, which explored various connections between clouds and climate, were selected.
Additionally, a national logo design competition for the program took place. More than 100 logo designs were submitted, and two finalists were selected. The entire student body in Israel, along with their teachers and representatives from the Ministry of Education, the U.S. Embassy, and GLOBE Europe, participated in the voting process. Students were also tasked with choosing the most unique cloud photograph and creating new Hebrew names for clouds. The event also introduced two new Israeli representatives for the GLOBE Student Vlogger program.
At the conclusion of the event, students embarked on an active cloud-monitoring activity aimed at setting a record for the largest simultaneous cloud observation in the Middle East. Students across Israel participated enthusiastically, achieving approximately 300 cloud observations at once. This activity was conducted with support from Marilé Colón Robles, project scientist for NASA GLOBE Clouds.
The event was attended by Dr. Gilmor Keshet, head of the Science Division at the Ministry of Education; Ms. Zivit Linder, head of the Education and Community Division at the Ministry of Environmental Protection; representatives Helen Schnitzer and Jessica Dancel, public diplomacy officer, from the U.S. Embassy in Israel; and Ms. Lenka Kleger from GLOBE Europe. The event also featured the participation of the GLOBE Israel team, including program director Refaela Babish and trainers Lama Khoury, Adi Levy, Yifat Greenberg, and Iman Sakran.
