November 23, 2020
Science Policy Events at Fall Meeting 2020
AGU’s annual Fall Meeting is just around the corner! Although Fall Meeting 2020 will look a little different than years past, we are thrilled to have the Earth and space science community together again in one virtual space. The Public Affairs Team has been busy preparing a packed schedule of science policy events for our members–whether you want to hear from experts on what the recent U.S. election means for …
November 19, 2020
Science stalls in Senate spending bills: Part 2
While Congress is still at odds over COVID-19 pandemic relief, we are nearly two months past the end of the fiscal year without a new budget. The House passed its spending bills in July, the Senate delivered their FY21 spending in mid-November. We are breaking down the spending and programmatic highlights for federal Earth and space science agencies, including highlights from the reports and comparing funding across the House, Senate, …
Science stalls in Senate spending bills: Part 1
While Congress is still at odds over COVID-19 pandemic relief, we are nearly two months past the end of the fiscal year without a new budget. The House passed its spending bills in July, the Senate delivered their FY21 spending in mid-November. Over the next two posts, we will detail the spending and programmatic highlights for federal Earth and space science agencies, including highlights from the reports and comparing funding …
November 16, 2020
The Western US in Flames – What’s Going On?
by: Shane Coffield, PhD Candidate in Earth System Science at UC Irvine It feels difficult to believe that the Australian bushfires happened just earlier this year. Since then, a pandemic, social unrest, and a pivotal U.S. election have dominated the news cycle. Through all of this, however, the climate crisis hasn’t taken a break. The wildfires in the Western US are a stark reminder of that truth. They are …
November 6, 2020
Restoring Science, Protecting the Public: Recommendations for Federal Agencies in the Next Presidential Term
By Cheyenne Young, AGU’s Fall 2020 Public Affairs Intern Amid the ongoing elections, the United States is facing the public health crisis COVID-19 and the climate crisis, in addition to tackling years of social injustice. Thousands of highly qualified professionals employed in U.S. government agencies are working to create comprehensive solutions to address these challenges. While each agency has a different purpose, all share the same goal of serving …
October 12, 2020
How faculty can help increase STEM student voter turnout (and turnout across all disciplines)
by Samantha Perlman, Civic Engagement Manager, Scholars Strategy Network & Melissa Varga, Science Network Community Manager & Partnerships Coordinator With U.S. elections right around the corner, we are all wondering how this unprecedented election will play out. As a deadly pandemic disrupts voting, and rampant and viral misinformation spreads throughout the country, concerns among the public about the integrity of our voting systems are understandably heightened. During this difficult …
September 21, 2020
Elections and Science: Climate Science Legal Defense Fund is here to help scientists prepare to participate in 2020 elections
Climate Science Legal Defense Fund attorneys are teaming up with the American Geophysical Union to host two free webinars on September 28th and October 13th. This webinar series will help scientists from all disciplines participate in electoral politics or engage directly with their legislators as private citizens fully, confidently, and effectively. The first webinar in the series on 28 September from 2-3pm ET, entitled “How scientists can be involved in …
August 21, 2020
COVID-19 recovery must include environmental justice
Caroline Gleason is AGU’s spring 2020 public affairs intern and a graduate student studying climate and society at Columbia University. She is passionate about climate communication, STEM education and protecting public lands. Find her on Twitter @cgleas19. The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on many unaddressed inequities in our society. In many cases, it has compounded the disproportionate health and safety outcomes of Black, Indigenous and people of color …
July 30, 2020
Congressional Visits Days with a Virtual Twist: A DEI Virtual Advocacy Days Recap
Each year, AGU hosts and co-hosts several Congressional Visits Day events, which provide scientists from the Earth and space science community an opportunity to build relationships with their policymakers and further science policy through in-person meetings on Capitol Hill. However, with the current public health crisis limiting travel and face-to-face interactions, holding such events this year in person is not possible. Instead, we took the opportunity to reimagine Congressional Visits …
July 23, 2020
Science Sees Slight Uptick in House Spending Bills: Part 2
Amid negotiations for further relief packages surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the House Committee on Appropriations finished consideration of the major science funding bills, including the spending bills that fund the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. Following on to our previous post, we will detail the spending and programmatic highlights for federal Earth and space science agencies. National …
