seminar
GLOBE Project
GLOBE is a hands-on, school-based science and education program that unites students, teachers, and scientists in study and research about the dynamics of the Earth's environment. Over a million GLOBE students in more than 14,000 schools located in over 100 countries are taking important environmental measurements. Their data are used in their own research activities and also by scientists around the world.
The goals of the GLOBE Program are to:
- Increase scientific understanding of the Earth,
- Improve student achievement in science and mathematics, and
- Enhance the environmental awareness of individuals worldwide.
The GLOBE Program is implemented through a worldwide network of primary and secondary schools. GLOBE students:
- Take environmental measurements at or near their schools,
- Report their data to the GLOBE data archive via the Internet,
- Create maps and graphs to analyze GLOBE data sets, and
- Collaborate with scientists and other GLOBE students around the world.
GLOBE students have reported over 11 million measurements in the areas of Atmosphere/Climate, Hydrology, Soils and Land Cover/Biology. GLOBE improves student understanding because it involves students in performing real science taking measurements, analyzing data, and participating in research collaborations with other students, as well as with scientists.
Scientists and educators have developed environmental science educational materials as a resource for GLOBE teachers. Professional development workshops train teachers to guide their students in taking measurements according to scientific protocols, in using the Internet to report and analyze scientific data, and in creating partnerships among students at GLOBE schools around the world.
Broad international participation is integral to the design of the GLOBE Program. Bilateral agreements establish partnerships between the United States and its international partner countries, which are then responsible for designing program implementation in their own countries. Implementation in the United States depends upon the efforts of almost 100 state and local partner organizations. GLOBE is funded by NASA, supported by NSF and the Department of State, and implemented in partnership with the University Consortium for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. Visit the GLOBE Program at www.globe.gov
Dr. Craig Blurton is Director of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program. GLOBE is a hands-on, school-based international science and education program. Over 24,000 teachers and 1 million students in more than 100 countries have participated in the GLOBE program since it was first announced on Earth Day, 1994. In the past, GLOBE was managed by NASA. Just before Dr. Blurton joined GLOBE, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, USA, took over the management of the program. GLOBE is supported by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of State.
Before coming to GLOBE, Dr. Blurton worked at the University of Hong Kong as an Associate Professor in the Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching (CAUT) and Head of the Information and Technology and Teaching Group (IT&T Group). In previous years, Blurton was Associate Director of NASA's Classroom of the Future (COTF), the Agency's premier research and development laboratory for education technology. While at NASA, he managed the development of educational multimedia products such as the award-winning Astronomy Village: Investigating the Universe. Dr. Blurton has also been a classroom science teacher, university faculty, and served as Director of the Elementary Summer Technology Training Institute (ESTTI) and the California Technology Project (CTP) and Assistant Director of the Arizona State University Computer Institute.
Dr. Blurton's many professional activities include writing many papers and several book chapters, including a chapter on educational technology published in UNESCO's World Communications and Information Report 1999. Among his service-oriented activities, Dr. Blurton sits on planning committees for the International Conference on Information Communications Technology in Education and the International Conference on Technology in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Dr. Blurton also was a founding board member of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the Los Angeles Maritime Institute (LAMI), and the Alliance For Distance Education (ADEC). In addition, Dr. Blurton was the founding Chairperson of the Association of State Technology-Using Teacher Educators (ASTUTE).
Dr. Blurton has lived and worked in Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and has traveled extensively in other parts of the world. He is married to a clinical psychologist and has six children. He has a doctorate in Education (1985) from Arizona State University with specializations in Science Education and Educational Technology.