Stars and STEM Stories
Argentina Workshop Introduces Educators and Environmentalists to GLOBE
Professors at the University of La Punta (ULP) in San Luis, Argentina, were introduced to GLOBE in a training workshop hosted on campus to familiarize local educators with GLOBE protocols in the areas of atmosphere/climate, hydrology, land cover/biology, soil, and phenology. These ULP faculty, participating in "Todos los Chicos en la Red" (All Kids Online), will use tools they created in the workshop to perform GLOBE protocols, relaying results through the use of computer and internet technology. This program, already in place in over 30 participating schools in the San Luis province, will now allow teachers to incorporate the entry and analyses of GLOBE data online in their classrooms for use in student research projects. Scientists will also benefit from this work as students will be sharing research data they would not have had access to otherwise. "Todos los Chicos en la Red" is part of the San Luis digital agenda initiative to test the influence of technological media on the academic performance of K-12 students. Each student is provided with a netbook computer and internet access, enabling participation in online educational activities prior to testing. Argentine GLOBE Master Trainer Marta Kingsland states that as a result of this workshop, "Students will be better prepared to investigate environmental phenomena, and the submission and analyses of the data they have personally gathered will be a focal point of discussion resulting in more robust collaborations between Argentine students, teachers and scientists."
According to Kingsland, "Student research methods will depend on their location since activities will vary significantly between urban and rural schools. GLOBE protocols are adaptable to each circumstance." Argentine GLOBE Trainer Beatriz Vazquez agrees with Kingsland's assertion, explaining that the event also taught participants how to build simple instruments to gather data in the field, such as clinometers to measure tree height and densiometers to measure vegetation growth and canopy cover. "We made these tools using cardboard, paper, and thread," stated Vasquez. "This program is fueled by creativity and desire and allows students to gather important data according to the specifications of GLOBE's diverse protocols without spending a large amount of money. Participants were able to use the instruments they created to perform land cover, biometry, temperature, and precipitation protocols."
Additional workshop participants consisted of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) program staff from the San Luis province. CDM works toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in industrialized countries. Silvia Miranda, director of the "Todos los Chicos en la Red" project, believes the workshop helped to "expand new horizons," as well as create a joint effort between The University of La Punta and the Clean Development Mechanism. GLOBE protocols allow students to gather environmental data relevant to the CDM program's commitment to reduce harmful emissions and observe the possible effects of these emissions first-hand.
Local press on this event commended GLOBE's interdisciplinary approach to science education, promoting the study of geography, science, mathematics, and technology education in more than 100 countries and thousands of schools around the world, including more than 100 schools within Argentina. GLOBE Argentina and the University of La Punta combined advanced technology and traditional research methods to promote intensive student research projects across the curriculum. We look forward to future updates from "Todos los Chicos en la Red" and CDM, as well as data contributions leading to valuable research reports from these two groups.
View this slideshow from Sakai about "Todos los chicos en la red."
Read about the United Nations' Kyoto Protocol which requires countries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Read more GLOBE Stars in Argentina.
15 March 2010