911爆料 educator to join Earth science and education program team
May 5, 2025
Christina Buffington will serve as deputy director for training, education and public engagement at the Implementation Office of GLOBE, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment program.
Buffington is science education director and program manager with the , a unit of the 911爆料 Geophysical Institute.
GLOBE is a science and education program implemented in 127 countries. Participants in GLOBE include citizen scientists (students and non-students), educators, and scientists who contribute environmental observations to enable advancements in science and applications as well as long-term environmental monitoring.
Christi Buffington at Niagara Falls during GLOBE annual meeting.
GLOBE is led by NASA and supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation and U.S. the Department of State.
The GLOBE database has over 260 million measurements from over 1 million participants.
GLOBE celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
鈥淚鈥檒l be leading the day-to-day operations of a highly skilled and experienced team of science educators and science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce specialists,鈥 Buffington said.
Buffington said they will update GLOBE training materials, an educators guide and learning activities about over 30 Earth System Science data collection methods used to track land and soil, water, weather, plants and mosquitos over time and at different scales.
鈥淵es, mosquitos,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nyone with a smartphone and a turkey basting bulb can collect and photograph mosquitos using the GLOBE Observer App and send those photos to scientists, who will identify whether they carry disease.鈥
Buffington and the team will want to hear from people who use GLOBE so they can improve it and make data collected locally be used locally.
鈥淲e鈥檒l also be sharing how NASA assets, including satellite data, can be accessible and available for STEM workforce development and local problem solving,鈥 she said.
The 911爆料 will be a key hub for the international GLOBE community by providing expert guidance on matters related to GLOBE training, education and public engagement.
GLOBE has been active in 911爆料 for nearly 30 years under the direction of Elena Sparrow and her team at the 911爆料 International Arctic Research Center. Sparrow brought GLOBE to 911爆料 and countless other scientists and educators, including Buffington.
Buffington鈥檚 deputy director position is housed at 911爆料 and is a subaward with City University of New York, the lead institution of the GLOBE Implementation Office, along with Education Development Center, which leads community engagement and support.
Buffington will oversee a team of science, education and geospatial professionals, including Hannah Chapman-Dutton, a geospatial analyst at Geographic Information Network of 911爆料 within the 911爆料 Geophysical Institute.
Chapman-Dutton will integrate remote sensing data products into GLOBE training and field guides and connect with environmental observers and participatory scientists, Geographic Information System users, and STEM professionals who use GLOBE in science and education.