Margaret Leinen: Reflections Upon My Presidency of the AGU

After two years as President of the American Geophysical Union, from 2014 to 2016, Margaret Leinen, Vice Chancellor for Marine Science at UC San Diego and Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, looks back upon her tenure leading the organization during a period of extended growth and evolution. American Geophysical Union (AGU): How did your … Read more

Closing out 2016 with Inspiration and Collaboration at AGU’s 49th Annual Fall Meeting

Photograph of five panelists from a session at 2016 Fall Meeting

By Denis-Didier Rousseau, Fall Meeting Program Chair What a whirlwind week of professional development, exceptional scientific research presentations, and skill-building workshops we experienced at AGU’s 49th Annual Fall Meeting. With more than 25,000 attendees representing 96 countries converging on San Francisco, and more than 5,300 views On Demand, this year’s Fall Meeting provided the perfect landing … Read more

Election Results Announced

On behalf of the Governance Committee, I am pleased to announce the newly elected members of the AGU Board and Council. As I said in my September post, these individuals will play an essential role within and outside the AGU community. They will collaborate with committees, task forces, other volunteers and staff to achieve our … Read more

What’s the Role of the Scientific Community in Combating Sexual Harassment?

Originally posted to the Wiley Exchanges community. While sexual harassment in academia and in scientific workplaces is receiving increasing attention by the media, it is by no means a new phenomenon. Now that the topic is finally receiving some of the attention that it has long deserved, the time is right for scientific societies to … Read more

AGU Board Votes to Continue Relationship with ExxonMobil and to Accept Sponsorship Support

As you know from my previous messages, the question of AGU’s relationship with ExxonMobil (and our relationship with the larger oil and gas industry) has been a topic of great discussion for the last few months. When the most recent request to end ExxonMobil sponsorship and address questions about how our community should respond to … Read more

AGU Announces New Locations for the 2017 and 2018 Fall Meetings

Two images: on the left, the French Quarter in New Orleans; on the right, the National Capitol in Washington, DC

By Margaret Leinen, President, American Geophysical Union; Eric Davidson, President-elect, American Geophysical Union; and Chris McEntee, Executive Director/CEO, American Geophysical Union As we notified you last December, the Moscone Center’s renovation plans pose a significant risk to our ability to deliver a successful scientific program at the Fall Meeting. While the end result will leave San Francisco … Read more

It’s not what you say, it’s what they hear

During the course of my career, I have received many valuable tips for delivering effective talks and presentations. One I’m sure you are familiar with is, “Communication isn’t what you say, it’s what they hear.” Another I picked up during the advance executive program I took at the Kellogg School of Management. As the professor … Read more

Improving AGU’s Honors and Recognition Program

By Mary Anne Holmes, 2015-2016 Honors and Recognition Committee Member In late May, I was able to participate in the AGU Honors and Recognition Committee’s (H&RC) annual spring meeting. This committee is charged with oversight of all of the Union’s awards, medals, prizes and Fellows selection. Through member volunteers serving on selection committees for each … Read more