By Denis-Didier Rousseau (Centre National de la Recherche Nationale), Fall Meeting Program Committee Chair As the last sessions of the 2015 Fall Meeting came to a close, I paused to think about how ‘the stars had aligned’ to make this well-respected event even more special. The week began with news from Paris that a climate agreement … Read more
UPDATE (3 December, 5:10 P.M. EST): In a new letter to Commerce Secretary Pritzker, Chairman Smith stated, “In order to move the Committee’s work forward…the Committee is willing to accommodate NOAA and prioritize communications sent and received by non-scientific personnel…However, this prioritization does not alleviate NOAA’s obligation to respond fully to the Committee’s subpoena.” Read The … Read more
Update (3 March 2015): In the last few days we have received several comments regarding the situation with the Natural Resources Committee, and as such, I want to expand a bit on what I previously wrote here. AGU unwaveringly supports a scientist’s right to academic freedom, and nothing in my previous post should be interpreted … Read more
I am delighted to announce that John Orcutt, a distinguished professor of Geophysics at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and former president and General Secretary of AGU, will serve as the inaugural editor of our newest open access journal, Earth and Space Science. Over the summer John will recruit the editorial team. The … Read more
Continuing what seems to be a trend, the AGU September Board meeting was both intellectually stimulating and inspiring. Every fall, the Board evaluates AGU’s progress in pursuit of our vision and goals. Last year, we asked staff to create a comprehensive plan to translate these goals into specific strategies and tactics, mapped over multiple years. … Read more
As I sat down to compose this post, the irony of the situation was striking to me. A few weeks ago, AGU and NASA released a press statement regarding new findings of serious water decline in the Colorado River Basin, potentially posing an even greater threat to water availability in the West than previously thought. … Read more
Have you ever stopped to think about what AGU’s more than 62,000 members represent? With a crowd that large, there’s bound to be some variety, right? We have members hailing from 142 countries around the world. They represent the public and private sectors, conduct research at academic institutions and government agencies, and work for Fortune … Read more
20 July 2012 Last month, in a message titled, “Transforming AGU Publishing in an Evolving Marketplace,” I described for you the process underway to evaluate our options for taking AGU publications to the next level and positioning them for the future. This process extended over a period of seven months and reached its culmination last … Read more
7 June 2012 As you know, in the summer of 2010, AGU adopted a new strategic plan that is designed to support and build upon our reputation as a preeminent scientific union that advances our science and its societal impact. One of the key goals identified by the plan, Scientific Leadership and Collaboration, outlines ways … Read more
11 October 2011 You can hardly pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV nowadays without seeing a story on the impacts of the debt crisis in America (and around the world). Unfortunately, the proposed solutions rarely seem to include strategic investments in science and research. This is particularly troubling because we know that … Read more