Embassy Honors Poland’s GLOBE Participants

21 April 2011

DCM Heidt welcomes participants.

On April 19, the U.S. Embassy hosted a reception for approximately 50 directors of Polish schools involved in the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program.  This hands-on science program began at Vice President Al Gore's initiative on Earth Day in 1995 and has grown to include participants from 111 countries.  GLOBE's vision is to promote and support the collaboration of primary and secondary students, teachers and scientists on inquiry-based investigations of the environment.  GLOBE works in close partnership with NASA, NOAA and NSF by having students take scientifically valid environmental measurements and reporting them in a worldwide database.

At the reception, Deputy Chief of Mission William Heidt recognized the directors' efforts in making the program a success in Poland.  Over the last 14 years, the program has grown to include over 120 schools, making Poland one of the most active countries in the world. 

The reception also featured a presentation by Dr. Krzysztof Markowicz, a member of the GLOBE advisory board and the Physics Department at Warsaw University.  Dr. Markowicz discussed his experiences as a Fulbright recipient, as well as his current research on the effects of aerosols on the environment.  The GLOBE schools hope to collect data on aerosols over the next year, which would give scientists like Dr. Markowicz a better understanding of aerosols' impact on climate change.