[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 24, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-20844]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: August 24, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 940831-4231]
GLOBE Joint Project Agreement(s)
AGENCY: NOAA, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice, solicitation of interest.
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SUMMARY: NOAA solicits indications of interest by one or more non-
profit, research or public organizations to participate in joint
projects supporting the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to
Benefit the Environment) Program. Under that program, students in
grades K through 12 will carry out scientific experiments and conduct
environmental observations which will be transmitted through Internet
and satellite communications to a central processing site. At the
central site, global environmental images will be created and relayed
back to the students. The data acquired by the students will also
support ongoing work of environmental scientists throughout the world.
DATES: Responses should be received no later than September 8, 1994.
ADDRESSES: All responses should be sent by mail to Thomas N. Pyke,
Director, The GLOBE Program, 744 Jackson Place NW., Washington, DC
20503 or delivered by express or courier service to Director, The GLOBE
Program, The White House, New Executive Office Building, 725 17th
Street NW., Room G-1, Washington, DC 20006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas N. Pyke, (202) 395-7600.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a notice to solicit interest in
joint project agreements in support of The GLOBE Program, which is an
international environmental science and education program. Students
throughout the world will participate in environmental science
experiments by using personal computers connected to networks like the
Internet. Their observational data will be shared with students at
other schools through the creation of global environmental pictures of
the world based on the student-acquired data. The data will also be
employed to support environmental science research.
The GLOBE Program will bring school children, educators, and
scientists together to monitor the worldwide environment. Its goals are
to enhance the collective awareness of individuals throughout the world
concerning the environment and the impacts of human activities on it
and to increase scientific understanding of the earth.
Students in grades K through 12 or equivalent grades at schools
throughout the world will conduct scientific experiments. Student
environmental observations will be transmitted through the
international Internet and direct satellite communications to a central
processing site, at which global environmental images will be created
and relayed back to the students. The data acquired by the students
will also be made available through the Internet to environmental
scientists throughout the world to support their research. GLOBE will
begin operation in a number of schools throughout the world on April
22, 1995, the 25th Earth Day. Over the following several years,
thousands of schools are expected to participate in GLOBE.
The GLOBE Program is managed by an interagency team that includes
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation,
Environmental Protection Agency, and the Departments of Education and
State. GLOBE Leadership also includes the White House Office on
Environmental Policy and Office of Science and Technology Policy. NOAA,
as the host agency for GLOBE, intends to enter into one or more joint
project agreements with joint project partners as a part of The GLOBE
Program as authorized under 15 U.S.C. 1525.
An organization is eligible for consideration as a joint project
partner under this authority if it is a nonprofit organization,
research organization, or public organization or agency with a mutual
interest in the project, and must agree to bear an equitable portion of
the project's costs, as determined by NOAA. NOAA also intends to enter
into a joint project agreement with a non-profit organization that will
coordinate and encourage private sector participation in The GLOBE
Program and support the application of private sector resources in
implementing GLOBE in schools in the United States and throughout the
world.
The GLOBE Program is interested in establishing these agreements
with eligible organizations through which GLOBE program goals are
supported and the activity also benefits the goals of each partner. The
GLOBE Program intends to build on environmental education activities
and supporting computing and networking infrastructure that is in place
or planned to the greatest extent possible, through the use of these
agreements.
For example, joint project agreements may be entered into with
organizations that sponsor or carry out environmental education
programs in one country or internationally, in which students
participate in environmental science experiments and use personal
computers connected to the Internet to share the data they acquire with
students in other schools. The addition of GLOBE environmental
measurements, scientific instruments, global environmental image
viewing capability, and educational materials to a program at a school
might enable it to broaden its hands-on Science program and, at the
same time, actively support GLOBE program goals. This example is
illustrative only, and respondents are encouraged to be creative in
proposing possible areas for these agreements that may be of mutual
benefit to The GLOBE Program and their organizations.
As a guideline, organizations that may be considered as candidates
for these agreements should have or plan to have some significant part
of a national or international environmental education infrastructure
having characteristics such as those described in the above example,
and have members, employees or staff who possess substantial experience
in setting up such programs in a large number of schools. Of special
interest to the GLOBE Program may be organizations that have experience
in setting up such programs in a diverse, multi-cultural environment,
involving schools such as would be expected to participate in a program
such as GLOBE, which will encompass many nations and a broad cross
section of the United States. NOAA reserves the right to waive the use
of the guideline stated above, to not select an organization even
though it may meet this guideline, to rely on other criteria, and to
select joint project partner(s) through means other than this notice
process.
All interested parties, including those organizations that respond
to this notice, should be aware that NOAA, as host agency, and other
Federal agencies participating in the GLOBE program may enter into
contracts or financial assistance agreements in the future in addition
to the agreements as solicited in this notice. Solicitations for
applicants for contracts or financial assistance programs will be
announced in a separate notice. Any organizations with whom these
agreements are entered into relative to the GLOBE program would not be
precluded solely as a result of their status as a party to the
agreement from competing or otherwise being considered for such
contracts or financial assistance agreements.
In the interest of minimizing the burden on respondents to this
notice and on the Government in considering such responses, respondents
are requested to limit their response to no more than five single-
spaced, typed pages. Additional descriptive material about the
responding organization or its programs may be attached, at the option
of the respondent.
Dated: August 19, 1994.
James W. Brennan,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 94-20844 Filed 8-22-94; 8:45 am]
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