Stars and STEM Stories
GLOBE Alumni Story: GLOBE’s Impact on Alaskan Student Propels Her into Environmental Studies
Teslin Brannan was raised in a small rural community nestled against the boreal forest of Interior Alaska with a school focused on place-based learning. Starting in kindergarten, she took part in a 10-year GLOBE study of the impact a levee had on the water quality and habitat of a local waterway her community used for fishing. This study developed her interest in hydrology because it was personal. It was near her home and impacted one of her family’s food sources—wild salmon. She collected data for the GLOBE study three times a year throughout her elementary and secondary schooling, mentored peers, and presented the water-quality findings at multiple conferences, including the AGU Annual Meeting in 2022. This story describes how GLOBE has impacted Teslin’s life and her educational journey toward making environmental science the foundation of her career.
Teslin, as a kindergartner, collects data as part of the 10-year GLOBE study (left); now a GLOBE alum, informal educator, and undergrad (right), Teslin surveys her work from last year's streambank rehabilitation project at the Chena Kiwanis Park on the Chena River in Alaska.
Building Science Skills Through GLOBE
The skills Teslin learned while participating in the 10-year GLOBE water-quality study set her up for paid summer internships while still in high school. She was able to conduct further water-quality monitoring projects on other rivers within the watershed. Teslin presented her work through research posters and presentations. As one of the top performing submissions in the GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) in 2024, she was selected as the attendee for the North American Region to attend the 2024 GLOBE Student Experience at the Annual Meeting in Fredonia, New York.
Recent high school graduate, Teslin, presents her IVSS project conducted during a Girls* On Ice Alaska Expedition with her University of Alaska Fairbanks Intro to Watershed Management instructor, Christi Buffington, at the 2024 GLOBE Annual Meeting.
A Future in STEM
As a senior in high school, Teslin attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ North Star College on the Troth Yeddha’ campus for dual credit (high school and college). Teslin’s GLOBE experience allowed her to waive the prerequisites for a 300-level Watershed Management course. She then went on to attend Linfield University where she is studying environmental science. Over her summer break between freshman and sophomore year, Teslin continues her paid internship with the Tanana Valley Watershed Association (TVWA) in Alaska and has most recently been mentoring the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District’s Youth for Habitat middle schoolers in GLOBE Water Quality protocols, minnow trap installations, and streambank rehabilitation. When not rehabilitating streambanks this summer, Teslin will be defining sites and assisting with training educators to conduct GLOBE water-quality measurements as part of TVWA’s Adopt-A-Stream program, which is shifting focus, after low post-COVID community involvement, to involving schools and teaching students to be stewards of their local watersheds.
Participants in the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District Youth for Habitat camp tour a 2024 streambank rehabilitation site on the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Pivotal Experiences as a GLOBE Student
Teslin was fortunate to have teachers who encouraged curiosity and inquiry-led learning. In addition to being involved in the local 10-year GLOBE environmental impact study, her elementary school also had the expectation of a 100% participation rate in the school science fair. When other scientists and organizations took notice of students’ science fair projects, it validated and encouraged Teslin to continue her development in the sciences. Being involved in this long-term GLOBE project helped her realize the long-lasting effects of people’s actions on the environment starting at a young age and introduced her to a subject she loves and a career she hopes to pursue.
Getting involved from a young age is something I highly recommend, it’s a big part of what shaped my journey. In today’s world, people often don’t fully appreciate things unless they’ve lived through them or have a personal connection. Both of my parents were educators, and my dad, a high school teacher, used to say he saw so many students just waiting for something to happen to them. But the truth is, most of the time, nothing does, you have to actively seek out opportunities and take action to get where you want to be. For me, it all started with the Piledriver Slough Study, and by continuing to show up over the years, I’ve been able to build meaningful experiences and create real impact. —Teslin Brannan
Learn more about GLOBE United States.
Story courtesy of Tori Brannan and NASA Science Activation Arctic and Earth STEM Integration of GLOBE and NASA assets project.
Photos courtesy of Tori Brannan and the GLOBE Alaska Partnership.