SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Michael Jabot
SUNY Distinguished Professor Michael Jabot has been appointed Deputy Director for Education for the GLOBE Implementation Office, a five-year, $16.1 million contract that encompasses a network of scientists, teachers and an extensive network of stakeholders working to improve participation in the NASA GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program.
“My role is to find ways that we can develop STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education resources that take advantage of NASA assets,” said Dr. Jabot, who will lead those educational efforts in 127 countries that are currently members of the NASA GLOBE program.
Jabot will work in partnership with the NASA Education Development Center (EDC) to develop educational outreach to support teachers conducting the program with their students. The NASA GLOBE Implementation Office is sponsored through a NASA cooperative agreement award to the Education Development Center, which is in charge of outreach, and the City University of New York (CUNY).
“GLOBE is a really unique way to help teachers connect their classrooms with NASA to help students understand the world around them,” Jabot said. “GLOBE is the scaffold for all the work that I do with students on campus, with teachers and students out in the classroom.”
Jabot, one of five members of the GLOBE leadership team, has directed the GLOBE Partnership for the Institute for Research in Science Teaching at SUNY Fredonia since he founded it in 2001. Considered a Mentor Master Trainer, Jabot also serves on numerous leadership teams for national and international science and technology curriculum development projects.
“It’s really been pretty much the heart and soul of the work that I’ve done as a teacher, of my work with students,” Jabot reflected.
Jabot was instrumental in arranging to have the campus host the Annual Meeting of NASA GLOBE Program in mid-July. He is also director of the Institute for Research in Science Teaching and a NASA Earth Ambassador.
The three primary goals of GLOBE are: increasing environmental awareness, contributing to increased scientific understanding of the Earth and supporting improved student achievement in science and mathematics. By participating in GLOBE, students, teachers, researchers and lifelong learners can connect with the program’s global community.
