Xcite Learning/ NWO @ BGSU/The Toledo Zoo - Xcite Learning/ NWO @ BGSU/The Toledo Zoo

About the Partnership:

Our collaborative partnership promotes GLOBE in the region by engaging in educator professional development, K–12 student programming, pre-service teacher training, and collaborative federal and private grant-funded activities. Launched in 1998, the Xcite Learning GLOBE Partnership joined forces with Bowling Green State University (NWO) and The Toledo Zoo and Aquarium to provide 27 Years of STEM Education Impact in the Northwest Ohio Region.

Summary of Partnership Accomplishments

Student Summer Camps, Student Research, & Festivals: Our GLOBE Partnership has brought STEM learning to life for over a thousand young people through hands-on student summer camps, student research symposia, and community GLOBE Air, Water, and Soil Festivals. These experiences have sparked curiosity, built scientific confidence, and connected youth with the broader GLOBE community across the Midwest and beyond.

Teacher Training — In-Service & Preservice: We have trained over 500 in-service and over 200 preservice teachers. Our partnership’s long-standing collaboration with regional schools and universities has helped educators seamlessly integrate GLOBE investigations into their curriculum. For nearly three decades, we have supported classroom teachers in using data-rich, inquiry-based science instruction—strengthening both STEM literacy and student engagement. More recently, we’ve integrated GLOBE with the Zoo’s Project Prairie, providing opportunities for teachers and students to learn and conduct scientific research in school prairies.

Train-the-Trainer Professional Learning: A major hallmark of our 27-year history has been our commitment to building capacity across the region through Train-the-Trainer professional learning. By preparing 22 new GLOBE Trainers and Mentor Trainers, we have expanded the network of skilled educators who can lead workshops, support regional programming, and ensure consistent, high-quality GLOBE implementation. This model has helped sustain and grow GLOBE participation not only in Ohio, but throughout the broader Midwest—multiplying the reach and impact of our partnership year after year.

Funding

YLACES, the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium, Bowling Green State University’s (BGSU) Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education (NWO), and the University of Toledo GLOBE Mission Earth sponsored our GLOBE in the Prairie Local Student Research Symposium (SRS), and BGSU and the Toledo Zoo sponsored Bioblitz BG.Other funding sources include grants received from the Ohio Board of Regents, National Geographic, and other private foundations.

Cooperating Organizations

Xcite Learning, The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium, NWO STEM Center of Excellence at BGSU, University of Toledo GLOBE Mission Earth, Waterville Primary School, Washington Local Schools, Bowling Green City Schools, Sylvania Schools, Toledo Public Schools, and the City of Bowling Green: Wintergarden Park.

Areas of Expertise

In-service professional development, programming for students, Elementary GLOBE, pre-service teachers