July 2020 GLOBE News Brief

Join the 2020 Community Cloud Challenge: Science is Better Together

This summer (or winter, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere) join the 2020 Community Cloud Challenge: Science is Better Together. The challenge kicks off on 15 July 2020 and concludes on 15 August. This year, unlike past challenges (where the number of observations equaled top observer status), there are a variety of ways for people to participate. For example, participants can watch cloud scientist videos weekly, learn how to conduct some cool indoor activities (such as cooking up a “cloud in a jar”) or even create a science journal to record daily observations. Participants will be able to choose at least one option to participate or they can choose to do them all! Remember to always follow guidelines from your local officials, and only participate in GLOBE activities or use the GLOBE Observer app if it is safe to do so. Follow GLOBE on social media @TheGLOBEProgram (Facebook), @GLOBEProgram (Twitter), and @globeprogram  (Instagram) to learn more about how you can participate in the challenge.  For additional information, visit the GLOBE Observer website .

News

Register Soon for the 2020 GLOBE Virtual Annual Meeting! Space is Filling Up Fast

If you are interested in participating in the 2020 GLOBE Virtual Annual Meeting, a completely online meeting that will take place from 13-16 July, you must register as soon as possible to avoid being placed on the waiting list. Space is filling up fast!   Registration is free, but please only register if you plan to attend this meeting live. Registration is limited to GLOBE community members with a GLOBE account. (If you are a student, your teacher must have a GLOBE account, and the teacher's name must be included with your registration.)   GLOBE community members can share webinars, videos, and/or links to resources. Although the GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO) is unable to host any additional meetings throughout the week, GIO can share items that do not conflict with already scheduled events. If you are interested in this opportunity, please fill out the form . (Questions can be sent to: meetings@globe.gov .)   To register, and for more information about the meeting, click here .

Teachers: GLOBE eTraining Program Updated and Refreshed – Is it Time to Join the GLOBE Community?

In recent months, the GLOBE eTraining Program has been updated and refreshed. Now is a good time to embark on a virtual expedition to expand your educational and scientific endeavors – and become an invaluable member of The GLOBE Program community.   Teachers no longer have to be part of a face-to-face workshop to become a contributing member of the GLOBE community. The eTraining Program offers a powerful portal to access the training materials necessary to lead a classroom in data collection and lab procedures associated with a GLOBE protocol.   The eTraining Program also serves as an innovative introduction to the worldwide GLOBE community. There are now 49 eTraining modules available (including modules introducing The GLOBE Program and modules covering all four protocol areas) – awaiting the click of your finger!   To learn more about GLOBE eTraining, click here .

Join the 08 July Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Webinar “The Baobab Trees in South Africa as a Symbol of Life and Positivity”

The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign webinar “The Baobab Trees in South Africa as a Symbol of Life and Positivity: A Historical Link to Humans through Medicine and Food,” will be held on Wednesday, 08 July, at 10:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. UTC).    The Baobab is a prehistoric species of tree that predates both humankind and the splitting of the continents over 200 million years ago. Native to the arid African savannah, the Baobab tree has a historical link to humans through medicine and food.   During the webinar, Finn Rautenbach, a horticulturist, botanist, and former curator at the Garden Route Botanical Garden in George, South Africa, will talk about the significance of the Baobab tree, not only to science, but to culture, medicine, and food. Finn will discuss the harnessing of the rich botanical wealth of South Africa for the conservation of its rich floral diversity and cultural heritage. The webinar will also feature Trees in the News, Champion Trees, and a look at Baobab tree locations from space.   If you are interested in joining the webinar, please send an email to Campaign Lead, Brian Campbel l .  To learn more about the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign, click here .

Comfortable Using the Open Altimetry Online Tool to Compare Tree Height Data? Check out Recent Blog with Tutorials

GLOBE Community: Read the recent Community Blog written by Brian Campbell, NASA Senior Earth Science Education Specialist, “Are You Comfortable Using the Open Altimetry Online Tool to Compare your Tree Height Data to ICESat-2 Satellite Data?”   “Did you know that you can compare your GLOBE tree height data to that of the ICESat-2 satellite? You can compare any GLOBE tree height data to ICESat-2 tree height data using the Open Altimetry online tool at http://openaltimetry.org . This online tool is set up to be very user-friendly, but does require a bit of exploration to use it properly,” Campbell said in the blog. In the blog, Campbell shares two tutorials that explain how the Open Altimetry tool works, and how GLOBE community members participating in the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign can get more comfortable looking at data and comparing it to the ICESat-2 data for tree height. “By comparing this data, students can see just how close the satellite tracks over their locations and if certain GLOBE-measured trees have been measured by ICESat-2.” To read the blog, click here . To learn more about the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign, click here .

Join 09 July GLOBE Mission Mosquito Webinar: “Meet Up and Do Science – What’s the Buzz?”

On Thursday, 09 July, at 2:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. UTC), GLOBE Mission Mosquito (GMM) will be hosting a webinar, “Meet Up and Do Science – What’s the Buzz?”   During the webinar, participants will be looking at mosquito larvae up close and live, using a camera microscope. Come with your questions, pictures of specimens – and we will talk about how to determine the genus of live specimens. To register for the webinar, click here . To learn more about GLOBE Mission Mosquito, click here .

Deadline for Submitting Feedback on GLOBE IVSS Rubrics is 31 July

Based on community feedback, and what has been learned during the GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) over the past five years, GIO is in the process of updating the rubrics for the IVSS.    If you are interested in providing feedback, please send an email to ivss@globe.gov . The deadline for submitting feedback is 31 July.   To view the updated IVSS rubrics, please click here . To learn more about the IVSS, click here .

Coming in July: Update to GLOBE Observer App

In July, GLOBE will be releasing an update to the GLOBE Observer app, which will begin to integrate GLOBE’s data entry system into GLOBE Observer. The first release will include GLOBE’s atmosphere protocols. The new system simplifies and streamlines the site creation process while presenting a new modern interface. Users will be able to create their own protocol “bundles” – combinations of protocols that are used frequently. Over the months ahead, more protocols will be added until the entire data entry system will be available in GLOBE Observer.

Have You Checked Out the New and Improved “GLOBE Publications” Page? You Can Search for Publications via Select Filters and Suggest Publications To Be Added

Thanks to the GLOBE Community Support Team (CST), the “new and improved” GLOBE publications page is up and running on the GLOBE website.   GLOBE has a long history of sharing impact and science findings through peer-reviewed publications. The peer-review process ensures that published articles represent the best scholarship currently available. Each article that is submitted to a peer-reviewed journal is sent to other scholars in the same field in order to get their opinion on the quality of research, the relevance to the field, and its appropriateness for inclusion in the journal.   The new page allows users to search for publications via filters (such as searching by author, date, and content related to GLOBE spheres or protocols). It is now possible for users to suggest publications to be added to the page by simply filling out an online form that, if approved after CST review, will get added to the library.   To access the GLOBE publications page, click here . If you're having any problems or you have a question please contact GLOBE CST by email at  help@globe.gov  or call 1-800-858-9947.

U.S. GLOBE Teachers and Partners: Weekly (Friday) Watercoolers Continue through 31 July

U.S. GLOBE Teachers and Partners: The Friday Watercoolers will continue through the end of July. Each meet-up will begin at 3:10 ET with a brief update from U.S. Country Coordinator Jen Bourgeault, and will proceed with a presentation or two from a GLOBE teacher or partner, with time for questions and conversation following. (And, if there is time: GLOBE Trivia!)   The Friday Watercoolers are a chance for GLOBE teachers and partners to gather weekly to connect and share ideas. If you’ve missed any of the 2020 Watercoolers, you can catch up now! There have been some great discussions, including: NASA @ Home resources Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Exploring Satellite Data.   Miss a Watercooler? You can watch them all from the  U.S. GLOBE Watercooler YouTube Playlist .   To register, click here . You can sign up for one or all the watercooler meet-ups! Interested in being place on the announcement list for book discussion group updates? Contact Jen Bourgeault.

The 2020 North America Regional Meeting (NARM) Goes Virtual

NASA and the GLOBE Implementation Office have been keeping a close watch on developments surrounding the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. We are following directives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other government public health agencies regarding the progression of the virus and the appropriate public health response to it.    As a result, the North America Regional Office and the North America Regional Meeting (NARM) Committee has decided that the NARM, which will be held in October 2020, will now be a virtual meeting.     Stay tuned – more information will be coming soon!

UCAR Center for Science Education’s “Special Edition: Help K-12 Students Learn About Earth from Home” Collection of Educational Resources Available

Check out the “Special Edition: Help K12 Students Learn About Earth From Home” collection of K-12 educational resources. This collection is designed to support teachers with distance learning, and families who are doing their own instructional endeavors, about weather, climate, air quality, the Sun and space weather, and other Earth science topics. This collection was put together by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Center for Science Education (SciEd), which is a GLOBE partner.    This collection of resources highlights educational games and simulations, videos, short articles, and online books about Earth and atmospheric science. There are also links to citizen science projects and classroom activities that will work well for K-12 students learning from home.   To learn more , click here .

GLOBE Implementation Office Closed Friday (03 July) in Celebration of U.S. Independence Day

The GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO), including the Community Support Team, will be closed Friday, 03 July, in celebration of the U.S. Independence Day holiday (04 July).

Opportunities for Teachers

(U.S. opportunities are often highlighted in the News Brief simply because we are more aware of them through our local media; however, if there are opportunities for GLOBE students and/or teachers in your region that you would like us to highlight in the coming months, please send the information to: communications@globe.gov . Thank you!)

NASA STEM Educator Webinars

The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) is presenting a series of webinars open to all educators. All pre-service, K-12, and informal educators, as well as university faculty, are invited to join NASA education specialists to learn about NASA missions, activities, lesson plans, educator guides, and online resources that integrate NASA and STEM into the classroom.   An upcoming webinar, “ NASA STEM at Home or at School: The Air We Breathe ,” is geared toward educators in grades K-12. On Monday, 27 July (5:00 p.m. ET), the NASA EPDC at Texas State University will present a one-hour webinar. Webinar participants will experience hands-on, inquiry based, learning activities related to the atmosphere and aerosols. Educators will be able to use picture books and authentic real time data sets to solve air pollution problems.

U.S. Teachers: Join a Twitter Chat on the NAEP Social Studies Results

U.S. Teachers: On 23 April 2020, the National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics released the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in civics, geography, and U.S. history at a virtual event. On 13 July, 1:00 p.m. ET, Board Member Patrick Kelly will join the National Council for the Social Studies for a Twitter chat to discuss implications of the NAEP 2018 results.  For more information, click here .   NAEP is seeking public comment on the draft of the 2025 NAEP Reading Framework. Comments must be submitted by 23 July. For more information, click here .

Upcoming 2020 GLOBE Teacher Training Workshops

Some of the upcoming GLOBE teacher training workshops include:  Maumee, Ohio, USA (GLOBE Action Summer Bridge): 15-24 July (restricted attendance) Hilo, Hawaii, USA (University of Hawaii): 18 July (restricted to teachers in Hawaii) Fredonia, New York, USA (Advanced Hydrology Workshop): 20-24 July (restricted attendance) Perrysville, Ohio, USA (2020 STEM Institute Elementary GLOBE): 03-07 August (open to all)   You can also check out GLOBE’s protocol eTraining . (In order to enter GLOBE data, GLOBE users must complete the necessary training either by attending a GLOBE workshop or by completing the required online eTraining modules. Once your training is complete, you will be ready to start entering your measurements – and will be joining a community of thousands of teachers around the world!)

Anniversaries

Congratulations to the eight GLOBE countries celebrating anniversaries of successful GLOBE implementation during the month of July:   Bahamas – 20 years 12 July 2000 Bermuda – 06 years 03 July 2014 The Gambia – 24 years 12 July 1996 Mauritania – 16 years 06 July 2004 Nigeria – 18 years 15 July 2002 Peru – 23 years 10 July 1997 Trinidad & Tobago – 24 years 16 July 1996 Tunisia – 25 years 27 July 1995

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