The Bridge: Connecting Science and Policy

March 29, 2019

Sequestration is back; and science funding is in jeopardy.

The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) required Congress to find ways to cut the deficit by capping funding for non-defense, including science, and defense programs. Congress never came to an agreement on ways to cut the deficit and therefore automatic across the board cuts for government spending, or sequestration, were invoked. Sequestration was supposed to be so bad that Congress would be forced to reach an agreement. Under the BCA, FY2020 defense …

August 8, 2018

Meet with Your Legislator This August Recess!

It’s that time of year again. Throughout next month (also known as “August Recess”), members of Congress will be home in their state and district offices to host events and meet with constituents to talk about their priorities. While the Senate has canceled part of their recess, your Representatives and (for part of the time) your Senators will be looking to hear from you as their constituent while they’re home. …

May 18, 2018

Safeguard Our Infrastructure by Improving Space Weather Forecasts

Today’s post is written by Tai-Yin Huang, Professor of Physics, Penn State University Space weather has become increasingly important due to our heavy dependence on technological infrastructure. Space weather can cause disruptions to telecommunications and GPS navigation, failure or mis-operation of satellites, loss of electricity due to damage to power grids, and damage to pipelines, all of which compromise our personal and national security. Luckily, monitoring space weather conditions and …

May 17, 2018

Streamgages: Infrastructure to Protect Infrastructure

Today’s post is written by Sandra M. Eberts, U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologist and Deputy Program Coordinator (Acting), Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program Everyone is talking about infrastructure, especially the high cost of deferred maintenance and reconstruction. If only it were possible to keep infrastructure from degrading in the first place. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages can help do just that. The USGS National Streamflow Network has more than 8,200 streamgages—operated …

May 16, 2018

Infrastructure Week: NEHRP and the Threat from Below

Editor’s Note: During infrastructure week, AGU Public Affairs is highlighting how science helps to protect our infrastructure. Below is a re-post of a recent blog by leadership of AGU’s Seismology Section regarding current legislation to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and improve our nation’s resiliency to seismological activity. This legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Feinstein and Murkowski. AGU, in partnership with other societies like …

May 15, 2018

Can Supercomputers Do More for Future Human Resilience Than the Abacus?

Today’s post is written by David Trossman, Research Associate, University of Texas-Austin’s Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences Scientists like Joseph Fourier, John Tyndall, and Eunice Foot made discoveries that led Svante Arrhenius to calculate how doubling the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would affect global temperatures. This was one of the first qualitatively accurate models of the Earth system. And this was in the 1800s. The additional …

May 14, 2018

Infrastructure Helps Us, But Who’s Helping Infrastructure?

Imagine your (perhaps idealized) morning routine: your alarm goes off, you promptly arise and heat up some breakfast, read the news, shower and brush your teeth, and skip out the door to work. No part of this routine would be nearly so simple without waste and water management systems, telecommunications networks, the electric grid, or roads and public transit. However, it’s easy to overlook the infrastructure that supports our daily …

September 28, 2017

5 Things to Know about the Current State of Science Funding

Sequestration (a.k.a. Major Government Cuts) Kicks-In in January The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) required Congress to find ways to cut the deficit by capping funding for non-defense, including science, and defense programs. Congress never came to an agreement on ways to cut the deficit and therefore automatic across the board cuts for government spending, or sequestration, were invoked. Sequestration was supposed to be so bad that Congress would be forced to …

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 …

August 25, 2017

Q&A with Dr. Robin Bell, Palisades Geophysical Institute/ Lamont Research Professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

Women’s Equality Day is August 26th! To celebrate, AGU will be highlighting several prominent women working in Earth and space science. We’ll be posting Q&A’s on The Bridge and to our various social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram! Today’s featured scientist is Dr. Robin Elizabeth Bell. Dr. Bell is Palisades Geophysical Institute/ Lamont Research Professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. She received her B.A. in Geology and her MA, MPhil, PhD in Geophysics from Columbia University. Who or what has inspired you to pursue your …