News - North America
Summer Camp Focused on Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals with GLOBE
Contributed by: Nektaria Adaktylou, West Virginia University Department of Geology and Geography
This summer, one teacher and eight students from the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) at West Virginia University (WVU) participated in a week-long camp in Morgantown, West Virginia, that focused on learning about The GLOBE Program, using GLOBE activities to take measurements, and sharing and discussing findings. The students who participated in this GLOBE summer camp will become mentors to middle school programs, to share what they learned and to lead GLOBE activities.
HSTA participants are primarily students who have grown up in rural communities and many are the first in their families to attend college. The HSTA program in West Virginia has been very successful, with the vast majority of HSTA graduates obtaining a college education and many earning advanced degrees.
On the first day of their camp, students were oriented to GLOBE and learned about satellite remote sensing. Students also learned about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
On the second day, the students learned about Urban Heat Islands. They worked in teams of two and used infrared thermometers to take measurements of different surfaces, recorded their measurements in their science journals, and made graphs. Students were also led in a writing exercise, discussed the environment in literature, and read Haiku poems.
The third day was held at Tom’s Run Preserve for a hike and tree tour. Students built clinometers and measured tree height and circumference. They also learned about carbon sequestration.
On Day 4, the students learned about the environmental history of the local watershed before taking water measurements for temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and macroinvertebrates.
To wrap up the week on day 5, students shared what they learned throughout the week.
Dr. Nektaria Adaktylou, the GLOBE Partner at WVU, designed, planned, and coordinated the camp activities. Dr. Adaktylou was supported by Ms. Samantha Copthorne and Ms. Summer Kuhn, both of whom work for the HSTA program. Dr. Adaktylou led Ms. Copthorne through a training session before the event and a debriefing session after the event; Ms. Copthorne participated in all the activities during the camp. Ms. Kuhn coordinated the student transportation, their lunches, and the reservation of spaces.
Also interacting with the students throughout the week were seven subject matter experts (SMEs). SMEs who participated include:
- Tim Warner, WVU Geology and Geography Department
- Mark Brazaitis, WVU English Department
- Adam Webster, West Virginia Land Trust
- Rick Landenberger, WVU Geology and Geography Department and West Virginia Land Trust
- Brian Hurley, Friends of Deckers Creek
- Maya Mier-Thomas, Friends of Deckers Creek
- Evan Hansen, a West Virginia Delegate and owner of Downstream Strategies
The goal of the GLOBE Partnership Mini-Grant Program is to support U.S. Partner activities to help achieve the GLOBE Strategic Priorities and contribute to the evaluation of the impact of GLOBE within the United States. Access the Mini-Grant Award Padlet to learn about how Partnerships that have been awarded a mini-grant are using the funding.
Photo captions (top to bottom)
- Photo 1: A student measures tree height using a clinometer
- Photo 2: A student shares reflections from the week at GLOBE camp