Some time has passed since my last blog. I could say this winter was very busy, however it was no busier than normal. Truthfully I have such low energy and motivation in the winter. I think with the shorter days, my default is that when the sun goes down the day is over (which is such a waste of time when there are up to 14 hours of darkness a day!). Now that Spring is here I’m starting to feel more energetic and optimistic. The growing season is very rejuvenating for me! So let’s get right to it.
Since my last update, I started my new job at the GLOBE program (www.globe.gov). I have to say it is an amazing feeling to be so passionate and excited about my job. I cannot describe how welcoming, grateful and joyful the GLOBE community is to work with. I feel very rewarded from my work, both from these external stakeholders and from my fellow colleagues. Right now we are right smack in the middle of the International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS), which is (basically) a science fair for student from all over the world. We also assign judges from all over the world who are scientists, teachers, and general citizens volunteering their time to help score these student projects. It’s such a pleasure to 1) read some of the amazing projects these budding young scientists come up with and 2) to review the insightful and inspiring comments that the judges leave on these students projects. We accept projects from all grade bands and one project that caught my attention was A Tale of 10 Zones, which was done by a group of Kindergarten – Second Graders. Other than this one noted example, we had so many impressive and perceptive reports – I am so pleased to be a part of the process. The IVSS is a perfect example of the warmth and passion of the community. My only wish is that I could meet some of these students/judges in person, which would normally be possible at the Annual Meeting (which transitioned to virtual due to the pandemic). With that said, the build up to see everyone will be even more satisfying in the future.
Now for a moment of candor, it was difficult for me to start a new job entirely virtually. Granted I have been able to work with GLOBE on and off for 2 years prior and knew many of them personally. However, the complexity lies in learning peoples boundaries and necessities with their working style. In the office, body language and physical queues are immensely helpful for this.
Virtually, there is a lot of weight placed on verbal and written communication, and for folks who have a hard time with these communication styles it can be more of a hurdle. I have learned a lot from this and gained much more patience and understanding. Something I’m working on is trying to take every challenge as a lesson rather than complain.
Since joining GLOBE, I’ve been a member of their quarterly Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) book club. It’s been so great to have regularly scheduled conversations around DEI in the workplace. I am currently on my 4th book in this group. So far we’ve read about racial equity/allyship, women’s misrepresentation in data, and modern stories on disabilities. We are now on White Tears Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad. This one will be a particularly hard one to read because it’s about how historically white feminism has betrayed women of color. I’m only through the prologue and the first chapter but already it’s so dense, eye opening and profound. I’m very curious to talk about this subject with my office book club, which is in majority white women.
Happy (late) Earth Day/ Week! This day is typically one of my favorite days of the year, because it allows me to reflect on the spaces and environments I have experienced in the past year. With less travel on my part, due to the pandemic, I have mostly been reflecting on environmental justice. This year I am reminded how capitalism takes advantage of Earth Day/ Week as an opportunity for profit.
Many companies that partake in this opportunity are not actively doing anything to reduce their emissions/waste or restore the communities of color which they are directly negatively impacting. I recently read an enlightening article by Sarah Jaquette Ray about climate anxiety being primarily experienced by white people. Here are some quotes that particularly stuck with me:
“The prospect of an unlivable future has always shaped the emotional terrain for Black and brown people, whether that terrain is racism or climate change. Climate change compounds existing structures of [racial] injustice, and those structures exacerbate climate change”
“Young [white] people know the stakes, but they are not learning how to cope with the intensity of their dread… Oppressed and marginalized people have developed traditions of resilience out of necessity.”
I highly recommend reading the entire article (and I might even buy the book). Now I normally prefer to end heavy topics with a positive or a resource, however I had a crazy week and did not have time to research resources on this topic specifically. But I know all y’all have the internet so if this section resonated with you, you should look more into it and share with me what you discover.
Realizing I haven’t officially announced this here yet – but I decided to postpone my Graduate school application process in order to work with GLOBE longer. If I started grad school this fall, I would have only worked for GLOBE for 9 months. I’ve wanted to be a member of the GLOBE team for quite some time now and I would like to make use of my opportunities here before parting. I also know myself well enough to know that I can’t do work and school at the same time – if I go back to school, I would like to fully commit so I can make the most out of the education experience. One of my regrets from my undergrad is that I wasn’t able to fully immerse myself in school and was very distracted by outside life. All of this said, I intend on continuing with the process and ideally going back to school within 3 years so I can have my Masters in the next 5 years. I’ve been thinking more about long term goals and I want to be more intentional with how I set myself up for my future. (And wow it’s cool to have a 5 year plan for myself!)
To expand on how GLOBE has possibilities for me, I’m still very interested in studying terrestrial Carbon Cycle science when I go back to school. GLOBE actually gives me a great opportunity to explore the Carbon Cycle more with their Carbon Cycle learning activity guide and protocols. In March, I had the exciting offer to attend the North American Carbon Program (NACP) meeting and host a poster about GLOBE and Carbon Cycle science education (see poster below – which I actually had to create in less than 24 hours due to a wicked deadline). This opportunity perfectly aligned with my interests! I feel so fulfilled knowing I can pursue interests like this in my work with it being beneficial for both myself and my program!
To draw this blog to a close: I’m finally taking Spanish! I’ve been talking about wanting to learn Spanish for what feels like years now. I took French in high school and haven’t even had a lick of purpose for it since then. With GLOBE being an international program, these classes were also funded by my company in order to help me better communicate with some of our international community, specifically our Spanish speaking population which is large for us. I just finished up the Spanish Beginning I course with full intention to take Spanish Beginning II in the Fall. For my final project, I wrote a short story about how I am unable to whistle. Here’s a snippet:
Yo tengo veinticinco años y… no sé silbar. A mi padre le gusta silbar. Él está triste porque yo no silbo.
Here’s a photo of my dad, not sad, and I when we were skate skiing.
I think that’s all for now folks! Check back in next time!
Emma Hagen 