Stars and STEM Stories
Nigeria joins NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Field Campaign
This spring, students worldwide are invited to grab rain gauges and learn how scientists use ground measurements to validate satellite precipitation data. NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement, or GPM, mission is partnering with The GLOBE Program to conduct a field campaign where students will measure rain and snow in their hometowns from February through mid-April 2015 and then analyze the data.
The GPM Mission examines an important aspect of the water cycle – precipitation and the GLOBE field campaign is an opportunity for students to participate by engaging in ground validation for the GPM satellite, investigating the question: "How do ground-based observations compare to satellite rainfall estimates?" Students will also be able to compare their data with that of participating schools around the globe and with long-term climatological data. During the Field Campaign, students and teachers will be able to participate in webinars and read blog posts by NASA scientists and engineers.
Nigeria is already onboard with this field campaign! Mr. Olawale Ayodeji Oluwafemi, a GLOBE Partner and scientist at the Nigerian Space Agency's Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics, responded to NASA's request to scientists all over the world to join NASA's global awareness campaign about the GPM satellite mission. Mr. Oluwafemi and GLOBE Nigeria hosted a Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Rain EnGAUGE Event at the Nigerian Defense Academy, Postgraduate School in Kaduna and also during its World Environment Day Quiz Competition in Abuja, with selected GLOBE students from the Nigerian Federal Unity Colleges.
The GPM Rain EnGAUGE event gave Mr. Oluwafemi a prime opportunity to reach out to GLOBE students and teachers in Nigeria and to keep in touch with local scientists. In Nigeria, precipitation-related events such as flooding, landslide and erosion, among others, have caused serious damage to the environment, so awareness about the GPM Mission is of inherent interest to students there. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Satellite will help Nigerian students understand natural disasters, water resources, weather & climate modeling, public health, and more. Also, GPM educational materials will be helpful to K 12 students in Nigeria to provide background information on water cycle and it's societal implications. Through participating in GPM events, GLOBE students in all corners of the globe learn how a NASA mission and satellite information can improve our knowledge of Earth.
Mr. Oluwafemi is now a GPM Master Teacher, trained in GLOBE protocols that are related to atmosphere and precipitation that will be used by students to collect precipitation data during GPM Field Campaign. As a member of the newly formed international GLOBE Science Working Group, he is helping to raise the next generation of scientists, not just in Nigeria, but also throughout the world.