Continued support for remote sensing science requires increased awareness of the general public towards the benefits of this important tool. Unfortunately, information about remote sensing instrumentation and techniques remains inaccessible to many higher-educational institutions due to high cost and lack of expertise and other resources. In an effort to develop more expertise in this field, early exposure of students to remote sensing applications is desired. In this paper, recent results of an innovative low-cost handheld L-band radiometer applied to soil moisture measurements are demonstrated. The use of this instrument for education and outreach purposes within the GLOBE program is demonstrated, and a comparative study of results using the handheld device versus a gravimetric field technique is also detailed