News - University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus
April-2015 Letter to the Community
Letter to the Community
April 2015
Dear Friends,
Earth Day, Wednesday, 22 April, is a very important day on the GLOBE calendar and it's right around the corner. I'd like to share with you my thoughts on the significance of the day, this year in particular, and the 20 years leading to it.
Twenty years is a critical milestone. Our database now holds twenty years of data; our community has grown along with our students; technology has evolved, providing us new web tools and new ways of communicating. In the past 20 years, we've all become part of the digital revolution where solitary efforts give way to large-scale collaborations, with the power to transform how we think about the world and how we live in it.
With so much to reflect upon, and so much to acknowledge, we can't possibly highlight our success stories and yours in a single day. And so Earth Day 2015 begins the start of our 20th Anniversary YEAR, a year of celebration, recognition and sharing.
Many special developments are coming together to celebrate the event. Originally expected to debut on Earth Day, we are in fact a week early in unveiling one element of our celebration. It's out newly updated website! If you haven't yet visited it, be sure to explore www.globe.gov. For starters, examine the homepage and see the exciting new look and feel. The running ticker tape indicating the day's data entries is dynamic. Highlighted news has taken on added significance. And the links to data entry and visualizations make it easier than ever to dig in. In addition, on Earth Day you'll find a special video message from our sponsors.
Here are the Earth Day happenings I don't want you to miss:
Google+ Hangout on Earth Day
Wednesday, April 22. We celebrate our 20th anniversary on Earth Day with an online conversation with GLOBE scientists and educators around the world. To join the hangout, visit http://go.nasa.gov/1PIowj7 We'll be broadcasting live at 10 to 11 a.m. ET; 14:00 GMT, but the Hangout be available for playback at the same link, at any time following the broadcast.
The Earth Day Webpage
Scroll down to Events on the page and see what is happening in your country. Send us your Earth Day event, and we will add it to the list.
The Data Entry Challenge
During Earth Week, from 20-24 April, we're making a special push to get you to enter data, and we'll be recognizing the schools that submit the most data that week during the Data Entry Challenge. Enter old data or collect and enter more data, online or through the new Data Entry App, now available.
GLOBE Facebook
Facebook is where we will be posting YOUR Earth Day events. Send us information about what you are doing to celebrate 22 April, along with and 1 - 6 photos, and we'll share them on the GLOBE Facebook page. Send your items to communications@globe.gov with Earth Day 2015 in you email title bar. Send your information on Earth Day, or just before or just after.
If you really want to get creative, send us a video! On the occasion of our 20th Anniversary, The GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO) has started to receive videos from our community members who wish to highlight the history, benefits and impact of GLOBE in their countries. Have a look at recent videos from Argentina and the Czech Republic, and find information on how to submit your video here. Focus on what is important to you. If you are a Country Coordinator, tell us how GLOBE has grown in your country. If you are a teacher tell us how GLOBE has made you a better teacher and challenge your students to create a video telling us how GLOBE has impacted them. If you are a scientist tell us about your involvement with GLOBE. Our community is full of remarkable people and we want to hear from you.
As we head into the 20th Anniversary year, I'd like to highlight a community event in each letter. I'll begin with the Kilimanjaro Xpedition, a wonderful event that brings together students, teachers and scientists on an incredible trek to the rooftop of Africa. Currently three GLOBE regions are represented on the 6th Kilimanjaro Xpedition; Africa, Near East and North Africa, and North America. On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary year, it would be a true GLOBE event to have participants from all six regions taking part. There are still spaces available for participants, not only for those from the three remaining regions (Asia and Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, and Latin America and Caribbean), but for any GLOBE community members. For more information, click here.
I feel a genuine pride in our work and in our community and I suspect you do too. Collectively, we have the power to move this program forward that comes from the connections we have made and a new momentum that is tangible. We will impact the world through the generation of students we have grown, who now act responsibly in a world of increasing environmental challenges. We're up to this challenge, because we know: we're all in this together!
Enjoy Earth Day, GLOBE's Anniversary, and THANK YOU for all you do for GLOBE!
Sincerely,
Dr. Tony Murphy
Director, GLOBE Implementation Office
tmurphy@ucar.edu
News origin: GLOBE Implementation Office