Youth Help NASA Scientists

By Renée Perrault, Angèle Marchand and Jennifer Wong, TG Magazine youth journalists

Youth around the world are making a contribution to the environment by participating in a project that enables them to connect to NASA scientists. To enhance environmental awareness worldwide, Al Gore, U.S. Vice President, has implemented The GLOBE Program in over 40 nations and 3000 schools.

The GLOBE Program encourages youth from both primary and secondary levels to expand their scientific knowledge of the earth, giving them hands-on experience with science and the environment. In this program students make environmental measurements, such as soil, atmosphere/climate, and water, within 15 km of their school. Their data is then recorded and analyzed by NASA scientists.

The main objective of this project is to educate today's youth. The efforts of this program contribute significantly to the scientific understanding of the global environment. A great deal of importance is placed on this venture because of the way it educates and imlicates today's youth.

Originally, this entreprise was to be completed by the year 2000 but due to overwhelming success, no completion date has been determined. Plans for expansion in 100 other nations are currently being discussed. Students in the U.S.A, may ask their teachers to register for a GLOBE teacher training workshop. Students are outside the U.S.A., they may ask their teacher to contact their GLOBE country coordinator.