Illustrative stock photo (source: SME)
Slovakia has officially joined a prestigious GLOBE programme sponsored by NASA on this year’s Earth Day, which falls on April 22. It became its 123rd member.
The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) programme will enable Slovak schools to use various educational materials, carry out measurements and hands-on science. Subsequently, they will be able to share the results through an app so that NASA scientists can work with them.
They will also be able to participate in the meetings of member countries, get in touch with them and inspire one another in various environmental activities. The collection and sharing of data and measurements will also be accessible to the broader public, the US Embassy in Slovakia informed.
“The mutual collaboration is necessary for the protection of our planet,” said US Ambassador to Slovakia Bridget Brink, adding that Slovak students, teachers and future scientists will be able to join the international environmental scientific community. “Also in these hard times we can connect with experts and activists from the whole world, participate in scientific process, and thus help protect our future home for future generations.”
Creating relationships with nature
GLOBE provides grade level-appropriate, interdisciplinary activities and investigations about the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and soil/pedosphere, which have been developed by the scientific community and validated by teachers.
It creates a worldwide community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizens working together to better understand, sustain, and improve the Earth’s environment on local, regional, and global scales.
“To improve our environment, we need our children to understand nature and protect it,” said Slovak Environment Minister Ján Budaj (OĽaNO).
Through GLOBE, students will develop their research competences and strengthen their relation to the environment and natural sciences, he added.
“I would like to congratulate Slovakia which has become the youngest member of our GLOBE family,” said GLOBE Partner Peter Falcon.
Schools that want to join the programme can contact the Institute of Applied Ecology Daphne, which will provide them with more information and navigate them through the process.
