GLOBE News
Community Spotlight: Dr. Jill Karsten
Dr. Jill Karsten is the current Program Director for Education and Diversity in the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington D.C. and a friend of The GLOBE Program for more than 10 years. GLOBE is sponsored, in part, by NSF and NSF's GLOBE Program is within the portfolio that she oversees.
Dr. Karsten's path to her current affiliation with GLOBE is a fascinating one. She earned an undergraduate degree in geochemistry from Wellesley College and then pursued graduate studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her first exposure to international science collaborations came during her student years, when she participated in a multi-national field program in Cyprus to drill the Troodos Ophiolite, which is a fragment of oceanic crust that has been uplifted and exposed on land. The program brought together Canadian, English and German scientists as well as participants from 10 developing countries. The group of student scientists quickly recognized that they were unified by a curiosity and love of science. They agreed that they were "citizens of the Earth" first and not just citizens of specific countries.
Upon earning her Ph.D. in Geological Oceanography, Karsten worked for 12 years at the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a research scientist, studying mid-ocean ridge processes in the Pacific Ocean. "Oceanography is intrinsically a global science and every scientist who studies their part of the ocean understands just a piece of the puzzle, so collaboration is extremely important for success." Kasten noted. "Over my career, I have collaborated with colleagues from Canada, when working in the Northeast Pacific ocean and Chile, when working in the Southeast Pacific ocean. I spent a four-month mini-sabbatical in Brest, France––exchanging our home in Hawaii with the home of a French colleague (they got the better deal, weather-wise). I have embarked or disembarked on research cruises in Canada, Mexico, Chile, Easter Island, and Ecuador. The memories of my international experiences are deeply engrained in the fabric of my being."
In the summer of 2000, she moved with her family back to the mainland USA and began working in the area of science education. Her direct involvement with GLOBE began in late 2005 after joining the NSF/GEO staff. "A month after I arrived at NSF, the new Earth System Science Project (ESSP) program solicitation was released and I had a very steep learning curve to climb before managing the review process that led to selection of the four ESSPs in 2006." Kasten said. She rapidly learned the inner workings of the GLOBE Program and has remained an engaged supporter of the Program ever since.
Working with one of the Program's sponsoring agencies, Karsten played a role in the 2008 GLOBE Learning Expedition (GLE) in Capetown, South Africa. It was her first trip to Africa and she was able to bring along her teenage son who joined in the international gathering of young people. "I vividly recall standing on the stage to provide official greetings from NSF at the opening ceremony of the GLE and feeling quite emotional in looking at the young faces from around the world that I saw before me. I remember thinking about the amazing things they had accomplished already in their short lifetimes. It gave me hope for the future to know that there will always be young citizens out there who are inspired by their curiosity to learn more and to help their communities use that knowledge to improve both society and mankind's relationship with the planet."
When asked what makes GLOBE unique, Dr. Karsten's thoughts flow just as easily. "I think the most remarkable thing about GLOBE is that it is, in essence, a global grassroots endeavor. The principles behind GLOBE are, in some ways, very simple. But what is amazing is how the many tiny investments of energy by the thousands of individuals involved with GLOBE have coalesced into an organic, but organized, entity. It reminds me of those exotic, delicate, photo-luminescent colonies that live in the deep ocean. Fragile, but clinging together instinctively for a common purpose." Karsten said.
GLOBE seeks to lead students down the path of discovery of the natural world. It provides opportunities not only to observe, but also to closely examine and take the measure of the world around them." Karsten remarked. "When I first started down a pathway toward a scientific career, I did not really know what I wanted to do in life. Along the way, I ‘discovered' that I was a scientist by nature," Karsten continued, "I think everyone has that innate ability, but they often don't consider it as an option, so they may never find out. Students should get involved in GLOBE to unleash the scientist within––or at the very least to have a lot of fun––meeting a lot of interesting people on this planet we call home."
type: globe-newsNews origin: GLOBE Implementation Office