International Virtual Science Symposium

The International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) is an opportunity for GLOBE students to showcase their research to the rest of the community. Projects are judged by prestigious scientists and STEM professionals across dozens of GLOBE nations. Students are eligible for GLOBE badges. 

Students may submit a project on any topic, but they are encouraged to align their research with the year’s theme.

Note: The deadline to submit a project for the 2025 IVSS was 5 March 2025. 

The theme for the 2026 IVSS is "GLOBE Data Detectives: Using Data to Explore Change in Your Local Environment". This theme challenges students to identify one or more change(s) that have impacted your local community and examine these changes using multiple data sources: your own data (collected using GLOBE protocols), the GLOBE database, and NASA satellite mission data. Document the environmental changes that have occurred and their effects on Earth’s system through the analysis of various data sources. If the changes have resulted in improved environmental health, explain how. If the changes have had a negative impact on your community, suggest how you might offer a solution to this problem. Create a visual narrative using StoryMaps and/or a poster presentation to tell your community's science story through data and highlight the interconnectedness of natural and human systems. 

Stay tuned for more information about the 2026 IVSS, including the timeline, webinar topics, and resources to support student research. Questions? Contact us at ivss@nasaglobe.org.

The 2025 Symposium's theme was "30 Years of GLOBE: Understanding the Past, Present, and Future," which encouraged students from GLOBE's 127 member countries to do their own Earth systems science research using GLOBE data. The event was part of the 30 Years of GLOBE Field Campaign: Comparing GLOBE Data Past and Present.

While we welcome all student research, the highlighted badge for the 2025 IVSS was the “I am a Data Scientist” badge, which required students to access and analyze data from the GLOBE database as part of their IVSS projects. Meeting the criteria for this badge was required for eligibility to attend the 2025 GLOBE Annual Meeting Student Research Experience and the opportunity to present their work at the 2025 GLOBE Annual Meeting. 

Students also had the opportunity to earn the new "I am an Earth Systems Scientist" badge for describing the interconnectedness of Earth’s spheres on their research question or for using multiple GLOBE protocols, or protocol bundles, in their investigation.

See the 2025 IVSS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for answers to common questions about this program and the 2025 IVSS YouTube playlist for an archive of recorded webinars.

2025 Symposium Timeline

• 16 September 2024: Informational IVSS Webinar ( slide deck | video )
• 9 October 2024: Accessing Data From the GLOBE Database Webinar ( slide deck | video )
• 24 October and 28 October 2024: Discover, Explore, Explain - Resources to Support Student Research
• 20 November: Cleaning GLOBE Data for Student Research and Data Analysis (video)
• 4 December 2024: 2025 Badges Overview Webinar (slide deck | video )
• 5 December 2024 to 5 March 2025: Period for Submitting Projects
• 8 January 2025 @1 pm ET (6:00 pm UTC): The Strengths and Possible Drawbacks of AI in Earth Systems: Leveraging Technology Ethically (video)
• 22 January 2025: How to Submit an IVSS Project Webinar  (slide deck | video )
• 26 February 2025: Judging Webinar (Recorded)
• 19 March 2025: Live Judging Webinar with Q&A (slide deck | video)  
• 19 March to 2 April 2025: Judging Period
• 22 April 2025: GLOBE's Birthday Celebration and Project feedback sent to student research teams