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January 27, 2017
10 Ways to Engage your Members of Congress in Minutes
Every two years, a new Congress takes office. Now is an excellent time to engage with the incoming 115th Congress by persuading your senators and representatives to make science a priority this Congress. Getting engaged in science policy is easier than ever, especially with the tools and resources AGU has to offer. Here are ten ways you can get involved, whether you have one minute, five, 10, 30 or an …
November 17, 2016
The Road Ahead
During the long and challenging presidential campaign, discussions regarding science took a back seat. Though many are still processing the results of the election, we wanted to provide some insight into the question “What do the election results mean for science?” For answers, we are looking to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s comments and responses during the campaign. With few discussions of science, insights into Mr. Trump’s position and potential treatment …
November 9, 2016
STATEMENT ON THE 2016 U.S. ELECTIONS
This post originally appeared on the AGU blog From The Prow. The following statement is attributable to American Geophysical Union (AGU) Executive Director/CEO Christine McEntee. AGU represents more than 60,000 Earth and space scientists worldwide: “From the nation’s founding, science has been the backbone of America’s economy, security, and well-being, and the underpinning of our democracy. In the days and months ahead, AGU calls on our elected leaders to remember …
June 14, 2016
Congressman’s idea to privatize NWS forecasts gets icy reception among broadcast meteorologists.
By Dan Satterfield I’m hearing a lot of talk among my fellow forecasters about legislation (introduced by an Oklahoma congressman) that would privatize many forecast functions of the NWS. You might think that private sector meteorologists would support this, but almost every broadcast metr. I know has panned the idea. The quality of public weather forecasts is due to the cooperation between the public and private sector, and a survey of …
June 10, 2016
Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act Introduced to Senate
This blog post was written by Delores Knipp, Editor in Chief of AGU’s Space Weather and Space Weather Quarterly. To learn more about space weather, read Dr. Knipp’s previous post on the National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan. Space weather effects on technology-enabled societies were first reported in telegraph systems in the late 1840’s, with the Carrington storm of 1859 being a prime example. Furthermore, technologies developed within the last …
May 31, 2016
Geoscience research essential to national security, experts say
By Lauren Lipuma WASHINGTON, DC — Government investment in basic science research is critical to protecting U.S. national security, according to a group of government and academic researchers. Basic geoscience research has helped the U.S. develop nuclear weapons experts, protect satellites from space weather and manage critical water supplies, scientists said during a recent congressional briefing on Capitol Hill. The May 12 briefing highlighted national security as an important, but …
May 5, 2016
Funding Season is Open: Part 1
Well, it’s official – the appropriations season in Congress has begun. That’s not to say that Congress hasn’t been contemplating where to spend – and not spend – money all year, but we now have actual legislation that tells us what Congress’ funding priorities are – and more specifically, what their science funding priorities are. On 14 April, the Senate Appropriations Committee finished work on the Energy and Water spending …
April 12, 2016
New Landslide Legislation to Help Alleviate Hazard Risks
On 3 March, 2016, the National Landslide Loss Reduction Act (H.R. 4776) was introduced by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01) to establish a National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program and two competitive landslide grant programs. According to Representative DelBene; “Substantial work needs to be done to gain better knowledge of landslides and their potential impacts in order to reduce losses of life and property. While various areas across the country have been …
November 2, 2015
Visiting My Legislators Was a Bit Like ‘The West Wing’
This blog post was written by Ryan J. Haupt, a paleoecologist working on his Ph.D. in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wyoming. Ryan notes “I am not an expert in science policy but it is something I am deeply interested in it as a science communicator via my podcast and as a citizen reliant on the U.S. producing the cutting edge of scientific research.” Recently, I had the …
August 4, 2015
Make the Most of Recess
Every August, Washington D.C. shuts down as members of both chambers of Congress return to their districts and everyone else in politics takes vacation; this is known as August recess. During August recess members will be focused on spending time with their families, visiting important sites in their district, and making themselves available to their constituents through coffeehouse chats, town halls, and other public events. August recess is a time …
