Conference: GLOBE 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting: Understanding the Past, Present, and Future

About This Grant

This award supports the 2025 annual meeting for the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program, which will occur July 13-17, 2025 in Washington, D.C. This year also marks GLOBE’s 30th anniversary, and the convening will include recognition of milestones through GLOBE’s history as well as opportunities for participants to plan for future opportunities to expand the reach and implementation of Earth Systems data collection and education. The GLOBE Program is managed and supported by NASA, aligning with NASA’s Earth Science Division’s research on the planet’s systems and processes—participants in GLOBE contribute to monitoring these systems and provide valuable ground-based observations. A primary goal of the convening is to allow members of the GLOBE community to learn from each other to enhance GLOBE projects within their local community. Therefore, this year’s agenda will include speakers and sessions on topics such as using GLOBE data to support scientific and community-based research and addressing challenges to data collection. Activities will include alumni and scientist panels, regional spotlights that will highlight activities and stories from across GLOBE’s six regions, exploration of an interactive timeline of GLOBE’s history, and keynote speakers who will recognize GLOBE’s past and future impact. GLOBE promotes science and data literacy by connecting students, educators, scientists, and citizens in a community of practice that engages participants in hands-on projects in their communities that contribute to research on real-world challenges. Education Development Center, as the leader of the Community Engagement and Support (CES) strand of the GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO), will lead the 2025 GLOBE Annual meeting. The Annual Meeting plays a critical role in helping the GLOBE community sustain and advance its mission; strengthen or create new connections, commitments, and collaboration within and across regions; and improve efforts to support and expand the program. The meeting will provide GLOBE members with powerful community-driven learning experiences, with opportunities to share challenges and collaborate on strategies to better engage STEM professionals, educators/mentors, students and citizen scientists in knowledge-building partnerships designed to build increased environmental awareness, community engagement in Earth systems monitoring, and STEM skills. Meeting goals, topics, and activities are directly responsive to NSF’s strategic goals to increase access to STEM learning and training, promote a scientifically literate population that is well prepared for the economy and challenges of the 21st century, address societal needs by promoting the translation of research into application, and cultivate a global science community based on shared values and strategic cooperation. The event is also directly responsive to the goals of the Directorate for Geosciences to invest in programs, innovations, and knowledge building that contribute to understanding and adapting to the changes in our earth, ocean, and atmosphere. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.