May 16, 2018

School of Medicine hosts regional NASA-NSF environmental science program

The Wayne State University School of Medicine will host the GLOBE Midwest Student Research Symposium: Public Health and Our Environment, May 18-19, for 60 middle school and high school students from Michigan and Ohio.

GLOBE, or Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment,is a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation, with support from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of State, carried out at the local level worldwide by partner organizations, governments, teachers and students. Students learn the practices of science through hands-on investigations in their own communities, sparking their curiosity and interest in science and often leading to inquiries that help solve real-world problems and further understanding of the global environment.

The GLOBE Regional Student Research Symposium, supported in part by the School of Medicine's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will take place May 19 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Blue Lecture Hall and the Mazurek Medical Education Commons. Events include poster sessions, 30-minute rotating student workshops and guest lectures. Pre-symposium events for out-of-state students will begin at 3:30 p.m. May 18 at WSU's Yousif B. Ghafari Hall, and includes a trip to the Detroit Institute of the Arts.

Students will share what they've learned in the school year from their research investigations of the atmosphere, soil and water. NASA scientists will be on hand to respond to student research investigations and comment on the importance of student understanding of how Earth's systems are affected by changing conditions. The symposium is designed to be an opportunity for students to practice the skills they've learned through their involvement in the GLOBE Program and apply them to addressing real-world problems.

Lecturers and guests will include the School of Medicine's Vice Dean of Diversity and Community Affairs and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine Herbert Smitherman, M.D., M.P.H., and Office of Diversity and Inclusion's Outreach Coordinator Joseph Weertz and Academic Associate Director Anil Aranha, Ph.D.; David Bydlowski of the AREN Project and Wayne RESA; GLOBE Director Dr. Tony Murphy and GLOBE U.S. Office's Haley Wicklein; NASA Senior Earth Science Communications Specialist Brian Campbell; Lisa Perez of the U.S. Forest Service; and Kevin Czajkowski of University of Toledo. Seminar topics include a Carbon Cycle Teacher Professional Development, "Kites and the AREN Project," "Medical/Health Careers Medical School," "NASA Earth Science, GLOBE and Citizen Science" and "U.S. Forest Service and Citizen Science."

To date, students in 119 countries and 31,000 schools have participated in GLOBE.

The GLOBE Implementation Office at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research implements the Program. To learn more, visit www.globe.gov.

Participants should use the hashtag #GLOBE_SRS2018 on social media.

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