News - United States of America
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Students Showcase Environmental Research at Berks Nature
Each spring, regional GLOBE Student Research Symposia (SRS) are held for students in grades 5 through 12 to share and celebrate the results of their environmental research performed using GLOBE’s data collection protocols and cloud-based database. This year, the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region’s SRS was hosted by Berks Nature at The Nature Place in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Sixty-four students from nine schools across the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region conducted research to answer a question about the environment. The students discussed their research projects during a poster session with ten science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professionals who represented non-profit organizations, institutes of higher education and NASA facilities.
Students also shared and learned from one another during a peer review session.
In addition to the student research poster session, student researchers participated in immersive, field research experiences during the symposium — dipping into Angelica Creek to perform an aquatic macroinvertebrate survey, creating model watersheds to understand the wide-reaching impact of human activity, and hiking local trails to experience ecological restoration in action.
Special thanks to GLOBE Partners Allison Mackley and Michael Griffith of Berks Nature for coordinating and hosting this event. Thank you also to GLOBE Partners at NASA Goddard, Institute for Research in Science Teaching (SUNY Fredonia), Palmyra Cove and NASA Langley for the contributions and support.
Four student groups were recognized for their projects in the following areas:
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Community Impact and Engagement: William Francisco and Collin Hallock, and Zym Goodberry, Nico Wejko and Devin Eberly from APW Junior/Senior High School (New York) for “Onondaga County River Quality” and “Oswego County River Quality”
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Research Process: Caden Beecroft, Ashley Niefergold, Delaney Vanstrom, Talon Kane from North Collins Junior/Senior High School (New York) for “Is Our Region Experiencing Climate Change?”
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Community Impact and Engagement: Charlotte Blackford, Niyam Patel, Connie Huang and Artha Rangineni from Reading Flemington Intermediate (New Jersey) for “Does Idling in rural New Jersey affect air quality?”
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21st Century Skills: Nitish Gannu, Justin Martinez and Rihan Thajeer from Stamford High School (Connecticut) for “Comparison of Oxidation Potential of Melanin Specimens Under Ionizing Radiation”
Photo captions (top to bottom):
- Photo 1: students present their research poster to a STEM professional
- Photo 2: students reviewed each other's posters (photo by Susan L. Angstadt)
- Photo 3: GLOBE Partner Michael Griffith helps students identify aquatic macroinvertebrates