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Two SUNY Fredonia education majors broadened their experience by guiding a contingent of students that included 21 from foreign countries during the recent NASA/GLOBE annual meeting.

Alyssa Wright, a 2024 graduate with a B.S. in Adolescence Education: Biology, from Attica, NY, and Gregory Holmberg, a senior Adolescence Education: Earth Science major, with a minor in Geology, from Falconer, NY, guided the group that also included 18 students from the United States during the annual meeting held on campus.

It will be awesome to share other cultures with my future students! And how cool is it I get to say I worked for NASA?!” - Alyssa Wright

NASA/GLOBE is an international science education initiative sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of State.

SUNY Fredonia’s College Lodge was the home base of all students. They represented Colombia, Croatia, Kenya, Malta, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan, as well as six states in the U.S. – Alaska, California, Louisiana, New York, New Mexico and Mississippi.

Mr. Holmberg and Ms. Wright, who is continuing her education at SUNY Fredonia in the Curriculum and Instruction in Inclusive Education graduate program, presented a lesson to the students on the natural/geological history of the Great Lakes and also led them on hikes in the lodge’s adjacent forest areas. They worked with the students using different forms of technology to expand their knowledge of science and the world around them.

“We made cloud observations, atmosphere measurements, tree height and circumference measurements in the forest, and examined characteristics of soils. This was a great place for students to explore Earth systems science all in one place,” reported Alison Mote, who organized the NASA/GLOBE annual meeting student experience.

Trails at the College Lodge were perfect for using GLOBE data collection protocols, Ms. Mote added. “We were also able to make a stop for water quality testing nearby at Lake Erie (Point Gratiot Park) to really round out our studies in the area.”

Wright jumped at the opportunity to work with international students, citing strong interest in learning about other cultures and educational systems in other countries.

“These are some of the best and brightest students in the world and I’m just excited to make connections with people and continue learning,” Wright remarked.

Opportunities to work with people from all over the world can be limited, Wright noted, so she’s eager to tell stories and offer information about different cultures to others. “It will be awesome to share other cultures with my future students! And how cool is it I get to say I worked for NASA?!”

Everything about the lodge exceeded NASA/GLOBE expectations, according to Ms. Mote. “The grounds are beautifully kept and the facilities were clean and welcoming. DJ was an amazing host – he had games ready for the students, set up a volleyball net, and had a fire going each night.”

Enjoying s’mores around the fire and bonding with new friends from all over the world was a favorite part of the week for the students, she added.