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Slovenia joins the GLOBE science and education program with support from NASA

Prof. dr. Simona Kustec, Minister for Education, Science and Sport, and the American ambassador, Lynda Blanchard, signed an agreement on Thursday, 3 December, on the inclusion of Slovenia in the GLOBE program, and thus invited a new generation of students to join this successful international community of hobby scientists in the GLOBE program.
Simona Kustec, Minister for Education, Science and Sport, and the American ambassador, Lynda Blanchard, signed an agreement on Thursday

Simona Kustec, Minister for Education, Science and Sport, and the American ambassador, Lynda Blanchard, signed an agreement on Thursday | Author MIZŠ

Due to the epidemic, the ceremony proceeded virtually. Prof. dr. Kustec and Mrs Blanchard were joined remotely by Jonathan Moore, acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Allison Leidner, program head at the NASA space agency, and Dr. Tony Murphy from the GLOBE Program Implementation Office, who is managing and implementing this program in more than 120 countries around the world.

The Minister thanked the US Embassy and NASA for all their efforts taken as since 2017 to include Slovenia in the GLOBE program, and noted: “It is our greatest pleasure that Slovenian schoolchildren, adolescents, and students will be able to join their peers in 120 countries around the world, collect data, and hopefully help address the pressing environmental issues. By joining the GLOBE program, we are strengthening important values: curiosity, environmental awareness, and bringing science closer. But what is most important is that we are strengthening the value of cooperation. We are providing the opportunity for young people to cooperate, and developing the close scientific cooperation between the two countries.”

Ambassador Blanchard welcomed Slovenia to the program. “While we are tirelessly continuing our fight against Covid-19, every day we are aware of the immense value of scientific research and cooperation. Now is the best time to continue to strengthen our close scientific bonds and welcome Slovenia to this growing global community. This program will extend our cooperation for the youngest scientists in our communities, and enrich the learning experience of each student, knowing that they are part of a larger, more cohesive global community.”

To date, more than ten thousand teachers from all over the world have participated in the GLOBE program, who have developed the skills of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), promoted environmental awareness and regional and international ties with practical and interdisciplinary activities, with which they collect and share scientific information. Students who have participated in the GLOBE program have contributed more than 190 million measurements to the GLOBE database since 1995, to be used in research and scientific projects.

The program in Slovenia will be managed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, while the Centre for School and Outdoor Education will be tasked with its implementation.