GLOBE students from The Experimental High School of Beijing Normal University hosted U.S. Vice President Al Gore during his March 1997 trip to China. On March 25, the students demonstrated for the Vice President, and a large group of journalists, how they identify cloud type and cover and how they use the Internet to transmit the data to the GLOBE Student Data Archive. "We learned a lot from (Vice President) Gore's visit," Mr. Jim Congwu reported. "We have realized much more deeply what the purpose of the GLOBE Program is and what an important role it plays in preserving the environment."

The Vice President was very impressed with the students and their work. "These students are making a significant contribution to helping us all learn more about our planet," Vice President Gore stated.

Several students wrote essays about their experiences in GLOBE in celebration of Earth Day. Huang Bo wrote, "In the GLOBE Program, we do all things ourselves, and it occurs to us that we ourselves are in charge of the environment. Now I have realized what an environment worker would do, realized the duty of an environment protector, and of myself. I would never known this if I had not taken part in the GLOBE program."

"But, still, the most exciting thing, and the most instructive thing is the Internet," Huang Bo continued. "On the Internet, we learn about the environment in other places all around the world, and we can exchange ideas with students from all around the world. It is a window that enlarges our sight, making it possible to think of the global environment."

Liu Xiaoyu wrote, "Everybody lives on the earth and uses the earth's resources, but perhaps many people haven't realized that they should protect the environment by themselves, for themselves and for the human beings. The GLOBE program provides us a chance to learn about our environment and do something for it. ... Besides this, GLOBE taught me not only knowledge, but also the method of researching the environment. If I hadn't taken part in the GLOBE Program, maybe I wouldn't know how to get the statistics when I questioned something about the environment."