The 8th Global Conference on Environmental Education
Goa, India — 5 November 2009

It is a great honor to send greetings from the GLOBE Program Office to all present at the 8th Global Conference on Environmental Education in Goa, India. India was the 88th country to join GLOBE on 25 August 2000. Since that time, over 974 GLOBE schools throughout India have participated in GLOBE Program activities, contributing over 29,924 scientific measurements to the GLOBE database for use in important research activities occurring in India, as well as throughout the Asia- Pacific GLOBE region, and in the 109 additional countries participating in GLOBE.

GLOBE is a worldwide community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizens working together to better understand, sustain, and improve Earth's environment at local, regional, and global scales. Your work sets high standards for other GLOBE students around the world. GLOBE events that support student-to-student learning through scientific research, such as this important conference you are attending, and communication of the proceedings of your event to the rest of the GLOBE community, ensure that together, we will realize our goal to enhance environmental literacy and stewardship, and promote scientific discovery through collaboration within GLOBE’s world-wide learning community.

Student peer mentoring, and modeling correct scientific research processes, are the signature of this event. It is our belief that the value of this conference lies in the inspiration and teamwork demonstrated by all of you, the participating GLOBE students and their teachers, as you are inspiring the scientists that will follow in your footsteps, those who will add to the important research findings you begin today. Your collaborations create an educational and scientific force, enhance environmental literacy and stewardship, and promote scientific discovery. We hope that the research discussions occurring today will result in valuable scientific projects that can be shared with the world during GLOBE’s 15th Birthday Celebration that will occur during Earth Day, 22 April 2010, as well as during GLOBE’s Student Research Campaign on Climate that will occur from 2011-2013.

We challenge you to deepen your scientific and environmental knowledge through observing your environment and striving for greater understandings of the world around you. Share what you learn from your research with everyone you know, everyone in the community. You all are truly the next generation of global scientists and we have much to learn from you.

We look forward to learning the results of your efforts this week in Goa, and we will place this information on the homepage of the GLOBE Web site so that you can share your activities with other GLOBE students, teachers and scientists around the world.

On behalf of the GLOBE Program Office, we applaud your efforts and wish you all a successful conference.
Thank you.

Dr. Teresa Kennedy
Director, International Division
The GLOBE Program