8/7/2

I just got back from almost an entire month of workshops, filling in as a unit leader at my council's camp and the International GLOBE Conference. The GLOBE Program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is a partnership between students, teachers and scientists in 98 counties to study how the Earth is changing by collacting local data on atmosphere, water, soil, and land cover. Students collect the data and report it to the GLOBE server, where it is then available for use by anyone. The GLOBE scientists are using GLOBE data to ground truth satellites, improve prediction models and together with other data sources study the changes in Earth climate. The Program is operated by NASA!!

Until this year, in order to report data to GLOBE a GLOBE teacher had to attend a 5-7 day long training and learn protocols for collecting data in all the areas of GLOBE (air, water, soil and atmosphere). This meant the classroom teachers and some nature center staff were really about the only people who could be GLOBE teachers. To encourage more participation from nonformal education and youth groups, GLOBE has changed this rule. Now a person can be trained in any one area and become GLOBE certified. At the conference, Dixon Butler, the Chief Scientist and Director of GLOBE announced his wish to partnership with groups like the American Camping Association to bring camps into the Program.

What does this mean for Girl Scouts? Council Trianers, Leaders and Camp Councilors could be trained in GLOBE protocols in workshops of about a day in length and then collect data with their girls and report it to GLOBE. The participating Girls would not only be learning about science, then would be contributing valuable data to science while DOING it! Even without protocol training, anyone can get into the action by using the GLOBE database to do their own research and answer their own questions. For more information visit the GLOBE Website (www.globe.gov) - the visualizations section is the coolest! And contact the GLOBE Partnership nearest you (click on GLOBE Partners and then click on your state on the map). Let me know if you have any questions.

Take care All,
Marcy

7/29/2

Hi Exp Solar System team,

Here is an activity that that was sent to me and I thought it should be very good for Girl Scouts at any time of the year -- Sun Clocks. http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/sunclock.html

keeping on our toes!
Jackie

7/18/2

Salutations everyone,

As I am picking out activities for my Junior Adventuer day I ran into a problem. I finding that I didn't keep good enough notes. In my note book I have the page where we describe little critters that were given to us in a box. Then we passed the discriptiion on to another group and they had to try and draw the critter and then pick it out from all the others. I can't remember what the activity was called or find it. Does anyone remember what it was called and where I can find it.

Thanks,
Marguerite

7/4/2

I am sitting here watching the fireworks at New York - I want to go back!

There isn't a day that goes by that I do not think or use something that I learned or experienced at our workshop. The latest - I don't know if you call this a benefit or not, however, it is good for a laugh. Yesterday at our college we had watermelon for the fourth, as usual. This year however they had a watermelon seed spitting contest. We only got one chance. In the spirit of not wanting to be a prude I participated. I summed it up and thought - trajectory, I angled my head, spit my seed, and it was the longest at 29 feet. I couldn't have done it without NASA.

THANK YOU NASA!

Joan

5/23/02

Greeting to all fellow explorers! I just finished up my third meeting with the ED and Assistant ED. They are putting me in the budget going to the Board in July. It is too cool. I get to develop a virtual group for the Imaging Mar project at ASU plusssssss develop modules to go out train to leaders and older girls AND work on putting together "badge in a box" setups, AND start now to develop a daycamp for next summer (too late for this years schedule). They want me to be ready to blast off right after convention since we are one of the ten hosting councils. This is more than I expected and a little overwhelming but I'm itching to go. How are all you doin with your plans and projects?

Then by the end of the meeting I somehow was committed to "revitalizing the Program Aide and LIT program. HELP!!!!!!! I need ideas, any and all are welcome.

Yours in Scouting
Mary Kay

5/9/02

I'm really interested in getting that Wider Op off the ground. Do you know who was ringleading that?

Gail

5/9/02

Just had to say HI! and tell you all how impressed I am with the speed you have managed to get things rolling - I am hangin' back for the moment!! I DO have my 7th grade science unit going though - we are doing Space Camp and have BB caps for the "camp" - where we are going to explore the moon next week - from there we are going out to Mars and beyond! Saw the Europa also - I have SO much info I can't think of a starting point and thought I would use my 7th graders as guinea pigs for some stuff - they are pretty game for this stuff and hope it flies and I can get it into GS format!

Love all your ideas! Thanks for sharing!

pat

5/7/2

Hi there all!

Just got my May 2002 issue of Discover magazine. Thought ya'll would be interested that their cover story is Life On Europa. Apparently research done in Alaska has led them to postulate that their could be life in that frozen sea.

Gail

5/7/2

Hello, Remember our work on volcanoes? Well I thought it might be of interest to know that the United Nations proclaimed 2002 the International Year of Mountains (IYM). The main objective is to increase national awareness of the global importance of mountain ecosystems. IYM represents an important step in the long-term process initiated by the 1992 Earth Summit held in Rio de Janiero. The agenda placed mountains on an equal footing with climate change, tropical deforesstation and desertification as a key issue in the global debate on enviroment and development.

So where do volcanoes come into this? Included in the list are: Kilimanjaro in Tanzania -- an extinct volcano -- the highest mountain in Africa. and Mount Fuji in Japan -- a now dormant volcano that nevertheless has erupted 18 times in recorded history, the last being 1709.

Well, I thought you'd like to know that!

Blue skies,
Jacqui

4/29

Found a site that answered Some of our questions about Grand Central Station....Anyway, it was fun to look at the pictures of the familiar things we saw. Didn't know that even the Romans knew that planet Mercury was the Fastest! Here's the site: www.amnh.org/naturalhistory/city_of_stars/01_grand_central.html

xoxox
Toni

4/28

• Struggling with how to train trainers to share. Any Ideas out there?

So happy that we shared the workshop and the laughter.

Trish