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By European Space Agency
Image: This very high-resolution image captures the Egyptian city of Giza and its surrounding area, including the world-famous Giza Pyramid Complex. View the full article
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By NASA
Explore This Section Science Science Activation Building for a Better World:… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 6 min read
Building for a Better World: Norfolk Students Bring STEM to Life with NASA Partnership
At Norfolk Technical Center in Norfolk, Virginia, carpentry students in Jordan Crawford’s first-year class aren’t just learning how to measure and cut wood—they’re discovering how their skills can serve a greater purpose.
When the NASA Science Activation program’s NASA eClips project—led by the National Institute of Aerospace’s Center for Integrative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education (NIA-CISE)—needed help building weather instrument shelters for local schools, Norfolk Public Schools’ Career and Technical Education (CTE) team saw an opportunity to connect students to something bigger than the classroom. The shelters are used to house scientific equipment that K–12 students rely on to collect data using GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) protocols—a set of standardized, internationally recognized methods for gathering environmental data such as temperature, soil moisture, and cloud cover. These observations contribute to a global citizen science database, giving young learners a meaningful role in real-world environmental research.
Originally, shelters were being ordered from a national supplier to support GLOBE training sessions for teachers in GO (Growth & Opportunity) Virginia Region 5, an economic development region. These training sessions were funded through a generous grant from the Coastal Virginia STEM Hub (COVA STEM Hub), which supports regional collaboration in STEM education. But when the supplier couldn’t keep up with demand, Norfolk Public Schools CTE Specialist Dr. Deborah Marshall offered a bold solution: why not have local students build them?
That’s when the project truly took off. Under the guidance of Jordan Crawford, students took on the challenge of building 20 high-quality shelters in spring 2024, following precise construction plans provided through the GLOBE Program. Materials were funded by the COVA STEM grant, and the students rolled up their sleeves to turn lumber into lasting educational tools for their community.
“As an instructor, you look for opportunities that challenge your students, allow them to do things bigger than themselves, and let them see a project through from start to finish,” Crawford said. “This project allowed my students to hone existing skills and build new ones, and I saw incredible growth not just in craftsmanship but in teamwork. The most rewarding part was seeing the impact of their work in real schools.”
And the students rose to the occasion—taking pride in their work, learning advanced techniques, and developing new confidence. One of the most challenging parts of the build involved crafting the louvers—angled slats on the sides of the shelters needed for proper air circulation. Student Zymere Watts took the lead in designing and building a jig to make sure the louvers could be cut uniformly and precisely for every unit.
“Building the weather shelters was a fun and challenging task that pushed me to strive for perfection with each one,” said student Amir Moore. “After completion, I was delighted to see the faces of the people who were proud and happy with what we built.”
“It was an extreme pleasure working on this project. I would love to work with NIA again,” added LaValle Howard. “I am proud to be a part of this vocational school and team.”
Jaymyson Burden agreed: “It was fun and great to be exposed to the carpentry realm and install them in the real world. It was gratifying to know what we have done has an impact.”
After completing the shelters, the students volunteered to install them at seven Hampton City Schools. Their work completed the full circle—from building the shelters in their carpentry classroom to setting them up where younger students would use them to collect real environmental data.
Their dedication did not go unnoticed. The team was invited to NASA’s Langley Research Center for a behind-the-scenes tour of the NASA Model Shop, where they met Sam James, a Mechanical Engineering Technician and Fabrication Specialist. James showed the students how the same kind of craftsmanship they’d used is essential in the creation of tools and components for NASA missions. They also learned about NASA summer internships and discovered that their hands-on skills could open doors to exciting careers in STEM fields.
“It was an honor to help where we were needed,” said student Josh Hunsucker. “Assembling these gave us a new perspective on the importance of duplication and how each step impacts the result. We’re happy to help wherever or whenever we’re needed—it provides a learning experience for us.”
Kyra Pope summed it up: “It’s been a great amount of work over the past few months, but it pays off—especially when you’re giving back to the community.”
According to Dr. Sharon Bowers, Associate Director and Senior STEM Education Specialist for NIA-CISE, the project demonstrates what’s possible when regional partners come together to empower students and educators alike. “The financial support from COVA STEM Hub supported sustained educator professional learning within our STEM learning ecosystem. Work with the Norfolk Technical Center truly made this a real-world, problem-solving experience. This is just the beginning for more collaborative work that will bring the region together to engage educators and learners in authentic STEM learning experiences.”
This collaboration wasn’t just about building boxes to house thermometers. It was about building bridges—between technical education and science, between high school students and their futures, and between local classrooms and global research. With each shelter they crafted, the students created something that will outlast them, reminding others—and themselves—of what’s possible when learning is hands-on, meaningful, and connected to the world beyond school walls.
Thanks to Betsy McAllister, NIA’s Educator-in-Residence from Hampton City Schools, for her impactful contributions and for sharing this story. The NASA eClips project provides educators with standards-based videos, activities, and lessons to increase STEM literacy through the lens of NASA. It is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AB91A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
Carpentry students from the Norfolk Technical Center install a digital, multi-day, minimum/maximum thermometer in the GLOBE instrument shelter. Share
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Last Updated Apr 17, 2025 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Location NASA Langley Research Center Related Terms
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By European Space Agency
Each year, cutting-edge technologies developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for its complex missions and scientific discoveries find new life in applications used to benefit Earth and improve our daily lives.
From 9–13 April, ESA was guest of honour at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva in Switzerland with more than 1000 inventions, which attracted 30 000 visitors from the public. ESA showcased its new technologies and applications that have been invented for space missions and patented for use in and outside the space arena.
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By NASA
In an open challenge, NASA is seeking innovative business models that propose new approaches to solving complex Earth science problems using unconventional computing methods and is holding an informational webinar on Monday, April 28.
The agency’s Beyond the Algorithm Challenge, sponsored by NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office, asks for proposals to more rapidly and accurately understand our home planet using transformative computing methods such as quantum computing, quantum machine learning, neuromorphic computing, in-memory computing, or other approaches.
The Beyond the Algorithm Challenge kicked off in March and consists of three phases. Participant submissions, which are due on July 25, will be evaluated based on creativity, technical feasibility, impact, business model evaluation, and presentation. Up to 10 finalists will be invited to present their ideas to a panel of judges at a live pitch event, and winners will a monetary prize.
For details about the challenge, interested participants can sign up for the informational webinar on Monday, April 28, here.
Using the vantage point of space, NASA’s observations of Earth increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future. The capabilities of NASA’s Earth Science Division include developing new technology, delivering actionable science, and providing environmental information to meet the increased demand for more sophisticated, more accurate, more trustworthy, and more actionable environmental information for decision-makers and policymakers.
For example, rapid flood analysis is one area that may benefit from computing advancements. Flood hazards affect personal safety and land use, directly affecting individual livelihoods, community property, and infrastructure development and resilience. Advanced flood analysis capability enables contributions to protect and serve impacted communities, making a tangible difference in areas such as disaster preparedness, recovery, and resilience.
Advancements in computing capabilities show promise in overcoming processing power, efficiency, and performance limitations of conventional computing methods in addressing Earth science challenges like rapid flood analysis. Quantum computers offer a fundamentally different paradigm of computation and can solve certain classes of problems exponentially faster than their classical counterparts. Likewise, quantum machine learning offers the potential to reduce required training data or produce more accurate models. The emerging field of neuromorphic, or brain-inspired, computing holds significant promise for algorithm development optimized for high-speed, low power. And in-memory computing saves time and energy for data-heavy processes like artificial intelligence training.
Blue Clarity is hosting the Beyond the Algorithm Challenge on behalf of NASA. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge. The program supports global public competitions and crowdsourcing as tools to advance NASA research and development and other mission needs.
For more information about the contest and a full list of rules and eligibility requirements, visit:
https://www.nasa-beyond-challenge.org
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By NASA
Explore This Section Science Science Activation GLOBE Mission Earth Supports… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 4 min read
GLOBE Mission Earth Supports Career Technical Education
The NASA Science Activation program’s GLOBE Mission EARTH (GME) project is forging powerful connections between career technical education (CTE) programs and real-world science, inspiring students across the United States to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
GME is a collaborative effort between NASA scientists, educators, and schools that brings NASA Earth science and the GLOBE Program into classrooms to support hands-on, inquiry-based learning. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is an international science and education program that provides students and the public with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, contributing meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system.
By connecting students directly to environmental research and NASA data, GME helps make science more relevant, engaging, and applicable to students’ futures. In CTE programs—where project-based and work-based learning are key instructional strategies—GME’s integration of GLOBE protocols offers students the chance to develop not only technical skills, but also essential data literacy and professional competencies like collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. These cross-cutting skills are valuable across a wide range of industries, from agriculture and advanced manufacturing to natural resources and public safety.
The real-world, hands-on approach of CTE makes it an ideal setting for implementing GLOBE to support STEM learning across industries. At Skyline High School in Oakland, California, for example, GLOBE has been embedded in multiple courses within the school’s Green Energy Pathway, originally launched by GLOBE partner Tracy Ostrom. Over the past decade, nearly 1,000 students have participated in GLOBE activities at Skyline. Many of these students describe their experiences with environmental data collection and interactions with NASA scientists as inspiring and transformative. Similarly, at Toledo Technology Academy, GME is connecting students with NASA science and renewable energy projects—allowing them to study how solar panels impact their local environment and how weather conditions affect wind energy generation.
To expand awareness of how GLOBE can enhance CTE learning and career preparation, WestEd staff Svetlana Darche and Nico Janik presented at the Educating for Careers Conference on March 3, 2025, in Sacramento, California. This event, sponsored by the California chapter of the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), brought together over 2,600 educators dedicated to equipping students with the tools they need to succeed in an evolving job market. Darche and Janik’s session, titled “Developing STEM Skills While Contributing to Science,” showcased GLOBE’s role in work-based learning and introduced new federal definitions from the Carl D. Perkins Act (Perkins V) that emphasize:
Interactions with industry professionals A direct link to curriculum and instruction First-hand engagement with real-world tasks in a given career field GLOBE’s approach to scientific data collection aligns perfectly with these criteria. Janik led 40 educators through a hands-on experience using the GLOBE Surface Temperature Protocol, demonstrating how students investigate the Urban Heat Island Effect while learning critical technical and analytical skills. By collecting and analyzing real-world data, students gain firsthand experience with the tools and methods used by scientists, bridging the gap between classroom learning and future career opportunities.
Through GME’s work with CTE programs, students are not only learning science—they are doing science. These authentic experiences inspire, empower, and prepare students for careers where data literacy, scientific inquiry, and problem-solving are essential. With ongoing collaborations between GLOBE, NASA, and educators nationwide, the next generation of STEM professionals is already taking shape—one real-world investigation at a time.
GME is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC54A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
GreenEnergyPathway presenting the Green Energy Pathway CTE program. Share
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