April 2, 2018
Marching for Science? Know Your Rights
Today’s post is written by the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. Many scientists in the United States have been moved to action as a result of the current political climate. If you’re one of them and you’re planning to join the March for Science on April 14 — or participate in other activism — it’s crucial that you know your rights. Although the chances of running into trouble when you stand up …
March 27, 2018
Congressional Action on Sexual Harassment
Last week, AGU’s President Eric Davidson reflected on our ethics policy six months after its adoption. One component of the updated policy is the addition of harassment in the definition of scientific misconduct. AGU recognized that we could do more to address sexual harassment in the sciences, and we are not alone. Other scientific organizations and Congress are examining this issue. Recently, AGU’s CEO and Executive Director, Christine McEntee, testified …
March 26, 2018
Briefing Recap: Space Discovery through Cutting-Edge Technology
On Tuesday, 27 February 2018 the House Earth and Space Science Caucus hosted a briefing on “Space Discovery through Cutting-Edge Technology.” Representative Polis (CO-02), co-chair of the caucus, kicked off the briefing with a speech highlighting the awe-inspiring nature of space discovery and the key role technology plays in science. Representative Costello (PA-06), the other caucus co-chair co-sponsoring the briefing, was unable to attend. The panel was moderated by Randy …
February 13, 2018
President’s FY19 Request Proposes Continued Cuts to Science
On 12 February 2018, the Trump Administration released the FY19 Budget Proposal, outlining their priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Similar to last year, the budget outlined several drastic cuts to science. This year’s budget proposal is quite unique, however, because Congress has not yet finished negotiations for final FY18 spending levels. As we reported last week, Congress passed a topline budget deal on 9 February that lifted the FY18 …
January 24, 2018
More Continuing Resolutions, More Negotiations
On Monday, Congress passed a new continuing resolution (CR), ending the second government shutdown in five years. The current CR marks the fourth short term spending bill in fiscal year (FY) 2018 and only funds the government through 8 February. While Congress was able to pass a bipartisan spending bill that ensures that our federal science agencies can currently provide the information and services that protect our local communities, there …
January 17, 2018
A New Year….and Old Nominations?
*Update as of 1/18/2018: The nominations of Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) to be NASA Administrator and AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers to be NOAA Administrator, again cleared the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on party line votes. The nominees will now be voted on by the entire Senate. 2017 was a whirlwind of a year. With a new President came new nominees to be the heads of our federal science agencies. As …
January 4, 2018
Fall Meeting Follow-up: Congressional Science & Mass Media Fellow Luncheon
Are you a scientist interested in policy or journalism? Are you considering a career in policy or journalism? Did you sadly miss our event discussing our science policy and science writing fellowships? Well, you’re in luck! During Fall Meeting, AGU hosted its annual luncheon entitled “How to be a Congressional Science or Mass Media Fellow”. The event provided attendees the opportunity to learn more about the fellowships and hear from current and former …
December 14, 2017
Science to Action Session Provides Inspiration for Future of Science and Public Engagement
Today’s post is part of a series written by student bloggers from the AGU Fall Meeting. By: Rebekah Lee, Boise State University You have probably heard the public calls for more public engagement in science. Many of the issues facing society today are rooted in the geosciences and require public support in order to move toward a solution. Growing populations mean that communities have to produce more with the same amount …
December 13, 2017
Using Data to Inspire: Share Science and Find Truth in the Stories
Today’s post is part of a series written by student bloggers from the AGU Fall Meeting. By: Kimberley Rain Miner, University of Maine When Maria Merian began to study butterflies in the 1670’s, it was understood that they were ‘born of mud’ and spontaneously produced from the earth. However, the transformation she discovered proved to be much more beautiful. The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly has since inspired thousands of …
Missing Voices: Examining Scientific Integrity in the Age of #metoo
Today’s post is part of a series written by student bloggers from the AGU Fall Meeting. By: Kimberley Rain Miner, University of Maine Achieving reliable and reproducible data is the core of science, and the integrity of those foundations ensure the longevity of the scientific method. For this reason, that the scientific community is beginning to address the challenges of the past in the interest of maintaining this integrity — …
