Coordinator for GLOBE and STEM education appointed

Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Netherlands, has appointed Sara Stone as Assistant Country Coordinator for the Caribbean Netherlands, in collaboration with the United States’ Department of State and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Her appointment is effective as of July 15. Stone, who is an administrator, teacher, trainer, and Director of Progressive Educational Experiences in Caribbean Cultures (PEECC), is based on St. Eustatius.

She is to take the lead in Bonaire, Statia and Saba with respect to the development of student-performance statistics in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). She is also to branch out to the other countries in the Dutch Kingdom.

GLOBE was initially announced by the US Government on Earth Day in 1994 and launched worldwide on Earth Day 1995. Its vision is a worldwide com munity of students, teachers, scientists and citizens working together to better understand, sustain, and improve earth’s environment at local, regional and global scales. The mission is to promote the teaching and learning of science, enhance environmental literacy and stewardship, and promote scientific discovery. The international GLOBE network has grown to include representatives from 112 participating countries.

The Netherlands’ Country Coordinator and Chair of the Board of GLOBE in Europe and Eurasia Matthijs Begheyn “welcomes and applauds” Stone in her quest to make the small islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands a leader in GLOBE and STEM education throughout the Caribbean.

However, the responsibilities of the Assistant Country Coordinator are not exclusive to the Caribbean. The Netherlands signed an agreement with GLOBE in 1995 and this agreement is now extended to the Dutch Caribbean.

GLOBE anticipates the teamwork of all coordinators and staff involved “will continue to engage schools from every country, municipality, and island in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.”

The first school in the Dutch Caribbean to take part is St. Eustatius Terminal School. According to Stone, the Terminal School was part of a pilot project between February and May 2014.

“NuStar Energy’s General Manager Terence Keogh understood the value of an opportunity and believed in investing in the pilot project… NuStar’s sponsorship allowed me to attend an international conference in South Dakota, which has allowed me to start the process to implement GLOBE in the Dutch Caribbean. I have gained the attention of scientist and educators from Sudan, Alaska, Hawaii, and throughout the USA. NASA educator for GLOBE Todd Toth envisions an international conference in the Caribbean that would profile and further highlight the GLOBE initiative,” Stone said Sunday.

GLOBE provides grade level-appropriate, interdisciplinary activities and investigations about the atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere, which have been developed by the scientific community and validated by teachers.

GLOBE connects students, teachers, scientists, and citizens from different parts of the world to conduct real, hands-on science about their local environment and put these in a global perspective.

GLOBE is sponsored by NASA and National Science Foundation (NSF), with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of State.

Internationally, GLOBE is implemented through government-to-government agreements with each country partner responsible for in-country activities.

As the lead agency for GLOBE in the US, NASA has the primary responsibility for administering the government-to-government agreements, and the data and information system that support the worldwide implementation.

Stone is working on spreading the wings of the GLOBE programme to four schools on Statia, two on Saba and four on Bonaire. Schools interested in participating can email Stone at globecaribbean@outlook. com .

The Daily Herald.