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Written By Allyson Edwards Hawkins High School, Hawkins Texas When signing up for the GLOBE science club at my school, little did I realize the impact that it would have on my life. Our original team, comprised of just three eighth grade girls would one day develop into an international collaboration among students in three different countries. It wasn’t always easy but it my entire worldview was changed by being apart of GLOBE.              For our story, it began with us meeting face to face at a science conference ...


Posted in: Curriculum: STEM   Event Topics: GLOBE LEARNING EXPEDITIONS   GLOBE Working Groups: EDUCATION WORKING GROUP   Primary Audience: ALUMNI STUDENTS TEACHERS


Written by Pegi Pavletić, Croatian GLOBE Alumni   Four years ago, as a Croatian GLOBE team of Medical high school in Rijeka, Megi Pavletić, Dina Bolkovac, our professor Tatjana Holjević and I, Pegi Pavletić visited 2nd Student research exhibition in Maryland, USA. That was an exciting opportunity for us as students in medical branch of studies, to experience ecological experimental work and gain further knowledge. That is where we stepped into contact with Hawkins school in Texas and their GLOBE team: Madison Jaco, Hope Hughes, Allyson Edwards and their mentor Audra Kay ...


Posted in: Curriculum: STEM   Event Topics: GLOBE LEARNING EXPEDITIONS   GLOBE Working Groups: EDUCATION WORKING GROUP   Primary Audience: ALUMNI STUDENTS TEACHERS


The journal Scientific American just published a blog about GLOBE. The post, titled " The GLOBE Program: Making the Case for K–12 Citizen Scientists " discusses several aspects of GLOBE, including our contributions and campaigns. As well, it helps explain our mission of providing the resources for students across the world to become citizen scientists. "Contributing to global datasets not only gives students a chance to collect data that scientists can actually use, but allows them to compare their experiences and findings with other students around the world." To read more ...


Posted in: Event Topics: CAMPAIGNS AND PROJECTS (IOPS, ETC) OTHER   Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO SURFACE TEMPERATURE   GLOBE Science Topics: BACKYARD SCIENCE GLOBE PROTOCOLS SCIENTIST SKILLS   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


It is pretty neat when you can get two for the price of one- as most teachers can attest to with regard to trying to get everything into their curriculum. Did you know that this year, the FIRST LEGO League's challenge is focused on water. And what could be better, as that water is also the theme of this year's ENSO Student Research Campaign !  The LEGO Challenge Project states: "People use water every day, but they don’t think much about how and why they use water. Whether it’s directly (drinking or washing) or indirectly (manufacturing the products they use or producing food ...


Posted in: Curriculum: SCIENCE AND MATH STEM   Event Topics: CAMPAIGNS AND PROJECTS (IOPS, ETC) SCIENCE SYMPOSIA AND FAIRS COMPETITIONS   Field Campaigns: WATERSHEDS EL NIÑO GPM   GLOBE Science Topics: CLIMATE CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBE PROTOCOLS EARTH AS A SYSTEM EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE   Learning Activities: ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE EARTH AS A SYSTEM   News Topics: COMPETITIONS   Primary Audience: STUDENTS TEACHERS


Observations of daily precipitation have been a part of GLOBE from the beginning. At the start, GLOBE’s participation model was that schools would take measurement following all of the original 17 protocols. Atmosphere temperature, precipitation, cloud, and soil moisture measurements were to be collected daily at a site easily accessible to the school. A permanent installation of an instrument shelter containing a max/min thermometer mounted to a post along with a rain gauge was the expected norm with other measurements taken nearby. Daily temperature and precipitation measurements were ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO GPM   GLOBE Science Topics: GLOBE PROTOCOLS   GLOBE Working Groups: SCIENCE WORKING GROUP EDUCATION WORKING GROUP   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE   Primary Audience: COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS   Teacher's Guide: DOCUMENT TYPES


From the start, the measurement of daily maximum and minimum air temperature within one hour of local solar noon has been a key GLOBE protocol. The low cost approach was to use a U-tube thermometer housed in a wooden instrument shelter facing away from the equator. The U-shaped tube contained mercury with pins on either side of the mercury. As the air temperature warmed the pin on one side would move while the other pin stayed in place; when the air cooled, the pin on the other side would be pushed up. The pins were held in place by magnetized strips behind the thermometer tube so that ...


Posted in: Curriculum: TECHNOLOGY STEM   GLOBE Science Topics: CLIMATE CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBE PROTOCOLS EARTH AS A SYSTEM EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE   GLOBE Working Groups: SCIENCE WORKING GROUP   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


Quaking aspens can grow in a wide range of environmental conditions. They can tolerate a wide variety of variations in climate and environmental conditions including slope, moisture, surrounding vegetation, and soil ( https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/aspen/ecology.shtml ). I found this information with a simple web search. But, before there was access to infinite articles, websites, and papers all a click away, scientists had to figure out growth trends using data. So, before I decided to do a web search about the environmental conditions of aspen habitats (my memorized aspen ...


Posted in: Event Topics: SCIENCE SYMPOSIA AND FAIRS   GLOBE Science Topics: SCIENTIST SKILLS   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE HYDROSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   News Topics: VIRTUAL SCIENCE FAIR   Primary Audience: STUDENTS TEACHERS


I recently had the pleasure of meeting a GLOBE student named Aspen. I was excited because my favorite type of tree is Aspen (Quaking Aspen to be more specific, Populus tremuloides to be even more specific), and I was able to tell her some of the fun facts about her namesake. My favorite thing about aspens is their bark. The white powder on it can act as sunscreen. It’s only about an SPF of 5 but it’s still pretty cool. The bark also contains chloroplasts which means it can photosynthesize, making it one of the few deciduous trees that do not solely rely on leaves for ...


Posted in: Investigation Areas: BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


 I was selected as a National Geographic  2017 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow  which is a professional development opportunity that provides educators a rich, immersive experience exploring the world to bring back to their teaching and communities. I and two other educators traveled with Lindblad Expeditions around Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland on the ship the National Geographic Explorer, making stops for excursions along the way. I decided to do field work on my Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship because 1) that is what one does on an expedition according ...


Posted in: Curriculum: SCIENCE AND MATH   GLOBE Science Topics: GLOBE PROTOCOLS EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE   Learning Activities: ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


As Earth science has a single uncontrolled object of study, the first rule is to take today’s data today. While ice and sediment cores and fossils can reveal past conditions, the observations that can be made right now cannot be replaced by ones taken later. This goes well with the Native American adage, “You can’t step in the same river twice.” The environment is constantly changing and doing so on a wide range of time and space scales. In a recent video post, Neil deGrasse Tyson said, “One of the great things about science is that it is an entire exercise finding what is true. You ...


Posted in: Curriculum: SCIENCE AND MATH   Event Topics: CAMPAIGNS AND PROJECTS (IOPS, ETC) GLOBE LEARNING EXPEDITIONS SCIENCE SYMPOSIA AND FAIRS   Field Campaigns: SMAP EL NIÑO   GLOBE Science Topics: CLIMATE CLIMATE CHANGE GENERAL SCIENCE EARTH AS A SYSTEM EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE   Investigation Areas: EARTH AS A SYSTEM   Primary Audience: ALUMNI STUDENTS TEACHERS


Mr. Jeff Bouwman and his Shumate Middle School students are NASA GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign superstars.  Check out what they have been doing in the video below!   Shumate Middle School was the first location for a new WeatherSTEM program, including a weather station, cloud camera, and an agricultural station. Learn more in the video below!


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE HYDROSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


Check out the wonderful ENSO Introductory Video from the National Weather Service Office in Bismarck, North Dakota. USA! Also, to gain a more in-depth knowledge of the science of ENSO, please visit our friends at the State Climate Office of North Carolina. The have some excellent ENSO information, with links to some pertinent external expertise.


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


Scientists rely on research, statistical models, and climate forecast models to help them determine upcoming natural events. Currently, scientists are have a difficult time deciding if and when the potential big El Niño event will happen. It will happen in 2017, but will it be the Summer or Fall? "Right now, many climate forecast models do predict the development of a full-fledged El Niño during this summer or fall. It’s likely that these models are acting on the much warmer-than-average waters near the coast of South America—the “Coastal El Niño" says Anthony Barson in his NOAA ...


Posted in: Curriculum: ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION EDUCATION RESEARCH LANGUAGE CULTURE AND ARTS SCIENCE AND MATH TECHNOLOGY STEM   Field Campaigns: SMAP EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE HYDROSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Learning Activities: ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE EARTH AS A SYSTEM HYDROLOGY LAND COVER/BIOLOGY SOIL   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


Just when you think that perhaps the weather systems are settling down- our amazing scientific instruments are able to detect a potential change! I never cease to be amazed at what we are able to learn about Earth's systems- both from the ground and from space!  This article from the New York Times just came across my newsfeed- " It's Like it Never Left: Another El Nino May be on the Way ". In the article, it states that " Among the potential effects are wetter conditions across the southern United States, including Southern California; a drier Midwest; and drought in ...


Posted in: Curriculum: EDUCATION RESEARCH SCIENCE AND MATH STEM   Event Topics: CAMPAIGNS AND PROJECTS (IOPS, ETC)   Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   GLOBE Science Topics: BACKYARD SCIENCE CLIMATE CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBE PROTOCOLS EARTH AS A SYSTEM EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE SCIENTIST SKILLS   GLOBE Working Groups: EDUCATION WORKING GROUP   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE HYDROSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   News Topics: VIRTUAL SCIENCE FAIR   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


How do you ENSO? Did you know that students from around the world are taking measurements as part of the NASA GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign?  Check out what's happening at the Medford Memorial Middle School in New Jersey, USA! We are looking for YOUR videos, showcasing your students taking measurements that are part of the NASA GLOBE ENSO Student Research Campaign. (Note, you will need to have GLOBE photo releases for each of the students shown in your video. They can be found HERE .   Please contact Brian Campbell for more details and/or ...


Posted in: Curriculum: STEM   Field Campaigns: SMAP EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE HYDROSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS


Consider the rain gauge used in GLOBE, CoCoRaHS, and other citizen science programs. Just four pieces plus 2 mounting screws – an inner graduated cylinder, an outer cylinder, a cap/funnel, and a mounting bracket. The area of the outer tube is exactly 10 times the areas of the inner tube and the cap/funnel, so the graduations on the inner cylinder can be spaced ten times further apart. Thus, 0.2 mm of rain fills the inner tube to a depth of 2.0 mm, which one can read. In addition, if heavy rainfall fills the inner cylinder, the rest of the rainfall overflows into the outer cylinder, ...


Posted in: Curriculum: STEM   Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO GPM   GLOBE Science Topics: BACKYARD SCIENCE GLOBE PROTOCOLS   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE   Primary Audience: ALUMNI STUDENTS TEACHERS


This time was my first visit to Trinidad and Tobago and to the LAC region. The visit was first of its kinds, knowing vividly that Africans and the People of Trinidad and Tobago have so many things in common in terms of Geography and Historical antecedent.  The motivation for my visit to Trinidad and Tobago started during the 17 th GLOBE Annual meeting at Maryland. Initially, it was just a brief discussion with Henry Saunders (Country Coordinator, GLOBE Trinidad and Tobago). However, after a year, I met Mr. Michael at GLOBE Expedition in New Delhi, India where we had in-depth ...


Posted in: GLOBE Science Topics: MEETINGS/CONFERENCES   GLOBE Working Groups: SCIENCE WORKING GROUP   Investigation Areas: PEDOSPHERE (SOIL)   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS


Concerns regarding the impact of global warming on vector-borne diseases have intensified interest in the relationship between atmospheric factors and dengue fever incidence. Global climate change poses the threat of serious social upheaval, population displacement, economic hardships, and environmental degradation. Changes in temperature, rainfall and relative humidity have potential to enhance vector development, reproductive and biting rates, shorten pathogen incubation period and encourage adult longevity. In addition, changes in wind direction, velocity and frequency will have an ...


Posted in: GLOBE Science Topics: CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBE PROTOCOLS   Investigation Areas: HYDROSPHERE   Learning Activities: HYDROLOGY   Primary Audience: STUDENTS TEACHERS


Please welcome Guest Blogger Jayme Margolin-Sneider , a GLOBE 6-8 grade science teacher and STEM Advisor from Westview Middle School in Longmont, Colorado.   This is the second in a series of posts by GLOBE teachers sharing classroom experiences to support the student research process. The series is supported by NSF funding for the United States Regional Student Research Symposia . If you are a teacher interested in contributing, please contact Haley Wicklein for more information. Thank you to Jayme for sharing this! Last year, I had two different groups of ...


Posted in: Curriculum: SCIENCE AND MATH   Event Topics: SCIENCE SYMPOSIA AND FAIRS COMPETITIONS MEETINGS   GLOBE Science Topics: DATA INCLUDED GENERAL SCIENCE GLOBE PROTOCOLS SCIENTIST SKILLS MEETINGS/CONFERENCES   News Topics: COMPETITIONS MEETINGS REGIONS   Primary Audience: PARTNERS STUDENTS TEACHERS


Currently, we are in an ENSO-neutral period called "La Nada." La Nada is the midpoint between an El Niño and La Niña. This occurs when the ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are near average. The "in-between" ocean state can be frustrating for long-range forecasters. "It's like driving without a decent road map — it makes forecasting difficult," said climatologist Bill Patzert of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. With this said, scientists are now saying that we currently have a 50% chance of a return of El Niño in approximately 6 months. This would coincide with the Atlantic ...


Posted in: Field Campaigns: EL NIÑO   Investigation Areas: ATMOSPHERE HYDROSPHERE EARTH AS A SYSTEM PEDOSPHERE (SOIL) BIOSPHERE   Primary Audience: ALUMNI COUNTRY COORDINATORS PARTNERS SCIENTISTS STUDENTS TEACHERS TRAINERS

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