A Preview of and Call for Submissions to the 2018 Fall Meeting

Denis-Didier Rousseau, Fall Meeting Program Chair

After a memorable edition in New Orleans, the 2018 Fall Meeting should take things to an even higher level. And while we have left behind doldrums of winter and entered the spring season, there is still time for you to be part of what will surely be a sensational meeting in Washington, DC in December. After the unique flavor and atmosphere of New Orleans, setting the Fall meeting in DC provides a special opportunity for you to become actively engaged as AGU begins its Centennial year celebrations.

Last year, new session formats were employed by conveners to help their sessions run more smoothly. Oral panel presentations provided the forums that members have been looking forward to for many years. Co-organized sessions also gained greater attention. They provided a great opportunity to address cross-disciplinary topics using that utilized an innovative platform allowing attendees to present their research in engaging and illustrative ways. Similarly, the attendees welcomed the new eLightning poster presentations – a new dynamic presentation tool that helped give these poster sessions the attention they deserve. In addition, the organization of the poster hall was reorganized into four “scientific neighborhoods” that shared similar research interests.

In 2018, with the start of the Centennial celebration, we have decided to include sessions within the regular program dedicated to AGU’s 100-year anniversary. In this same spirit, we would like to encourage this year’s conveners to submit Union Session proposals that are related to last year’s four scientific neighborhoods: Science Nexus, Earth Interior, Earth Covering, and Beyond Earth. AGU’s new GeoHealth platform, which looks to be an early success, has been elevated to an AGU section. So, we hope you will contribute your time and energy to help grow and strengthen this new program. Finally, AGU continues to take a leadership role in data management and citation in the sciences and we would very much welcome session proposals on these important topics.

Following the successful attempt at this year’s Ocean Sciences Meeting, tutorials will be part of the 2018 Fall Meeting experience. These talks are designed to have broad audience appeal to Fall Meeting attendees who might wish to learn more about a given topic they may be unfamiliar with. Proposals for tutorials are submitted the same way as sessions and will be overseen by the Fall Meeting Program Committee.

Being in DC, with all the scientific organizations and institutions in the area, presents a fantastic environment for Fall Meeting. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact, network, and socialize with new colleagues in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The Program Committee, AGU staff, and I are looking forward to an exciting program that will rely most strongly on your own contributions. Remember, 2018 is the kick-off of AGU’s Centennial celebration. We look forward to your participation in THIS EXCITING EVENT, which can be enhanced by your proactive proposal of exciting session topics. We cannot wait to read them!