Tomorrow today; 2010 - unesdoc - Unesco

GLE research campImage: GLOBE Thailandenvironments. There have been 35 CloudSat researchstudies funded by the GLOBE Thailand IPST. 29. FLEXE ProjectThe ‘From Local to Extreme Environments’ (FLEXE)Project involves study of the deep ocean, led byPennsylvania State University in partnership with Ridge2000 and InterRIDGE scientists. Through comparativeprotocols and online interaction with project scientistsand partner schools, students gain an understandingof local and deep-sea environments, the interconnectedEarth system, and the process of science. FLEXEstudents collect data from their local environment andcompare it with data from an extreme deep-sea environment.Scientists guide students in their analysisof deep-sea data through the online FLEXE Forum.Scientific reporting, peer review, and communicationwith scientists at sea during a research cruise capthe students’ experience. IPST, in collaboration withWalailak University, has coordinated the FLEXE Projectin Thailand since 2009. At present, there are 17 schoolsparticipating in this project and doing FLEXE researchfunded by the GLOBE Thailand IPST.Jaroensutasinee and their team from Walallak University, funded bythe GLOBE Thailand IPST.6. GIS Natural Resource DatabaseIPST has developed a GIS Natural Resource Database for Rachaburi,Phetchburi and Prachubkirikhan provinces, to serve as a naturalresource archive that the students can use in their study andresearch. Students will be able to access and retrieve the data fromthis database via the Internet anytime and anywhere. There arecurrently 22 schools participating in this project.7. Weather Station ProjectIPST, in collaboration with Walailak University, set up an automaticweather station project to develop the weather database for studentsto use in their research. There are six weather stations installedin four regions of Thailand to collect weather data including airtemperature, relative humidity, dew point, wind chill, wind direction,wind speed, heat index, UV index and solar radiation. Datacollection takes place using a data logger for automatic retentionin the weather station server. A weather station website has beencreated to allow students to retrieve weather data collected fromfour regions to use in their research projects.8. CloudSat ProjectIn collaboration with Walailak University, IPTS has coordinated theCloudSat Project in Thailand. There have been several activities in thepast year, such as a student conference, teacher training, school visitsand funding of school research projects. This project aims at promptingstudents to investigate how weather parameters, the percentageof cloud cover and CloudSat images are related to local organismsand environments. Students will be trained on CEN protocols toobserve the percentage of cloud cover and cloud types, taking picturesduring the CloudSat overpass of their schools and comparing datawith the CloudSat Images. This project will allow the next generationof scientists to share methods, compare data and monitor their local10. GLOBE animations and cartoon booksTo motivate young children to learn and understand ESSeasily, IPST has developed seven GLOBE animations andcartoon books, both Thai and English versions. 3 BanpuPublic Company gave support to IPST in the productionof the Globe animation materials and distributed themfree to 34,000 primary schools all over the country.GLOBE Asia-Pacific regionalizationFollowing the first GLOBE Asia-Pacific RegionalConsortium held at Iloilo, Philippines, GLOBE Thailandwas nominated as a Chair of the Developing Regionaland International GLOBE Projects and CollaborationsWorking Group. The group agreed to focus on thefollowing research areas:• Drought• Atmospheric change• Landslide and soil erosion• Biomes ecology• Biodiversity change• Flooding• Water quality• Watershed management• Marine biology.Regional activities in 2010From 1-3 April 2010, two representatives from Thailandattended the second GLOBE Asia-Pacific Regional Meetingin Dhaka, Bangladesh, to plan future student inquiryactivities for the region. From 6-8 September 2010, threeschools from Thailand joined the Seminar on ‘Biodiversity,Wetland, and Climate Change’ in Goa, India, in the Thai-Indian Student Exchange Program. These activities willcontinue to develop the work of IPST to promote understandingof ESS among students in many environments.[ 116 ]