The GLOBE International Citizen Science Schools’ Programme is celebrating its second year to engage and educate students across Ireland in environmental studies.
The EPA and An Taisce have today launched the second year of the GLOBE campaign in Ireland. The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Programme is an international science and education programme that provides students and the public to contribute to the collection of data and the scientific process, to help better understand the Earth system and our environment.
Director General of the EPA, Laura Burke, has said the organisation is delighted to continue to support the GLOBE programme in Ireland and sees the level of public participation as: ‘a key strategic priority for the EPA’. Public engagement and participation is important in the protection of our environment as it increases awareness on environmental issues and works that may go largely unnoticed otherwise.
The EPA is working with An Taisce on developing citizen science initiatives, this year with a particular attention being given to actions impacting air quality, water quality and sustainable behaviour.
‘Citizen science provides the opportunity for members of the public, for whom we report environmental data, to help gather environmental data that is relevant to their locality.’
Irish schools across the country will partake in the international GLOBE programme along with more than 32,000 other schools across the country.
An Taisce is now accepting applications of interest from schools that may be interested in participating in the GLOBE programme for the academic year ahead. Data collected by the Irish schools will be uploaded to the GLOBE science database where it will then be available to researchers throughout the world.
Those looking to engage with the campaign should visit http://www.epacitizenscience.ie
