Authentic Student Research Experiences with GLOBE Clouds

The GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program is NASA’s largest and longest-operating citizen science program contributing Earth observations made by students and the general public. GLOBE receives support from several federal agencies including NOAA, NSF, and the Department of State.

Over 800,000 cloud observations have been reported worldwide since 2017 that include total cloud cover, cloud types, contrail identifications, and photographs of the sky. The NASA GLOBE Clouds team at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia matches cloud observations to multiple satellite platforms for comparison, including: NASA’s CERES (Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System) instrument onboard Terra and Aqua, CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation), and geostationary satellites (GOES-15, GOES-16, Meteosat-11, Meteosat-8, and Himawari-8). These satellite match emails from NASA help GLOBE students compare their observations to satellite data.

Through GLOBE, students are encouraged to complete student research projects and present their work to others through opportunities such as local Student Research Symposiums, the International Virtual Science Symposium, and online research reports. Through 2018-2019 over 66 student research reports were submitted analyzing clouds. During these research projects, students can receive mentoring from a Subject Matter Expert. This presentation will focus on how teachers have incorporated daily cloud observations with their classrooms, showcasing examples of research projects that have resulted from the collection of observations, and highlighting how involvement in GLOBE student research expands students’ awareness of STEM careers.