May 2021 GLOBE News Brief |
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2021 IVSS Huge Success!
Congratulations to Stipend Drawing Winners
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The 2021 International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) was a huge success! The GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO) received 242 student project submissions from 93 schools in 20 countries in all six GLOBE regions. Projects were submitted in four languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, and Croatian. In all, 180 judges from 46 countries helped score the projects and provide feedback (this is a record number of participating judges).
Stipend Drawing
Congratulations to the 2021 IVSS stipend drawing winners! A drawing was held on Earth Day, 22 April. This year, 79 projects from 16 countries qualified for the drawing (each project earned a four-star student research badge – the highest ranking possible – and at least two other optional badges). The following projects were randomly selected from qualifying projects:
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Possible Effects of River Flooding on Soil Parameters and Tree Growth Along an Urban River (Crestwood High School, Michigan, United States)
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Investigation of Puerto Rico Communities Focused on Mosquitoes’ Habitats and Awareness (Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, United States)
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Assessing How Environmental Changes Affect the Distribution and Dynamics of Malaria and Crop Production Using Satellite-based NDVI (Shree Swaminnarayan Academy, Mombasa, Kenya)
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Effect of Population Density on Burrow Characteristics in the Fiddler Crab (Uca bengali) (Princess Chulabhorn Science High School, Trang, Thailand)
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Estudio Comparativo de la Temperatura Superficial entre Zonas Urbanizadas y Arboladas (IES, Gredos, Spain)
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Los Cambios que Producen las Estaciones en Arboles y Arbustos de Pujato –Argentina (Escuela Primaria Particular Incorporada N°1345, Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Argentina)
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The Effect of Pottery on Brackish Water in the KSA and Its Impact of Soil and Vegetation Cover (The first Arqah Secondary School, Al-riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
Feedback from the judges has been sent to teachers to share with their students; badges have been posted on the participating schools’ “About” pages. Judges who scored three or more projects by the deadline were sent certificates, and were also awarded badges on their GLOBE “MyPages.”
GIO would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2021 IVSS!
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“2021 Community Trees Challenge: Science is Better Together”
Continues through 15 May
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The 2021 Community Trees Challenge, where “Science is Better Together” continues through 15 May. The GLOBE Program is asking citizen scientists to observe, learn, engage, and create as they track their progress on the Trees Challenge activity tracker. You can choose the best journey for your interests or try to complete all the activities. Work together as a family, as a group of friends, or independently.
By completing these activities, you will improve your science observation skills, enrich your understanding of trees as part of our landscape, learn why NASA studies trees, be a part of a NASA-sponsored citizen science project, as well as join a citizen science community. Your observations of tree height contribute to a global database that is free and open so that anyone – scientists, students, communities, and citizen scientists – can conduct research.
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GLOBE’s New Student Vloggers Made Debut on Earth Day 2021 |
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Selected in April, GLOBE’s 12 new Student Vloggers (video bloggers) made their debut during GLOBE’s anniversary celebration on Earth Day. Vlog-style videos are filmed, in part, “selfie-style.” This helps viewers embark on a journey into the vloggers world – into what they are doing, learning, and discovering.
GIO would like to congratulate the new Student Vloggers! They are as follows (in alphabetical order):
- Andrei, age 15 (The Philippines, Asia and Pacific Region)
- Carlos, age 14 (United States, North America Region)
- Christine, age 17 (United States, North America Region)
- Hala, age 16 (Saudi Arabia, Near East and North Africa Region)
- Hannah, age 13 (Malta, Europe and Eurasia Region)
- Johannes, age 18 (Estonia, Europe and Eurasia Region)
- Lakshmi, age 13 (India, Asia and Pacific Region)
- Maia, age 16 (Argentina, Latin America and Caribbean Region)
- Renada, age 15 (Oman, Near East and North Africa Region)
- Sisanda, age 16 (South Africa, Africa Region)
- Team: Lucio, Marianela, and Juan; ages 19, 18, and 19 (Argentina, Latin America and Caribbean Region)
- Xavier, age 15 (South Africa, Africa Region)
Please subscribe to GLOBE’s YouTube channel (click here) to watch the weekly episodes, which will begin to be released this month.
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2021 GLOBE Annual Meeting Update |
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Getting ready for the 2021 GLOBE Annual Meeting? Here’s the latest news to help ensure your experience is a resounding success… |
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Keynote Speaker
Meet our first keynote speaker for the GLOBE Annual Meeting: Dr. Karen Bailey, who is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, Colorado, USA). She is interested in human-environment interactions, climate change, and sustainable rural livelihoods. She also has an emphasis on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in environmental fields and STEM; and is committed to research that supports, amplifies, and engages the most vulnerable among us. Her current projects focus on climate adaptation in southern Africa, human health and well-being in east Africa, barriers to entry and retention in natural resource fields, and just and equitable climate change research.
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Registration
“Early Bird” Registration ends on 12 May. After 12 May, registration will increase from $95 USD to $125 USD. Registration closes on 01 July.
Poster Presentation Applications
Poster applications are still being accepted. Applications are due by 07 May; no late or incomplete applications will be accepted. Your poster should fit within the Session Strands to be presented at the Annual Meeting. (Note: Only 2021 IVSS-selected students will be at the meeting this year. Please do not submit a presentation for students. For more information on the 2021 IVSS, click here.)
To submit an application to present a poster, click here.
Meeting Agenda
To view the agenda for the GLOBE Annual Meeting, click here.
(Note: Time zones are in U.S. Mountain Daylight Time; so, for your convenience, a link to a time zone converter is provided.)
Science Protocol Training
During the meeting, there will be multiple opportunities to participate in GLOBE science protocol training sessions. When you register, you can select the protocol training times you would like to attend. (There is limited capacity for each protocol training session.) Pre-registration is required, and registration will close on 01 July. More information is provided during registration. Sessions include:
- Beginner Grouping: Clouds*, Air Temperature, Relative Humidity, Precipitation - Rain
- Intermediate Grouping: Land Cover* and Tree Height*
- Experienced Grouping: Mosquito Habitat Mapper* and Surface Temperature
- Experienced Grouping: Carbon Cycle Introduction, Carbon Cycle Standard Site, Carbon Cycle Non-standard Site, Carbon Cycle Modeling
* The GLOBE Program’s app, GLOBE Observer
For more information on the 2021 GLOBE Annual Meeting, click here.
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GLOBE Offers New Air Quality Protocol Bundle |
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The GLOBE Program Science Working Group has created a new GLOBE protocol bundle focusing on air quality. Air quality (a measurement of the amount of pollution in the air) is affected by a number of factors. These factors can include the source of pollutants, the type of pollutants, and local climatological and weather conditions.
The purpose of the Air Quality Bundle is to provide students with a set of protocols to use to monitor local air quality, which can keep community members and stakeholders informed and help guide policy decisions. Scientists can use data gathered using GLOBE protocols to help ground-truth satellite air quality measurements.
Air Quality Bundle Protocols:
- Aerosol
- Air Temperature
- Barometric Pressure
- Clouds
- Precipitation
- Relative Humidity
- Visibility and Sky Color (a GLOBE Learning Activity)
- Measuring Wind Direction (a GLOBE Field Guide in the Surface Ozone Protocol, measured by automated weather stations)
- Land Cover Classification (Biosphere)
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Join 25 May Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign
Half-Day Workshop Highlighting 2021 IVSS Student Research Projects
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The “Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Half-Day Workshop: Highlighting 2021 GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium Student Research Projects from Across the GLOBE,” will be held on Tuesday, 25 May, from 09:00 a.m. to 02:00 p.m. EDT (01:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m. UTC).
During this five-hour workshop, students from across The GLOBE Program (like Colombia, Croatia, Oman, Taiwan Partnership, the United States, and others) will present their trees and land cover-related 2021 IVSS student research projects. Participants will learn about the interconnectedness between trees, land cover, soil moisture, and other GLOBE measurement protocols.
The workshop will be organized into groups of protocol-related student research project presentations. Please invite all your fellow students, science colleagues, and teachers.
If you are interested in joining the webinar, please send an email to Campaign Lead, Brian Campbell.
To learn more about the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign, click here.
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Check Out the New Trees Family Guide – A Journey of Discovery! |
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Check out the new GLOBE Trees Family Guide – a place to learn, with family and friends, all about trees. Using the guide, you can look at tree-related science themes, such as tree height, trees and carbon, impacts on trees, and trees as habitats, through a series of science journeys.
The journeys are built for specific age groups of learners: Sprouts (early childhood and lower elementary school, up to about age eight); Seedlings (upper elementary and middle school, from about age nine to age twelve); and Saplings (teens and adults).
Each thematic journey will take you through a series of “Ask,” “Learn,” “Observe,” and “Create” questions, activities, demonstrations, and creations.
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Join 13 May GLOBE Mission Mosquito Webinar: “New Digital Tools for Fighting Mosquito-borne Diseases” |
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Thursday, 13 May, at 02:00 p.m. EDT (06:00 p.m. UTC), you are invited to join the GLOBE Mission Mosquito (GMM) webinar: “New Digital Tools for Fighting Mosquito-borne Diseases.”
National Geographic Explorer Dr. Ryan Carney will discuss past, present, and future research related to a new NSF-funded mosquito project – and how YOU can contribute to the research using The GLOBE Program’s app, GLOBE Observer. Topics will include using artificial intelligence to identify deadly and invasive mosquitoes around the world, as well as GIS modeling of mosquito habitats and disease hot spots.
Have Mosquito Photos?
The GMM team would like to feature your mosquito photos in the Science Notebook Resource. Submissions will be accepted through September 2021. The GMM team is looking for exemplary larvae photos in the following categories: full-body; siphon; pectin; and tuft.
GLOBE Teachers: If you or your students have taken photos you would like to share with the community, please contact Cassie Soeffling, Informal Education Lead at: cassie_soeffling@strategies.org.
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Join 06 May GIO Webinar on Updates to Global Measurement Campaign Pages and Application Process |
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Join GIO on Thursday, 06 May, at 09:00 a.m. MDT (11:00 a.m. EDT), for a webinar covering updates to global measurement campaign pages and the associated application process. The webinar will explain the new process and relevant proposal forms.
GLOBE’s global field measurement campaigns are active worldwide projects that provide community members with hands-on opportunities to explore and learn about Earth through a diverse, collaborative network of students, teachers, and scientists.
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U.S. GLOBE Teachers/Partners: Join May Watercoolers |
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U.S. GLOBE Teachers and Partners: Join the Watercoolers in May. Watercoolers, which start at 04:10 p.m. ET, are an informal opportunity to connect with other GLOBE teachers and partners to share ideas. Each week begins with a presentation from a teacher or partner, with time for questions and conversation following.
For upcoming Watercooler dates, topics, and registration click here.
Sign up to Present
GLOBE Teachers and Partners: You are invited to share your experience and expertise. Please consider signing up to share how you are using GLOBE in your region.
To sign up to present at a Watercooler, click here.
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As always, GLOBE continues to work to ensure that your “use” of the website, and associated apps, is as user-friendly as possible.
By the end of May, you will be able to search for data by GLOBE “Team” in ADAT (or Elasticsearch). There will also be an improved way for teachers to access and use student accounts, plus additional enhanced capabilities.
In addition, great progress has been made toward implementing the following items (delivery of these will occur near the end of May):
- GLOBE’s data entry process will soon provide a new option: all GLOBE atmosphere protocols will be available in The GLOBE Program’s app, GLOBE Observer (GO). Trained and approved GLOBE members (those who already have access to the Data Entry app) will be able to submit atmospheric measurements, such as temperature and rainfall, as well as bundle data, directly using the app. Future work will move other existing sphere protocols into the app.
- GO’s Mosquito Habitat Mapper (MHM) tool will receive an update. The update will include an updated dichotomous key with updated visuals; reduced text for increased accessibility for non-English speaking populations; and maintenance to keep compatibility with newer systems and to maintain performance and GLOBE connectivity.
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For people who participate in SciStarter, there soon will be an ability to log participation in the GO protocols on their SciStarter dashboard account. (SciStarter, a GLOBE Partner, provides a database of thousands of vetted, searchable projects and events through an online citizen science project directory.)
If you have any questions, or need assistance with any of these enhancements, contact the GLOBE Community Support Team (CST) at: globehelp@ucar.edu.
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Former GLOBE Student Dedicated to Making a “Broad Scientific Impact” |
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In 2011, Pegi Pavletić, a PhD student in Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, and Food Sciences (Chemical, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biotechnology) at the University of Camerino, Italy, was looking for volunteering opportunities at the Medical High School in Rijeka, Croatia, when she first connected with a student who was involved with The GLOBE Program.
“She described GLOBE activities as fun group-learning activities in which students design projects and implement them with the help of a professional,” Pavletić said. “I remember being insecure, thinking I do not have the knowledge to start something like this, where the professors asked for practical experience. However, I quickly learned that the project was really as broad and as interactive as you make it, and our mentor, professor Tatjana Holjević, really gave her best to let us grow independently and to gather as much experience as possible.”
“My first inter-county competition ended on a low note that year, when we had the lowest score in the competition due to the time it took us to complete the course and the test. I remember feeling so sad after all the work we had put in. On the other hand, I knew I would be taking over the next year`s team as a team leader, and I decided to make our team less informal in terms of activities, and to set clear goals for the team. That is the year in which my sister Megi also joined GLOBE, together with Dina Bolkovac and Matilda Car, two younger students.”
“I remember that year very well, as that was the year in which I discovered that science is not scary, it is attractive, it brings people together, and it makes us rely on each other and find strengths in our differences. We were very motivated, and we took water samples from our stations in all types of weather, one time even when extreme weather conditions were announced. We really believed in the project, and in the end, we were third in our inter-county competition, first in the national competition (in the field of hydrology), and we went on to win second place at the GLOBE Student Research Exhibition internationally,” she said.
“That is where we understood the impact our research has on the world around us, and I decided that this is something I want to dedicate my life to, not only through deepening my knowledge in the STEM field, but also through giving back to society and making a broad scientific impact, starting locally.”
To learn how to submit your own STEM Story, click here.
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GLOBE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion News:
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month has taken place every May since 1992, when the United States Congress passed Public Law 102-450 (PDF, 285kb). The month is dedicated to celebrating the culture, traditions, and history of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on 07 May 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on 10 May 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
The GLOBE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group values diversity, and would like to acknowledge, celebrate, and honor the traditions and history of all Asian American and Pacific Islander people in the United States.
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20 May is Global Accessibility Awareness Day |
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Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which takes place on 20 May this year, is a global event that shines a light on digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities. Do you know what “Alt Text” is? It is a description of an image that allows people who are blind or visually impaired to hear what the image is.
Learn more about alt text, and how to use it, in the new GLOBE Community Blog, “Global Accessibility Day,” written by Rosalba Giarratano. “I would like to invite you and everyone in our GLOBE community to celebrate! How? An idea is to develop the habit of using Alternative (Alt) Text.”
Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day by adding alt text to images in your
emails, presentations, and websites.
For more information on GLOBE Accessibility Awareness Day, click here.
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Opportunities for Teachers |
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(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 that you would like us to highlight in the coming months, please send the information to: globecommunications@ucar.edu. Thank you!)
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NASA STEM Educator Webinars |
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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, “Explore Flight: Making in Culturally Relevant,” is geared toward educators in grades K-12. On Wednesday, 26 May (06:00 p.m. EDT), come and explore the design and development in creating culturally sensitive/responsive learning opportunities for students in the STE(A)M classroom. Participants will be provided with culturally relevant teaching strategies, teacher tips, and NASA's educational resources to foster CRT (culturally responsive teaching) in your classroom or school. The session will end with step-by-step guidance of the many NASA websites that share wonderful and updated NASA STEM education resources aligned with recent missions and efforts by NASA’s scientists and engineers.
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YLACES Offers Awards, Scholarships, Grants – and Support – for Science Education |
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Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES), based in the United States, offers awards, scholarships, grants, and support – all to assist and reward the implementation of inquiry-based, experiential science education where students do science and contribute to understanding of our environment through recognition and financial reward programs.
Those working with youth to do research projects through environmental citizen science are invited to submit proposals for support to help their efforts. Grants range from support for taking simple measurements to teacher professional development and working for pervasive inclusion of student research projects in science teaching.
In addition, support is provided for prizes recognizing student achievement and effective teaching; for infrastructure necessary for contributing, storing, and sharing data and methods; and for science fairs/symposia that assess student work.
For more information on YLACES, and the specific types of assistance
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GLOBE U.S. In-Service/Pre-Service Teachers: Natural Inquirer Opportunity Offers Stipends for Blog/Social Media Posts |
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U.S. GLOBE Pre-service and In-service Educators: Do you use GLOBE protocols, learning activities, or books? Do you use the Natural Inquirer journals or activities? If you answered YES to either question, there is an exciting opportunity for you!
The GLOBE Program, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, is looking for K-12 pre- and in-service educators to write a blog or social media post (Pinterest, Twitter thread, etc.) connecting an issue of the Natural Inquirer with GLOBE protocols and/or learning activities. These crosswalk resources will be published on the GLOBE website and shared with educators in both communities. Stipends for published pieces are available!
Share this flyer with your networks, or use as a classroom assignment
with your pre-service teachers.
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Opportunities for Students |
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U.S. Summer STEM Research Opportunities |
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U.S. Community: Now is the time that summer research programs are announcing their 2021 deadlines. Click here and browse by institution, disciplinary categories, or by geography.
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Congratulations to the eight GLOBE countries celebrating anniversaries of successful GLOBE implementation during the month of May:
Denmark – 24 years
29 May 1997
Guinea – 23 years
14 May 1998
Iceland – 24 years
30 May 1997
Mongolia – 24 years
06 May 1997
Spain – 23 years
05 May 1998
Turkey – 26 years
05 May 1995
Ukraine – 22 years
27 May 1999
United Kingdom – 25 years
01 May 1996
The GLOBE Implementation Office would like to thank these countries for their ongoing educational and scientific contributions to The GLOBE Program!
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Past issues of the GLOBE News Brief are available in the online. (On the drop-down menu under “Category,” simply scroll down to “News Topics” and select “News Briefs.”)
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