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ST. EUSTATIUS – The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program, is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. 

The GLOBE program was initially announced by the United States Government on Earth Day in 1994 and launched worldwide on Earth Day 1995.

GLOBE Netherlands, has appointed Sara Stone as the Assistant Country Coordinator in collaboration with the United States Department of State and NASA Space Agency. The appointment is effective from July 15, 2015. Stone, an administrator, teacher and trainer, and Director of PEECC Foundation (Progressive Educational Experiences in Caribbean Cultures), is based on the Caribbean Netherlands island of St. Eustatius. 

Stone will be taking the lead in the Caribbean Netherlands Islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES Islands), with respect to the development of student performance statistics in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Stone will also branch out to the other countries in the Dutch Kingdom and is familiar with the concepts, methods, and strategies of engaging young scientists of all ages in STEM.

GLOBEs vision is a worldwide community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizens working together to better understand, sustain, and improve Earth’s environment at local, regional, and global scales.  The mission is to promote the teaching and learning of science, enhance environmental literacy and stewardship, and promote scientific discovery.

The international GLOBE network has grown to include representatives from 112 participating countries coordinating GLOBE activities that are integrated into their local and regional communities.

Matthijs Begheyn, the Netherlands Country Coordinator and Chair of the Board of GLOBE in Europe and Eurasia, welcomes and applauds Sara Stone in her quest to make the small islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands a leader in GLOBE and STEM education throughout the Caribbean. However the responsibilities of the assistant country coordinator are not exclusive to the Caribbean. The Netherlands signed an agreement with GLOBE in 1995 and this agreement is now extended to the BES Islands.

GLOBE anticipates the teamwork of all coordinators and staff involved in Netherlands GLOBE will continue to engage schools from every country, municipality, and island in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The first school in the BES Islands to take part in the GLOBE program is St. Eustatius Terminal School.  According to Sara Stone, Assistant Country Coordinator, the aforementioned school was part of a pilot project that started in February 2014 and concluded in May of that same year.

Stone is working on spreading the wings of the GLOBE program to four schools on St. Eustatius, two on Saba and four on Bonaire.  Schools interested in participating in the GLOBE program can email Stone at globecaribbean@outlook.com

“NuStar Energy in St. Eustatius, General Manager Terence Keogh, understood the value of an opportunity and believed in investing in the Pilot project for STEM Education and the GLOBE initiative.  St. Eustatius Terminal School has been the first educational entity in the Dutch Caribbean.

“NuStar sponsorship allowed me to attend an international conference in South Dakota, which has allowed me to start the process to implement GLOBE in the Caribbean BES Islands. I have gained the attention of scientist and educators from Sudan, Alaska, Hawaii, and throughout the USA. Todd Toth, NASA educator for GLOBE, envisions an international conference in the Caribbean that would profile and further highlight the GLOBE initiative,” Sara Stone said on Sunday.

GLOBE provides grade level-appropriate, interdisciplinary activities and investigations about the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and soil/pedosphere, which have been developed by the scientific community and validated by teachers.  GLOBE connects students, teachers, scientists, and citizens from different parts of the world to conduct real, hands-on science about their local environment and put in a global perspective.

GLOBE is jointly sponsored by U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of State. 

Internationally, GLOBE is implemented through Government-to-Government agreements with each Country Partner responsible for in-country activities. 

As the lead agency for GLOBE in the U.S., NASA has the primary responsibility for administering the Government-to-Government agreements, and the management of the GLOBE Implementation Office and the data and information system that support the worldwide implementation.