Ethiopia Joins International Science-Education Group
GLOBE Spans the World to Improve Students’ Futures

August 24, 2005
No. 40/05

Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – A new agreement between the United States and Ethiopia will lay the foundation for a range of programs in support of science education in the country.  On Wednesday, August 24, Ethiopia became the 110th country worldwide to participate in the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program.  GLOBE provides primary- and secondary-school students an opportunity to learn by participating in interactive science activities, for example by studying the atmosphere, water, and soil, reporting their data through the Internet, and collaborating with a community of scientists and other GLOBE students around the world.  Teachers participating in GLOBE can benefit from training at professional development workshops, from accessing a comprehensive Teachers Guide and supplemental materials posted on the GLOBE Web site, as well as from receiving ongoing support from GLOBE staff and scientists.

U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Aurelia E. Brazeal and Ethiopia's Vice Minister of Education Ato Dereje Terefe signed the bilateral GLOBE agreement at the Institute for Curriculum Development and Research.  Ambassador Brazeal signed the agreement on behalf of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which administers GLOBE (and which is perhaps best known as the U.S. agency in charge of the space program).  The Regional Environment Office for East Africa, based at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, initiated the discussions that led to the launching of GLOBE in Ethiopia.

Ethiopian schools taking part in the program will join more than 16,000 schools with over 30,000 GLOBE teachers worldwide participating in GLOBE. GLOBE is a cooperative effort of schools and scientists managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in partnership with Colorado State University and supported by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of State.  For more information on GLOBE visit the program’s website at www.globe.gov.

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