16 August 2018
Federal Agency Scientific Integrity Survey Results Released
Tuesday, results of a 2018 Scientific Integrity Survey of 16 federal agencies administered by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology (CSSM) at Iowa State University were released. Among the agencies surveyed were the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). AGU provided the funding to ensure that USGS would be included. The survey itself, which asked for …
12 August 2018
“Eggos rock…Iggy Azalea rocks…IG-KNEE-US rocks?”- In Celebration of International Youth Day
Claudia Corona, Ph.D. candidate at University of Colorado at Boulder, AGU Voices for Science Advocate
When you’ve been a student for longer than you’ve been able to tie your shoes, and when you’ve been uttering words that would be considered a gem on a Scrabble board for at least a quarter of your life, you gain special powers of scientific enunciation and they should be used for good. That thought dawned on me two summers ago, when I was introducing the rock cycle and its …
9 August 2018
World’s Indigenous Peoples Day – How Indigenous Knowledge-Holders Can Improve Our Understanding of the Earth
Dr. Daniel Wildcat, a Yuchi member of Muscogee Nation and faculty member at Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence, Kansas
This International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, August 9, 2018, I ask all AGU members to take a moment to reflect on the rich Earth knowledges Indigenous Peoples possess and this year’s World Indigenous Peoples’ Day theme of migration and movement. Established in 1994 by the UN General Assembly, this annual celebration of Indigenous Peoples should cause everyone working in the geosciences to critically examine their work in relationship …
2 August 2018
AGU Announces New Education Section
Today I’m incredibly pleased to announce that AGU is launching a new section: the Education section. AGU’s sections reflect the scientific breadth of the Union and are responsible for fostering scientific discussion and collaboration, identifying emerging issues, providing member input, and nominating scientists for honors and recognition. The Education section marks the second new section launched by AGU in the past year; the Geohealth section was launched in December 2017. …
1 August 2018
The Nomination of Kelvin Droegemeier as OSTP Director
AGU is pleased to see that President Trump has taken action to appoint Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, a well-qualified scientist from our community, to head the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). After nearly 560 days, the longest any Administration has been without such crucial science advice, this nomination has been long in coming. AGU has been consistently outspoken about the need for an OSTP Director to ensure that sound science informs administration …
30 July 2018
AGU and AAS: Working Together to Expand the Understanding of Exoplanets
By Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, Principal Investigator of NASA’s Psyche mission, and Co-chair of the Interplanetary Initiative
AGU and AAS are the fortunate recipients of a major grant from The Kavli Foundation that brings together our communities to advance the science of exoplanets. I’m proud to be a part of these institutions, particularly at critical junctures in with exoplanetary research, since this is exactly the kind of action that needs to be taken at the institutional level to help move the science forward. Exoplanet science ranks among those discoveries that inspire humankind to look beyond and think above …
25 July 2018
Solidarity Among Scientists Across the Globe Is Needed Now More Than Ever
Frustration is mounting over nationalist policies in the U.S. and other countries, which are obstructing the free exchange of ideas and effective collaboration among scientists. These policies have multiple impacts. The most immediate and visible human tragedies are borne by refugees and immigrants. At the same time, several academics have lost their jobs or their ability to carry out their missions where nationalist governments have restricted academic freedoms and defunded …
3 July 2018
LGBT STEM Day: Time to Talk About It
Dr. Lisa Graumlich - Dean of the University of Washington College of the Environment and member of AGU's Board of Directors
“It’s ok to be gay – just don’t tell anyone.” That was the advice that a senior administrator gave me as I started my career as an assistant professor. My would-be mentor didn’t feel she needed to name the consequences of being out as they were obvious. As women we were already sorely underrepresented in our fields. Why call further attention to yourself? She tacitly implied that it was the …
21 June 2018
2018 Fall Meeting: What Science Stands For
By Lauren Parr, Vice President, Meetings Paying tribute to the achievements of the past is a critical part of understanding the possibilities of the future, and there is certainly no better place to do that than at AGU’s Fall Meeting. The Fall Meeting has long been a place where ideas and concepts that will change the course of science come to light, so it’s particularly appropriate that this year’s meeting …
How the Cryosphere Sciences Section Will Celebrate 100 Years of AGU
Lora Koenig, President-elect, Cryosphere Sciences Section, AGU; and Senior Research Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
AGU’s Centennial is just around the corner, officially kicking off at the 2018 Fall Meeting in Washington, D. C., and running through the 2019 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. I look forward to a celebration marked by a variety of elements that will highlight the talents and drive of both our scientific sections and our membership. The Centennial offers us the opportunity for a coast-to-coast celebration of scientific achievement. …
From the Prow is a two-way conversation between AGU’s leaders and the broad Earth and space science community they serve. It features discussions on trends, Union programs and initiatives, and reflections on the strategic direction of the organization.