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January 10, 2019
What is the Value of the Geosciences?
Today’s post is part of a series written by student bloggers from the AGU Fall Meeting 2018. By: Emilie Sinkler, a PhD candidate in Galciology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Geoscientists study many different aspects of the world around us, under us, and above us. Knowledge about our world informs how and where we build our homes, streets, and other infrastructure. It also causes us to reconsider our actions and …
December 20, 2018
What does it mean for Science to “stand for” something?
Today’s post is part of a series written by student bloggers from the AGU Fall Meeting 2018. By: Hannah Mark, MIT-WHOI Joint Program on Marine Geology and Geophysics At this year’s AGU Fall Meeting, I spent a good bit of time walking back and forth between posters and talks along the corridor on the lower level of the Walter Washington Convention Center. Every trip took me past a giant screen playing …
June 27, 2018
Science Spending Bills Ready for Votes
Appropriations: Part 3 All spending bills for the Earth and space science agencies are in play right now! The House and Senate Appropriations Committees each passed their own version of funding legislation for NASA, NOAA, NSF, USGS, EPA, and DOE. Now, the full House and Senate must vote on the bills. The House and Senate have both passed their versions of the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Energy and Water Bill (which funds DOE) as part …
May 24, 2018
Secret Science – Insight into a Misleading Policy
In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Scott Pruitt, signed a draft policy that would change how the agency uses science in decision-making. This proposed policy would exclude scientific information from consideration during the drafting of regulations if the research cannot be validated by the public. What would be so wrong with making data public? Transparency sounds like a good thing, but this would be transparency in name only …
House Spending Bill: Support for Science Agencies Not Across the Board
Appropriations: Part 1 The appropriations process is so far following a more conventional timeline this year as opposed to last year’s drawn-out deals. On 17 May (compared with 13 July last year), the House Appropriations committee approved the fiscal year 2019 (FY 2019) Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill, which funds NASA, NOAA, and NSF. The bill continues to grow funding for NASA and NSF over FY2018 levels. However, NOAA funding takes a …
May 21, 2018
Building Influence in an Election Year
“Once you hear the thunder, it’s too late to build the ark.” When I heard this phrase, I was immediately struck by how perfectly it summarizes the importance of engaging with your legislators. It’s imperative to engage with and know your legislators before you need something from them. As it’s an election year, legislators are more focused on constituents than ever. This is the perfect opportunity to get to know …
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 …
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 …
December 4, 2017
The Threat from Below: The Case for Reauthorizing NEHRP
Editor’s Note: This piece was written by the leadership of AGU’s Seismology Section, including: Greg Beroza (Wayne Loel Professor of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University, AGU Seismology Section Past-President); Doug Wiens (University of Washington, St. Louis, AGU Seismology Section President); Anne Sheehan (University of Colorado, Boulder, AGU Seismology Section President-Elect); and Eliza Richardson (Pennsylvania State University, AGU Seismology Section Secretary). The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) was established …
September 19, 2017
AGU sends letter regarding workforce cuts at DOE
Last week, in response to reports† indicating that the Department of Energy (DOE) has approved plans to reduce the workforce at national laboratories, specifically Oak Ridge and Brookhaven National Laboratories, in accordance with the President’s budget, AGU sent a letter to DOE Secretary Rick Perry urging him to reconsider making such drastic workforce cuts unless directed to by Congress, which has the final say on federal spending. AGU let Secretary …
