I resonated with the quote stating that a common interest in science unites us. Could you say more about how the in-person experience that was features in the video differs from the virtual symposium? What goals do these two events share and are there any goals that are unique to either activity?

Thank you for sharing this overview of the 2018 GLE. I love the combination of field work and symposium, and obviously culture is important. One key reason for having an international focus is that environmental issues are global in nature; no one country will solve many of the environmental challenges we face. How is that conveyed or taken up by the variety of participants in the international learning expeditions?

Often we have keynote speakers that present about the challenges facing the local and national area where the GLE is taking play.  In addition, the students often come with a good understanding of the issues that are facing their countries and regions.  Their research projects also deal with many international issues or issues that are transboundary.  Finally, the international nature of the gathering also helps create a foundation and fosters friendships and international collaborations.  It is hoped that should some of these students follow STEM careers that they may also work together in the future to resolve environmental issues. 

Thank you for sharing your work! This seems like a great opportunity for youth. It's great to hear the young people's voices throughout. It looks like the program draws a very diverse group of participants. I'm curious how do kids get to the island to participate in the community? What do they do when they arrive? If a student or parent is watching, how could they participate in this program?

I wonder how meeting in Ireland shapes the overall experience for the students. What sorts of fieldwork is possible there that supports new ways of understanding the world? What sorts of fieldwork are not possible there that could benefit children? How is the meeting place integrated (or not) into the overall experience?

Additionally, I notice above Tony commented that students might work on collaborative research. How is that facilitated and supported? 

Hi Breanna, Thank for your comments. To clarify, the Ireland GLOBE Learning Expedition (GLE) took place in July 2018. it was one of a series of GLEs that take place every 4 years, always in a new location internationally.The previous GLE took place in New Delhi in 2014. Before that it was held in Cape Town..and several others before that.  The next one will most likely occur in 2022. Hundreds of students arrive, with teachers and chaperones. GLOBE partially funds some teams who take part in the annual International Virtual Science Symposium (by random drawing) to help defray the cost of attending, but for the most part students pay their own way, often fundraising for months ahead of time.

The students are kept busy from morning til night, listening to student speakers, giving presentations of their own research projects, taking part in workshops (such as the storytelling workshop with professional storytellers from Dublin who helped students make their presentations come alive) and also for several days, engaging in field studies. In Ireland, field studies took place in Killarney National Park, the oldest national park in that country. Park Rangers were superb hosts, filing student in on the flora, fauna and lore of the area. Evenings are spent in cultural presentations.

Students of course have the opportunity to meet throughout and it is at these events that students often plan research projects that will help them stay in touch after they return to their respective homes. They engage in GLOBE sponsored projects that spread across borders, such as the international Phenology Campaign, and regionally sponsored campaigns such as the Lakes Project. One year students from Texas organized the international friends they made at the GLE to engage in the international Adopt A Highway service project and were able to take that project to the White House Science Fair. The GLE definitely empowers students to think outside the box. It's easy for them to take those leaps when they are being exposed to so many new and interesting points of view  at a GLOBE Learning Expedition!

Thanks for sharing this amazing work! I have a couple of questions. Do you stay in contact with GLE past participants? Is possible for the GLE alums to attend the conference and share with present participants? How do you select the host locations for the GLE conference?

This is amazing work and a great way to develop research skills among young students. How do students become involved in GLOBE Learning Expeditions? Do these student-researchers continue their research beyond the expedition and if so, do they keep in contact with one another to continue sharing ideas on their study? 

Thanks for your post, Susannah. Yes many of our students are engaged in research projects that continue beyond a single school year. This is especially the case in schools that have constructed weather stations where students continue to collect data for years. Some schools have GLOBE Clubs, where students do GLOBE in after-school programs. These kids become very invested in collecting data.

Do students keep in contact with one another to continue sharing ideas? Let me pull from my response to a similar question from Breanna above: .....(students) stay in touch after they return to their respective homes. They engage in GLOBE sponsored projects that spread across borders, such as the international Phenology Campaign, and regionally sponsored campaigns such as the Lakes Project. One year, students from Texas organized the international friends they made at the GLE to engage in the international Adopt A Highway service project and were able to take that project to the White House Science Fair. The GLE definitely empowers students to think outside the box. It's easy for them to take those leaps when they are being exposed to so many new and interesting points of view  at a GLOBE Learning Expedition! Thanks for asking.

It is wonderful to see GLOBE building a community of scientists that crosses borders and includes so many cultures!