News - University of Arkansas
April 2017 GLOBE News Brief
Help GLOBE - and NASA - Celebrate Earth Day 2017!
It's almost time for everyone on the planet to celebrate Earth Day (22 April) - and it's almost time for the GLOBE community to celebrate The GLOBE Program, which began on Earth Day in 1995. The GLOBE Implementation office (GIO) is officially celebrating on Friday, 21 April. We will be streaming a GLOBE Earth Day YouTube Broadcast at 9:00 a.m. (MDT)/3:00 p.m. UTC. We are also requesting that our community make Earth Day a "Cloud Observation Day" as well! Help us celebrate - use the GLOBE Observer App or GLOBE's enhanced Cloud Protocol and experience your own unique observations.
In the United States, more than 100 libraries will also be participating in the NASA@My Library project, led by the Space Sciences Institute, the Institute for Global Strategies, and the GIO. Those participating in this NASA project will also be engaging in observing clouds using the GLOBE Observer App. (To see the latest list of registered libraries and their preliminary plans, click here.)
News
Ready to Connect in Connecticut? Register Today for the 2017 GLOBE Annual Meeting in New Haven!
Today is a good day to register for the 21st GLOBE Annual Meeting and Student Research Experience! The event, and the adventure, will take place in New Haven, Connecticut, USA (30 July-03 August) at the campus of Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU).
The 2017 Annual Meeting will be hosted by GLOBE Partner Dr. Scott Graves (SCSU), in collaboration with the GIO. The theme of the Annual Meeting is "Coastal Resilience in Urban Environments." Check out GLOBE's one-stop-shop for:
- Updated information
- Registration fee information
- Accommodation information
- Ground transportation information
- Student Research Experience information
- Student Research Exhibition information
- Exhibitor Information
- Liability forms
Remember -- use #GLOBE21 to follow all of the happenings on social media.
We look forward to connecting with you in Connecticut in July!
Let the Judging for the 2017 IVSS Begin! Judges: Attend the 20 April Informational Webinar
Now that the deadline has passed for student report submissions to the 2017 GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS), it's time for the judging to begin! Judging will take place between 23-29 April. And, for everyone who has stepped up and volunteered to judge these amazing projects, there will be an informational webinar (which will be recorded) on 20 April at 10:00 a.m. MT (12:00 p.m. ET). The link to join the webinar at the time of the meeting is: https://zoom.us/j/621414156.
Did you submit a report? Then make sure to check your reports for questions and comments from judges during the week of 23-29 April.
IVSS Timeline:
- Informational Webinar: 19 October 2016
- Rubrics posted: 04 November 2016
- K-4 (Lower Primary) Webinar: 07 December 2016
- Reports accepted for submission: from 03 January 2017 to 03 April 2017
- Reports and presentations due: 03 April 2017
- Informational Webinar for Judges: 20 April 2017 (10:00 a.m. MT/12:00 p.m. ET)
- Judging and comment period: 23 - 29 April 2017
- Scores and badges announced: 15 May 2017
Have questions? Please send them to: help@globe.gov.
Register Today for 25 April GLOBE ENSO Webinar: "Earth Day Extravaganza"
Register today for the GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign webinar: "Earth Day Extravaganza." The webinar will take place on Tuesday, 25 April, at 8:00 p.m. EST (12:00 a.m. UTC). You can join this webinar by registering here.
During this webinar, a NASA scientist will share some of the effective ways in which humans are responding to the challenges of being stewards for our planet. Two GLOBE teachers will share some of the ways in which they are using engineering challenges and other teaching methods to help students learn about sustainable energy and daily habits that will lessen our negative impact on the Earth. Several GLOBE students from around the world will share what they have learned about their environment this year, and how they plan to make a difference in their local environment.
Throughout the GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign, regular guest blogs from scientists and teachers are being posted. In addition, there is information on the science of ENSO, how to participate in the campaign, analysis tools, numerous resources, and engaging discussion opportunities on the webpage. Keep checking back to discover what's new with Phase II of the campaign!
GLOBE Offers Nine New GLOBE Data Exploration Learning Activities!
Did you know that GLOBE has crafted nine new GLOBE Data Exploration learning activities over the past year! Explore these activities, and the GLOBE Teacher's Guide, by clicking here! Or explore the learning adventures one by one:
Rainfall in the GLOBE Africa Region: A GLOBE Data Exploration
An Alaskan Spring Mystery: A GLOBE Data Exploration
Data at Altitude: A GLOBE Data Exploration
Climate and Latitude: A GLOBE Data Exploration
Making a Climograph: A GLOBE Data Exploration
Comparing Croatia Climates: A GLOBE Data Exploration
Monsoons and Health: A GLOBE Data Exploration
Iowa's Highs and Lows: A GLOBE Data Exploration
Weather Tourists: A GLOBE Data Exploration
Have questions? Please send them to: help@globe.gov.
GLOBE's New "Events/Projects to Campaigns" Checklist Ready for Your Use!
GIO has finished the development of an events/projects to campaign checklist for community members. GIO facilitated the review process among the GLOBE community, GLOBE Working Groups, and NASA Headquarters. The overall purpose of the document is to provide guidance and streamline requirements for community-led efforts and to ensure that community members know the processes involved in requesting and performing events, projects and campaigns.
The checklist, "GLOBE Events to Campaigns Spreadsheet," is available on several different pages on the GLOBE website (for diverse GLOBE community members), including in:
- Measurement Campaigns (see left navigation bar)
- Meetings and Symposia (see left navigation bar)
- Events (see left navigation bar)
- Partners and Country Coordinators Community (see bottom of page)
- Ways to Participate in the GLOBE International STEM Network (GISN) (see bottom of page)
Have questions? Please send them to: help@globe.gov.
GLOBE Community: Need Media Release Forms? Events Made Easy!
Are you hosting a GLOBE-related event that will be photographed and/or videotaped by GLOBE or NASA and its representatives? Here are the required Media Release Forms for adults and/or for parents and minors:
- Click here for the Media Release Form for Parent (Legal Guardian/Legal Representative) and minor child.
- Click here for the Media Release Form for Parent (Legal Guardian/Legal Representative) and minor child in English and Spanish.
- Click here for the Media Release Form for Adults (not to be used for minors).
If you have questions about this, or need assistance, please send an email to help@globe.gov
Opportunities for Teachers
U.S. opportunities are often highlighted in the News Brief simply because we are more aware of them through our local media; however, if there are opportunities for GLOBE students and/or teachers in your region you would like us to highlight in the coming months, please send the information to: communications@globe.gov.
NASA STEM Educator Webinars
The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) is presenting a series of webinars open to all educators. All pre-service, K-12, and informal educators, as well as university faculty, are invited to join NASA education specialists to learn about NASA missions, activities, lesson plans, educator guides, and online resources that integrate NASA and STEM into the classroom.
An upcoming webinar, "Teachers Connect: NASA LaRC 100 Webinar" is geared toward educators in 6-8. This webinar will be presented on Tuesday, 25 April, at 4:00 p.m. (ET). This webinar will focus for the first half-hour on clouds and their role in the Earth's Energy Budget and implementation ideas using GLOBE for different types of classroom settings (Earth Right Now: LaRC 100th digital badge). The second half-hour will focus on the engineering design process using the Drag Race to Mars Engineering Design Challenge (Journey to Mars: LaRC 100th digital badge). The last half-hour will focus on forces and motion and math calculations using paper airplanes and testing different materials (Aeronautics: LaRC 100th digital badge).
This webinar meets requirements of teacher discussions within the NASA Langley 100th EPDC digital badges. Teachers working on each different badge can join at the specific half hour portion appropriate for them. Educators that complete all three Langley 100th Digital Badges will earn a physical badge as part of NASA Langley's centennial celebration. (To learn more about the Langley 100th digital badges login to https://nasatxstate-epdc.net/ and search for LaRC 100th.)
U.S. GLOBE Teachers: 23-29 April is National Environmental Education Week!
From 23-29 April, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is hosting the nation's largest celebration of environmental education, inspiring environmental learning and stewardship among K-12 students (U.S. only) - National Environmental Education Week (EE Week).
EE Week (sponsored by Samsung) attracts a diverse group of participants, including traditional public, private or homeschools, nature centers, parks, zoos, aquariums, museums, scout troops and even individuals with a passion for bringing environmental education to youth. Learn more and EE Week 2017 activities and register today.
Upcoming 2017 GLOBE Teacher Training Workshops
Upcoming GLOBE teacher training workshops include:
- Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA (UT-Chattanooga): 08 April - 21 October (potential restricted attendance)
- Palmyra, New Jersey, USA (Institute for Earth Observations): 10 April (potential restricted attendance)
- Washington, D.C., USA (Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Headquarters): 27 April (Peace Corps Staff only)
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA (Boston University School of Education): 29 April (open to all teachers)
- Myrtle Creek, Oregon, USA (Tri-City Elementary): 06 May (open to all teachers)
- Denver, Colorado, USA (MULTI Summer Institute of Metropolitan State University of Denver): 05-09 June (potential restricted attendance)
- Huntington, West Virginia, USA (Huntington High School): 06 June (open to all teachers)
- Pearlington, Mississippi, USA (INFINITY Science Center): 09 June (potential restricted attendance)
- Pierre, South Dakota, USA (GLOBE Learning Expedition South Dakota): 13-16 June (restricted to teachers in the region)
- Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA (UND Clifford Hall): 27 July - 01 August (open to all teachers)
No training workshops in your area? Check out GLOBE's protocol eTraining! (In order to enter GLOBE data, GLOBE users must complete the necessary training either by attending a GLOBE workshop or by completing the required online eTraining modules. Once your training is complete, you will be ready to start entering your measurements and will be joining a community of thousands teachers around the world!)
GLOBE Schools: Join a Real Global Experiment - It's Teatime4GLOBE
The TeaBagIndex research team (Teatime 4 Science) is inviting GLOBE schools to join a real global experiment where researchers, schools, and farmers reveal important processes in soils. The goal is to help create a global map of vegetative decay that will improve climate modelling and increase understanding of soil health. It's Teatime4GLOBE!
Participation is easy and fun. Simply:
- Obtain your free unique teabags;
- Bury them in the ground;
- Wait a few months;
- Conduct GLOBE protocols during the waiting period;
- Remove the teabags from the ground; and
- Report the teabag information to Teatime4science.org
Register by 15 April. For more details, click here.
Have You Engaged in Active Science with NASA using GLOBE's Enhanced Cloud Protocol?
Now that the enhanced GLOBE Cloud Protocol is live, it's time to join the NASA and GLOBE science teams in taking a new look at clouds -- from the ground and from space! New observation and data analysis skills have been added for you to explore and master (as an optional enhancement to the work you are currently doing). Thanks to the newly enhanced protocol, you can now provide additional information that scientists and the GLOBE community can use to compare with satellite data!
Explore the new resources:
- Teachers Guide Cloud Protocol - Updated teacher resources include protocol text (PDF), e-Training slides, field guides, data entry sheets, learning activities, and more.
- NASA Support Page for GLOBE Clouds and Satellite Comparison - Enhance and extend your knowledge of the Clouds Protocol with additional information about clouds, observing, and satellite matches provided by NASA Langley Research Center.
- NASA Cloud Satellite Portal - Access satellite overpass times and compare GLOBE ground observations to NASA's satellite cloud data.
GLOBE Teachers (U.S.): Register Now for the U.S. Regional Science Symposia in Your Region
Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, students from across the United States have the opportunity to come together at one of six face-to-face regional science symposia to share the results of field investigations using GLOBE program protocols.
During these two-day events, teachers, students, U.S. partnerships, scientists, and alumni from each region are invited to gather and discuss GLOBE student research. These events will include presentation of student research entries to reviewers, professional development for teachers, and networking and collaboration opportunities for participants.
Register for the U.S.:
- (19-21 May) Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Regional Student Research Symposium (DE, DC, CT, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, VA, and WV) by 18 April. (If you have any questions, contact John D. Moore.)
- (19-21 May) Southwest Regional Student Research Symposium (AZ, CO, KS, NM, OK, TX, and UT) by 19 April. (If you have any questions, contact Rich Wagner.)
- (19-20 May) Midwest Regional Student Research Symposium (OH, MI, WI, IL, IN, WI, MO, IA, and MN) by 19 April. (If you have any questions, contact Steven Smith.)
- (02-03 June) Pacific Regional Student Research Symposium (NV, CA, and HI) by 01 May. (If you have any questions, contact Tracy Ostrom.)
- (01-02 June) Northwest Regional Student Research Symposium (AK, ID, MT, NE, ND, OR, SD, WA, and WY) by 01 May. (If you have any questions, contact Anne Lewis.)
For the latest timeline, and to stay informed on science symposia developments, please follow this page.
NASA Funds Three GLOBE U.S. Partners to Lead Earth Science Projects
NASA has funded three GLOBE U.S. partners to lead NASA Education Earth Science Projects through STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) agreements. Check out these innovative, educational, and inspiring projects:
- Mission EARTH: Fusing GLOBE with NASA Assets to Build Systematic Innovation in STEM Education (University of Toledo, Ohio; Kevin Czajkowski, Principal Investigator) - GLOBE Mission EARTH is a collaborative of multiple institutions across the United States formed to increase involvement in The GLOBE Program with the goal of connecting students to scientists in the common pursuit of real-world science.
- AEROKATS and ROVER Education Network (AREN) (Wayne County Intermediate School District, Wayne, Michigan; David Bydlowski, Principal Investigator) - The goal of AREN is to train the next generation of scientists, engineers, and other professionals to observe and understand our planet Earth through experiential learning using NASA technology and data in real-world settings.
- Impacts and Feedbacks of a Warming Arctic: Engaging Learners in STEM using NASA and GLOBE Assets (Arctic and Earth SIGNs) (University of Alaska, Fairbanks; Elena Sparrow, Principal Investigator) - This program connects youth and adults to climate issues and Earth science learning through inquiry-based GLOBE investigations and community stewardship projects.
For more information, click here!
Share Your STEM Stories with GLOBE
- Current GLOBE students who intend to pursue further education in STEM;
- Former GLOBE students who are currently engaged in higher education in STEM areas or who have gone into STEM careers; and
- Teachers who have sought further training in STEM subjects, either through GLOBE training or through other professional development training, in order to enhance their capabilities as teachers or for new careers in STEM.
Anniversaries
Congratulations to the eighteen GLOBE countries celebrating anniversaries of successful GLOBE implementation during the month of April:
Norway - 22 years
05 April 1995
Romania - 22 years
11 April 1995
Croatia - 22 years
12 April 1995
Austria - 22 years
20 April 1995
Czech Republic - 22 years
20 April 1995
Australia - 22 years
21 April 1995
South Korea - 22 years
21 April 1995
Uruguay - 22 years
21 April 1995
Bolivia - 22 years
22 April 1995
Benin - 22 years
28 April 1995
Costa Rica - 21 years
22 April 1996
Ecuador - 21 years
22 April 1996
Tanzania - 20 years
01 April 1997
Canada - 20 years
07 April 1997
Poland - 20 years
22 April 1997
Chile - 19 years
16 April 1998
Switzerland - 19 years
22 April 1998
Kuwait - 18 years
12 April 1999
News origin: GLOBE Implementation Office