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December 2014 GLOBE News Brief
Image of the Week
During the 28-29 November 2014 GLOBE Africa Alumni workshop in Sunyani, Ghana, Regional GLOBE Alumni representative Ylliass Lawani (far right) and workshop participants brainstormed new ways to move forward and refresh their GLOBE skills.
News
Distinguished Educator Fellowship
Applications for the Distinguished Educator Fellowship for U.S. and international K-12 educators (formal and informal) are due by 15 December. If you are a GLOBE teacher or know of any GLOBE teachers that might be interested, please pass this information along! Click here for more information.
Surface Temperature Field Campaign Begins
The GLOBE Program is hosting the annual Surface Temperature Field Campaign during the month of December. Dr. Kevin Czajkowski would like to engage as many GLOBE students as possible to take surface temperature observations. With the significant changes that have occurred in the Polar Regions, this is a great way to engage your students in understanding the energy budget and how snow and ice affect it. Read more here.
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Online e-Training Modules for Teachers and Scientists
GLOBE offers three online supplemental modules for teachers and one online module for scientists. These modules have been recently updated, are now compatible with all tablets (Android, Apple etc.) and can be downloaded for viewing offline. As you complete the modules, you will have opportunities to access GLOBE science and educational materials and various NASA resources.
Coming Soon: Launch of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission
The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive or SMAP Mission is scheduled to launch in January 2015. The SMAP Mission's instruments will scan Earth's surface every three days, producing soil moisture maps of the surface of Earth. The SMAP team is looking for GLOBE Program students to take soil-moisture measurements after the satellite mission is launched. The GLOBE community, the SMAP team and NASA need your data! Your participation is vital to understanding our planet's soil moisture. Click here to get started.
NGSS and Common Core Assessment Tasks
U.S. Teachers: The NGSS/Common Core Assessment Tasks were announced last week. These sample tasks provide examples of how content and practices from both the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics can be assessed together in classrooms. The middle school watershed question and weather question are exactly what GLOBE does! You can find GLOBE's "Guide to Connections between The GLOBE Program and the Next Generation Science Standards," a community-led project here.
Dr. Barry Rock to receive Youth Environmental Science Medal
The Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES) Foundation announced that Dr. Barrett Rock, GLOBE's first Chief Scientist and also GLOBE's first Assistant Director, has been selected as the first recipient of the Youth Environmental Science Medal.
Read more >
STEM Story
Meet Vodjo "Nicodème" Fassinou Hotegni of Benin, recent PhD graduate in crop sciences and agri-food chain management from Wageningen University, Netherlands, who credits The GLOBE Program for giving direction to his career.
Anniversaries
Congratulations to the nine GLOBE countries celebrating anniversaries of successful GLOBE implementation during the month of December:
Russia - 19 years
16 December 1994
El Salvador - 18 years
11 December 1995
Greece - 18 years
12 December 1995
Guatemala - 16 years
05 December 1997
Surinam - 16 years
23 December 1997
Burkina Faso - 15 years
18 December 1998
Sri Lanka - 14 years
20 December 1999
Maldives - 10 years
08 December 2003
Oman - 4 years
08 December 2009
Spotlight
Calendar Art Competition
Winning entries for the 2015 GLOBE Calendar Art Competition will be announced on Facebook beginning 8 December.
Connect With Us
The GLOBE Program depends on you to let us know what is happening in your regions, countries, communities and classrooms. Send us news you would like to share with the GLOBE Community and we'll include it in next month's News Brief. Be sure to include photos, too.
Send your message to communications@globe.gov
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type: globe-news
News origin: GLOBE Implementation Office