Question: Where are you from and where do you work/study?
Answer: Maybel- I am in third grade at Fairfield Elementary School in Pickerington, Ohio. Vicki- I am the Technology Integration Specialist for Licking Heights Local Schools. Part of my position is to participate in all things STEM. I am the proud grandmother of Maybel.

Question: What is your favorite part about GLOBE and how long have you been participating in GLOBE?
Answer: Maybel- My grandmother asked me to help her take temperature readings during the eclipse. It was so fun. People would ask what I was doing and at first just walked away. As it got colder, they came and asked how far the temperature had dropped. My grandfather and I also watched what the swans did. Vicki- I have been involved in GLOBE since 2017. I took a GLOBE Mission Earth training with Dr. Czajkowski, Janet, and Sarah that year and I was hooked. Part of our task after was to participate in the Urban Heat Island project. My students were so excited to go and take temperature readings each day. The unexpected outcome was that one of my kiddos struggled understanding place value and numbers. This study, the science, really helped him master those concepts and he soon was not asking for help. I must admit, my favorite part of GLOBE was one event and that was working with Maybel tracking temperature readings. Selfishly it was that one on one time with her and watching her excitement as she was doing science.

Question: Please tell us about your experience during the recent solar eclipse of April 8, 2024! How did it compare to the eclipse of August 21, 2017?

Answer: Maybel- I was only two years old. I remember going outside and looking up through my glasses and wearing my boots. This time I knew what was going on. I watched the moon block the sun in little pieces. I watched the change in the animals. The swans began swimming back to their nest. Right after totality, we went over and the swans’ heads were down as they thought it was time for bed.

Question: What advice would you give to other people who also want to contribute to Earth science?

Answer: Maybel’s and Vicki’s joint advice, just do it. Both of us learned so much by joining this citizen science project. We worked together. Vicki learned protocols and shared them with Maybel. Being part of a community of scientists really helped us realize that there truly are people who love science. Maybel loves science and this not only gave her the chance to do science, but also helped her to understand graphs.

There are opportunities for a variety of Earth Science Citizen Science groups that motivate students, teachers, and in our case families to be active participants in scientific research. Again, our advice is to just do it.

Question: Anything else you would like to add?

Answer: Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the NASA Earth Science Network. Ours was a team of two. No matter how small your group is, you can still participate.

NOTE: To learn more about Vicki and Maybel’s research, visit the GLOBE Mission Earth’s Student Research webpage to check out their GLOBE Eclipse research poster!

Reproduced from the original post by NASA GLOBE Clouds.