Costa Rica
GLOBE Program Offers Certification Using PASCO Probeware

Costa Rica 1

Overview

The University of Mississippi, GLOBE and PASCO, along with two Costa Rican partners -- Selva Verde Private Reserve and the Sarapiqui Conservation Learning Center -- held a unique field study program for educators in July 2003. The program offered a study in the conservation of tropical ecosystems and endangered species, as well as certification of GLOBE training for field-based data collection using PASCO's probeware and data analysis software.

GLOBE Program®

GLOBE is an international, hands-on science and education program that involves a network of primary and secondary school teachers and students in the collection of environmental measurements. Working with GLOBE, PASCO hopes to foster increased knowledge and understanding of the environment while encouraging students to explore the world around them. GLOBE is a cooperative effort of schools led in the United States by a federal interagency program supported by NASA, NSF, EPA and the U.S. State Department in partnership with colleges and universities, state and local school systems and non-government organizations. Internationally, GLOBE is a partnership between the United States and 100 other countries. Over a million primary and secondary students in more than 12,000 schools have taken part in the program; there are more than 20,000 GLOBE-trained teachers and growing. For more information, visit the GLOBE program website.

Teacher Training Workshops

Around the world, K-12 students are making scientific observations and reporting their data to GLOBE for use in research. For a school to participate in GLOBE, at least one teacher must be trained in the GLOBE science measurement protocols and education activities by attending a GLOBE Teacher Workshop. View more information about GLOBE Teacher Training Workshops.

The Teacher Training Workshop in Costa Rica allowed teachers from the U.S. to learn about GLOBE, try various data-collection techniques and become certified in the program.

Sarapiqui River

The Sarapiquí River winds through a region known as the land of "Eternal Spring." The rainforest borders its banks, offering a view of Costa Rica's most vibrant and lush tropical scenery. The photo on the right shows the river during a very heavy rainstorm. The photo below shows the river after the rain ended. The rainforest run-off and the fast current make the river extremely muddy. The river became one of the primary locations to take various measurements using PASCO probeware. The teachers measured water samples at different locations and compared their readings. Some of the measurements taken were water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and turbidity.

Rainforest Hike

The Selva Verde Lodge is surrounded by a 500-acre rainforest preserve. The teachers participated in a two-hour hike, learning about the various types of vegetation and wildlife in the primary and secondary forests. Along the way, we saw animals, reptiles and insects, including birds, lizards, poison-dart frogs, leaf cutters and bullet ants.

During the hike, the Humidity/Temp/Dew Point Sensor was used to measure relative humidity and temperature simultaneously. A unique characteristic of the rainforest is that very little light actually penetrates through the canopy to reach the forest floor. The graph shows the wide range between the two and how the alternating thick and thin rainforest canopy creates varying micro-climate regions.

Enlarge Graph

Climate

Another distinctive characteristic of a rainforest region is the climate. This part of the world sees a fairly consistent temperature range throughout the year. Humidity levels are also high, routinely ranging 80% and higher. Using PASCO probeware, the teachers took measurements of air temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure. Data was taken at random times during the day, often before and after climatic changes. Data was also collected over one- and two-day periods utilizing the sample rate feature. The Xplorer datalogger can be set to collect data over longer periods of time at a specified interval (i.e. 15 minutes).

For more information on PASCO's involvement in the GLOBE Program and the products that meet GLOBE specifications, visit www.pasco.com/GLOBE.
 

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