GLOBE Mission Earth: Engaging Students in Research through Fusing GLOBE with NASA Assets to Build Systematic Innovation in STEM

GLOBE Mission EARTH is a collaborative of multiple institutions across the United States formed to increase involvement in the GLOBE Program (www.globe.gov). GLOBE Mission EARTH is funded by NASA Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) #: NNX16AC54A. In addition to the members from our partner institutions, our group includes hundreds of other individuals including teachers, students and citizen scientists, located throughout the United States.

This presentation will introduce attendees to the GLOBE Observer app an international citizen science initiative to understand our global environment. Observations help scientists to track changes in clouds, water, plants, and other life in support of climate research. Data is used to support NASA satellite data. The GLOBE Observer app helps students of all ages to do real scientific research as a part of the GLOBE Program through collecting data for the purpose of verification of Earth Orbiting Satellites.

Exploring satellite data through Mixed Realities has become and important tool for engaging students in the use of satellite and remote sensing data. Developed at the Institute for Earth Observations in New Jersey, "HoloGLOBE" is an evolving concept that utilizes the Merge Cube (Merge Labs, Inc.) to “blend” NOAA's Science on the Sphere (SOS) with the concept of Google Expeditions. Various SOS programs are ported to HoloGLOBE, and combined with NASA and NOAA data visualizations and near-real time satellite imagery of our planet, users will be able to explore earth’s systems. will showcase Augmented Reality through the use of the Merge Cube.

Finally, GLOBE's International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) will be introduced as a way to engage students from all GLOBE countries to showcase their research, will be presented. GLOBE engages students in the learning of practices of science through hands-on investigations in their own communities, sparking their curiosity and interest in STEM.