US -Thailand, Czech Republic, Norway, South Africa Workshop: Catalyzing GLOBE Alumni International Near-peer Mentoring (CGAIN)

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

In collaboration with NASA, NOAA, and the US State Department, NSF supports the activities of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program. GLOBE is an international hands-on environmental/earth science research and education program for a global community of elementary and secondary schools participating in 112 countries. GLOBE's vision promotes and supports students, teachers and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-based investigations of the environment and the Earth system. Now in its 19th year, GLOBE has provided professional development and training in the content and skills of environmental science for over 65,000 teachers from 24,000 schools and engaged more than 10 million students in: learning about the scientific process; discovering the science of their environment; and, contributing more than 90 million protocol-based observations in support of scientific research. A significant number of students who have been introduced to science through GLOBE have continued on to obtain degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and pursue careers in STEM. As noted in several recent reports, the health and vitality of the STEM workforce is critical to the Nation's prosperity. It is also observed that STEM research is increasingly conducted as a global enterprise built on multiple international collaborations. As such, programs like GLOBE, which engage students in STEM pathways within a culturally diverse and rich context, are extremely important. A growing community of former GLOBE participants is seeking to find meaningful and cost-effective ways to give back to the GLOBE program and contribute to its efforts to support a vibrant and diverse community of students engaged in scientific endeavors worldwide. Defining strategies for leveraging the ongoing enthusiasm and support of a global network of GLOBE alumni is an important and cost-effective opportunity for sustaining and expanding the impact of the program. This proposal seeks funds to convene a strategic planning workshop to develop a coherent framework for activating and employing a new alumni network comprised of previous participants in the GLOBE science and education program. This workshop will be held in parallel with the annual GLOBE partner meeting and quadrennial Global Learning Expedition (GLE) in New Delhi, India (August 3-8, 2014), in order to leverage the availability of a larger community of GLOBE scientists, educators, trainers, students, partners, and sponsors attending the GLE. The workshop agenda is focused on sharing of current activities being undertaken by specific alumni communities, collecting input from the GLE participants regarding priority areas where alumni involvement can be most useful, developing a strategic plan that considers operational factors, laying a foundation for creation of a GLOBE alumni near-peer mentoring network, and recruitment of international participants in research on the effectiveness of the GLOBE alumni near-peer mentoring activities. The team of GLOBE participants convening this workshop has been involved as leaders or trainers within the program for several years and they have the necessary skills and connections to make this workshop succeed in achieving its goals. NASA and NSF have supported a recent modernization of the GLOBE technical infrastructure used for communication, data sharing, and analysis; these upgrades have dramatically improved the ability of GLOBE participants to use social media and more sophisticated collaboration software. These upgrades have been accompanied by a shift in the governance model for GLOBE operations, from being centrally managed in the United States to a more community-driven management process. These reforms make the proposed effort to meaningfully engage the GLOBE alumni especially timely. The GLOBE program is well-positioned for new growth; having additional support from alumni as both near-peer mentors and role models will both help GLOBE realize this potential and provide new mechanisms for supporting the STEM ambitions of its students.