NEWS

The International Division of GLOBE Moves to Texas

On 1 October 2009, the International Division of the GLOBE Program moved to the University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler) from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. The State of Texas was chosen as the location of the GLOBE Program International Division and North America Regional Office due to the extensive reach of U.S. Partners and trainers throughout Texas, and due to a unique GLOBE training facility located at Camp Tyler, just minutes from campus. Of the 139 GLOBE Partnerships across the U.S., 39 are located in the State of Texas, most of which collaborate through the extensive Texas Regional Collaboratives network. The International Division serves as a liaison to the international community of U.S. Partners and international Country Coordinators as well as to the GLOBE teacher and student network around the world.

The International Division is responsible for ensuring that the development and ongoing support of all GLOBE Partner Countries are fully integrated with GLOBE education and science, as well as with programmatic activities related to systems development, communications, marketing, sustainability and evaluation. Dr. Teresa Kennedy, Director of the International Division since 2003, serves on the GLOBE Program Office (GPO) management team and is also responsible for facilitating GLOBE International Advisory Committee (GIAC) activities, facilitating implementation activities occurring in GLOBE’s 111 partner countries and their corresponding six (6) regional offices, coordinating agreement efforts related to new participating countries and cooperating organizations, and directing all International GLOBE Help Desk activities. Housed at the International Division Office, the GLOBE Help Desk runs a 1-800 phone number receiving calls from around the world and also fields email and Skype/video conference correspondences from all GLOBE countries. In addition, Dr. Kennedy serves as the U.S. Country Coordinator for GLOBE and directs the GLOBE North America Regional Office, also housed within the International Division, working collaboratively with the country coordinator in Canada, and facilitating GLOBE activities implemented by 139 U.S. GLOBE Partners located at institutions of higher education, museums, federal agencies, school districts, as well as NASA and NOAA education centers throughout the U.S.

NCTC Collaborative Teacher and Students  Participated in the GLOBE’s Expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro

The Era Elementary 5th grade classes participated in the GLOBE’s Expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro recently. The students learned about climate change, global warming, and information about the mountain, people and the biomes of that area. They created information cubes, wrote expedition journals and created baggables showing all the information they had learned. Sara Flusche from the NCTC Collaborative came to the school and taught students how to create and read topographical maps and landforms. The students created their own 3 dimensional landform. GPS training was also taught. The students thought it was a lot of fun and really enjoyed learning about another place in the world. One student commented, “ It was like we were actually in Africa!”