News - Isibusiso Esihle Discovery Centre
2021 GLOBE Annual Meeting Highlights
The theme of the 2021 GLOBE Annual Meeting, which was held from 12-16 July, was “Adapting to a Changing GLOBE.” In all, 352 registrants from 51 countries engaged in this virtual community endeavor. Participants got the chance to attend 55 sessions with a total of 114 speakers. Sessions were hosted live, and “on-demand” recordings were made available after the sessions.
Just to highlight a few of the sessions, there were three Keynote Speakers from across different organizations: Dr. Karen Bailey (University of Colorado, Boulder), who discussed Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) and joy in environmental science; Dr. Assaf Anyamba (Universities Space Research Association and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) who discussed the intersection of remote sensing, climate, and disease; and Dr. Rajul Pandya (American Geophysical Union’s Thriving Earth Exchange) who wrapped up the meeting with inspiring notes about community sciences. Participants also had the opportunity to connect in interactive sessions through networking/unconferencing, protocol trainings, the sponsor Q&A, and via breakout rooms.
Almost half of the sessions, 26 to be exact, were hosted by community members in the form of Lightning Talks, Report Outs, Workshops, Teaching Lessons, and Panels. These sessions were split into three strands: 1) A Welcoming GLOBE (during which presenters discussed how they bring diversity, equity, and inclusion into their work/school); 2) Responding to a Changing GLOBE (during which presenters discussed how their skills have adapted to the pandemic); and 3) STEM, Teaching, and GLOBE.
During the Student Experience, 40 students from 17 schools presented their high scoring 2021 International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) projects. The students were able to interact with each other during the four Student Experience sessions.
We, at GIO, enjoyed connecting with so many from the community, and feel as though this year’s meeting was a resounding success.
We look forward to seeing you at next year’s GLOBE Annual Meeting!
News origin: GLOBE Implementation Office