SATELLITES/GLOBE Students Headed to the White House
September 13th, 2012
Two groups of SATELLITES* students and who are active in GLOBE research had the chance to meet and shake hands with President Barack Obama on Tuesday, February 7th, as the President hosted the second White House Science Fair which encourages young people to engage with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects. SATELLITES is a K-12 program directed by Dr. Kevin Czajkowski(Dr.C) in the Department of Geography and Planning.
The first group is Suzan Shalhout and her former teacher Connie Atkinson. “It was really fun!” said Suzan Shalhout, 12, of O.W. Holmes Elementary-Middle School. “I never thought I’d meet the president. I only thought I’d maybe see him from far away. But I never thought I’d be able to talk to him and shake hands with him. He said ‘Keep up the good work’ to me.”
Shalhout, a 7th grader at O.W. Holmes, and Atkinson were sponsored by the Star Base program from Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan for their 2011 GLOBE project. The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program. Each year, students from K-12 schools and universities from multiples states present projects that they developed using their own inquiry-based research utilizing geospatial technologies. Shalhout’s project, “Water, Water, in the Ground, Who is the Cleanest One Around?” was presented on April 12, 2011 at the SATELLITES Conference in Perrysburg, Ohio. She used GLOBE Hydrology Protocols to test tap water in various communities in Southeastern Michigan to determine which ones are the safest for residents to drink.
“Last year when Suzan participated in the SATELLITES Conference at Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Ohio, she competed for Oliver Wendell Holmes School in Detroit.” Said Dr. C, “She put a lot of work into the project testing water from several locations. Suzan and her sisters have always done well at the conference. They really put a lot of work into their projects. And, Connie works hard to give her students experiences. She often goes to professional development having participated in two SATELLITES Institutes at the University of Toledo. They are highlighted in a GLOBE Star.”
The second group is from Huntington High School in Huntington, West Virginia. The teacher is Rick Sharpe. “I work closely with Todd Ensign who is the Program Manager for the NASA IV&V Educator Resource Center in Fairmont, West Virginia.” Said Dr. C. “I have gone to West Virginia a couple times to work with Rick. His students took over 300 observations during the Surface Temperature Field Campaign this year.”
* SATELLITES stands for Students and Teachers Exploring Local Landscapes to Interpret the Earth from Space. Many of the students used GLOBE data in their projects.
References:
1. DPS Students Meet President Barack Obama During White House Science Fair
2. Dr. C’s Blog