Dr Francis Wasswa Nsubuga a lecturer in Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology at the University of Pretoria, has been appointed to represent Africa on the education working group.

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. 

GLOBE provides grade level-appropriate, interdisciplinary activities and investigations about the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and soil/pedosphere, which have been developed by the scientific community and validated by teachers.  GLOBE connects students, teachers, scientists, and citizens from different parts of the world to conduct real, hands-on science about their local environment and put in a global perspective.

GLOBE is jointly sponsored by U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of State.  Internationally, GLOBE is implemented through Government-to-Government agreements with each Country Partner responsible for in-country activities.  As the lead agency for GLOBE in the U.S., NASA has the primary responsibility for administering the Government-to-Government agreements, and the management of the GLOBE Implementation Office and the data and information system that support the worldwide implementation.

The program is hosted in 116 countries, established in 29053 schools, with 24116 teachers involved. 754 of the schools are in Africa, with 453 teachers involved. South Africa has the most number of schools and teachers involved in the GLOBE program. As a member of the committee Dr. Nsubuga is expected to ensure that GLOBE is implemented, worldwide, with sound pedagogy.  The scope includes the GLOBE Teachers Guide, formal and informal educator professional development, training modules and certification process, student research project competition, etc. His calling on the alumni of the program to establish it at UP.