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SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTIONAbout AGU: 2013 Fall Meeting Highlights, pp. 43–50

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:About AGU: Submit an AGU Honors Nomination, p. 51About AGU: Outstanding Student Paper Awards, p. 51What’s on the Web: p. 51

Researchers Bring Local Science Into Classrooms

The need to communicate scientific research beyond academia is increasing concurrently with a growing emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math-ematics (STEM) in K–12 education [Breiner et al., 2012]. Connecting scientists with K–12 educators who will share research with students in their classrooms is an effec-tive method for broadening the audience for scientific research. However, establish-ing connections with teachers can be diffi-cult, as there are few networking opportuni-ties between these two groups without one directly contacting the other.

Scientists have excellent resources from their research (e.g., data sets, innovative technology, personal experience, etc.) that can be used to enrich the classroom learn-ing experience, while scientists themselves provide a positive role model for students. Educators are looking for creative and inspiring methods for teaching science but are often unaware that scientists are willing to share these resources, are not sure of the best approach for contacting scientists, or do not have time to find and reach out to sci-entists whose research specialties align with the teachers’ lessons. To establish a forum through which scientists can efficiently pro-vide teachers with scientific resources, the Scientific Research and Education Network ( SciREN) was created, and it is bringing these groups together to share knowledge and materials.

Working Together to Create Effective Lesson Plans

SciREN’s mission is to foster interactions between teachers and scientists to help dis-seminate current research in a relatable, effi-cient, and effective manner, thereby enrich-ing K–12 education. With limited time and financial resources, today’s teachers are required by state and federal governments to meet certain objectives for their courses. Considering these constraints on teachers, combined with the desire to provide scien-tists with an accessible opportunity to con-duct outreach, SciREN has two primary goals to fulfill its mission: first, to better prepare scientists for informal and formal outreach and, second, to bring scientists and teach-ers together to network and provide teachers with prepared resources for their classrooms.

This cooperative approach helps ensure that the research will reach exponen-tially more citizens as teachers share these resources with their classrooms. However, ensuring that research is presented clearly, accurately, and engagingly can be a difficult task. To meet this challenge, SciREN incor-porates two key steps to achieve its vision of making science outreach more efficacious with K–12 audiences.

A first step is to ensure that the resources scientists provide to the teachers are use-ful and enrich the classroom experience; therefore, these resources must be continu-ally evaluated for their effectiveness. With their time already limited, teachers may disregard an activity or lesson plan that has not been adequately prepared to suit the needs of their classroom because they would need to dedicate time to make adjust-ments. To circumvent this, resources shared with teachers are developed and evaluated in two ways. First, seminars help scientists prepare activities or lesson plans in a stan-dardized format, grounded in the state and federal educational standards, in collabora-tion with a panel of teachers who provide the scientists with guidance. Second, after teachers utilize one of the lessons in their classroom, they provide feedback to the scientists on the lessons and make sugges-tions for improvements. The resources are then updated and made available online to all of the teachers who are a part of the net-work. This feedback is also a valuable tool for helping scientists further their ability to translate research results to the general public.

The second step, and principal compo-nent, of SciREN is local workshops that initi-ate networking between scientists and edu-cators and are mutually beneficial. Scientists are provided an accessible venue for out-reach, while the educators receive resources based on current research to incorporate into the classroom.

An added benefit from the local work-shops is connecting teachers with scientists who are conducting local research. The les-sons and resources that these researchers provide can connect with students on a per-sonal level because they are often about familiar places or topics. Place-based edu-cation, where students’ educational experi-ence is rooted in their communities, is gain-ing popularity as a method for teaching STEM subjects [Smith, 2013]. The workshops not only highlight local research but also present studies conducted globally that align with the many educational standards that teachers must meet.

The First SciREN Workshop

In April 2013, graduate students from the University of North Carolina’s Institute of Marine Sciences (UNC-IMS) teamed up with the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (NCA-PKS) to bring resident marine scientists together with teachers from around North Carolina. Informal science education institutions like NCA-PKS are ideal venues for scientific outreach, as they are

NEWSScience Is Key to Decision Making, U.S. Secretary of Interior Tells Eos

As secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Sally Jewell oversees a department whose mission involves both the manage-ment and conservation of federal lands and natural resources. Jewell’s background as a petroleum engineer, banker with a specialty in natural resources, and CEO of Recre-ational Equipment Inc. (REI) could help her balance various, often competing, interests and manage Interior’s nine agencies, includ-ing the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Office of Sur-face Mining Reclamation and Enforcement; National Park Service; and the bureaus of Reclamation, Land Management, and Ocean Energy Management.

On 27 January, Jewell spoke with Eos about balancing energy development and conservation, dealing with climate change, and the role of Earth science. She said her overall approach to striking the right bal-ance on issues involves “understanding our landscapes using the best science that we have so that we understand where the con-flicts are.”

Energy Development

One hot issue is coal development. Rep. Doc Hastings ( R-Wash.), chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, has charged the Obama adminis-tration with “aggressively pursuing a war on coal.” However, Jew-ell refuted that.

“There certainly is not a war on coal on the part of this administration,” she said. “There is a significant part of our electricity infra-structure that does not have alterna-tives to coal right out of the gate, and the administration has done a lot of work, nota-bly through the Department of Energy and the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], in addressing the carbon pollution associ-ated with coal. But we also recognize that there are BTUs [British thermal units] gener-ated by coal that generate electricity that are important to this country, and it’s an asset that this country has.”

She said, “So we’re not going to wean our-selves from coal in the near term, but we believe we can support development of coal and the use of coal in a way that’s more environmentally friendly than has been his-torical practice, and that’s where the parts of the President’s Climate Action Plan [issued on 25 June 2013] that deal with carbon pol-lution really take an important stand.”

Jewell continued, “In spite of what you might hear from members of Congress, we continue to hold coal lease sales around the country. I would say that the interest in coal leasing has waned, and a good part of that has to do with fundamental economics and where is coal in its economics versus other sources, notably, natural gas.”

Jewell also addressed offshore energy exploration in the Arctic and other poten-tially sensitive areas, noting that leases for oil and gas drilling in the Arctic were done in the last decade prior to the Obama administration. “Our job is not to unwind the leases,” she said, adding that the depart-ment’s objective is to make sure that what

has been leased “is developed in a safe and responsible way.”

“We want to make sure that Shell and the other operators up there are able to do what we are requiring of them, both in terms of having a relief drilling rig handy in case they

have a blowout and need to drill a relief well, as we saw hap-pen in the Gulf [of Mexico oil spill of 2010], and also con-tainment, because if there is oil spilling, we don’t want it going into that sensitive Arctic environment,”

she said. “And, as has been well publicized, there were challenges with the containment structure before. But our team is working to make sure that what the companies say the containment system will do, it actually does with a real-life test,” Jewell noted. “With the benefit of science from the USGS and oth-ers, we have a sense of what the risk and the potential are in these areas. We’re not going in blind.”

Striking a Balance

During Jewell’s Senate confirmation hear-ing in March 2013, Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-Oreg.), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said Jewell’s biggest challenge “will be striking the right balance between the secretary’s dual roles of both conserving and developing our resources.”

Jewell commented to Eos, “I am very, very interested in using the kinds of scien-tific tools that we have available to us—GIS [geographic information systems] mapping, Landsat, the geospatial database, those quantitative means of information that we have—and blending that with the qualita-tive on- the- ground [information] that says, you know, for conservationists, what are the areas that are too special to develop and why? For tribal communities, what are the areas that are too sacred to develop and why? To the development interests, what

News cont. on page 42

Local Science cont. on page 42

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell

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“We need to take the best science that we have available and apply it to everything we know.”

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are the areas of highest potential, and what kinds of things can you do employing tech-nology to minimize the impacts on those things that are special?”

“So if you go into these discussions about development or conservation with a com-mon set of facts and understanding that’s based in science, you have a much better opportunity to reach common ground and agreement and not spend all of your time in lawsuits, which, for the business community, undermines their certainty and clarity that their shareholders or their owners are look-ing for, and, for conservationists, it burns a

lot of resources tying things up in court with-out any kind of a certain outcome. So that’s what I’m trying to do to strike the right bal-ance,” she said.

Jewell pointed to some examples of trying to find a balance, including an initiative in 11 western U.S. states on a sage grouse habi-tat conservation plan to protect the species so that an endangerment listing and regula-tory burdens could be avoided, as well as the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan to protect tortoise habitat, sacred sites, and recreational areas and allow for renew-able energy projects in California.

Climate Change

Jewell said Interior has multiple roles related to climate change. “We have to be part of the solution in terms of renewable energy, in terms of reducing the carbon pol-lution from conventional energy, and also addressing the problem through adaptation and mitigation of our landscape,” she said.

Some of those measures, as well as Inte-rior’s involvement with the federal Inter-agency Methane Strategy, are laid out in the Climate Action Plan. In an effort to reduce emissions of methane, a significant green-house gas, Jewell has met with officials and oil and gas representatives in several states, including North Dakota, which is underlain by some of the Bakken formation, which

contains rich oil and natural gas reserves. “There is a real concern on the part of companies as well as the state on the vent-ing and flaring of methane that’s happen-ing at the wellhead in these oil and gas developments because there’s a lack of a gas infrastructure to capture it,” she said, adding that there are some science- based challenges. “We want to be a partner with industry. We will push them, but also we have to be practical. Flaring natural gas is better than venting methane. We want to make sure that the venting, which is not just methane but other volatile organic com-pounds, is minimized.”

Jewell also mentioned some other mea-sures the Interior Department is taking, not-ing that 13.3 gigawatts of renewable energy currently are permitted on public lands and that Interior has “a major role to play in understanding and mitigating the impact of climate change.” She said one example is how USGS undertook detailed lidar mapping of the U.S. East Coast in advance of Hurri-cane Sandy in October 2012 to better assess the impact of the storm and understand the effects of development and green infrastruc-ture in the region.

She stated, “We can apply that science and understanding so that we are bet-ter prepared and more resilient to climate change in the future. So money from Hur-ricane Sandy relief is leveraging that sci-ence that the USGS and the Fish and Wild-life Service notably on the ground provided to address infrastructure rebuilding in a way that’s more resilient to future storms.” Jewell added that such storms “are going to be the case based on scientific predictions around climate change.”

Role of Scientists

Jewell told Eos that science is key to her decision making. “We need to take the best science that we have available and apply it to everything we know. The sci-entists need to be at the table in all of the decisions that we make, and they have been during my time at Interior,” she said, adding, “We are blessed with some amaz-ing tools. We are blessed with Landsat 8 in combination with Landsat 7 that gives us a really clear picture of the Earth every 8 days.”

“Our Earth scientists are providing invalu-able data to businesses, to industries, to local governments, to farmers and ranch-ers, to Indian tribes to make really smart decisions about the resources we use at a time when we’re seeing an acceleration of change around us and we’re trying to fig-ure out what to do,” she said. “Given the cra-ziness that we’ve been operating under in terms of continuing resolutions, sequestra-tions, and shutdowns, I just couldn’t be more proud of the scientists that we have through-out the Department of the Interior, but par-ticularly the USGS, in soldiering on in spite of all of this stuff to provide this data that’s going to be absolutely critical to understand-ing our planet’s systems and adapting to them in the future.”

—Randy ShowStack, Staff Writer

well equipped with staff and facilities to host events and are familiar with transmitting sci-entific information to the public, which is a major part of their mission. Events like those associated with SciREN are great publicity for the institution and provide an opportu-nity to showcase their facilities to both scien-tists and teachers. Being connected to a net-work also gives the informal education insti-tution a greater pool of local scientists to contact when they need someone to speak on a specific topic or to help with programs (e.g., “Meet a Scientist” events).

The SciREN workshop was free for teach-ers and funded by the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence– Southeast: Researcher Educator Exchange Forum (REEF), North Carolina Sea Grant, UNC-IMS, and NCA-PKS. During this evening event, 25 scientists from local marine research insti-tutions (UNC-IMS, Duke University Marine Lab, North Carolina Maritime Museum, and North Carolina Coastal Reserves) set up booths throughout the aquarium. The scien-tist groups included professors, graduate stu-dents, and researchers from nonprofit institu-tions across a range of disciplines, including geology, ecology, physical oceanography,

and marine biology. These scientists responded to an open solicitation for scien-tists who were willing to develop a lesson plan or activity aligned to the standards of education and based on their research. The invitation was sent to all science laboratories and centers in the community. The 50 teach-ers in attendance were able to explore the aquarium and interact with and receive resources from the scientists.

As an extra incentive for teachers, most of the school districts provided them with con-tinuing education units (CEUs) for attend-ing the event and additional CEUs for imple-menting one of the lesson plans or activities in their classroom. CEUs can be used toward maintaining teaching licenses. To evalu-ate the event, both teachers and scientists were required to complete an exit survey. Responses were extremely positive, commu-nicating a strong desire to expand the net-work and continue the event in the future.

Furthering Collaborations Through an Expanded Network

To stimulate future discussions between scientists, educators, and ultimately all

citizens, SciREN participants recognize that their grassroots network needs to grow into a large-scale network of scientists and educators who share ideas and resources freely.

Thus, a three-step method is planned for expanding the network. First, SciREN organizers will perpetuate the event at a single site with new scientists and teach-ers each year. Next, organizers will conduct events and provide resources outside of the annual event that cater to specific groups or needs. Last, over the long term, organizers plan to propagate the network regionally and eventually nationally. Preparations are already under way for the second annual SciREN event in spring 2014, which will incorporate a host of new scientists from both the original participating institutions and new ones from around North Carolina, who volunteered to participate in the event. These new scientists, along with updated resources from scientists who participated last year, should help draw both new teach-ers and teachers who attended the previ-ous event.

After the success of last spring’s event, a group of undergraduates majoring in edu-cation asked the SciREN team to share resources and discuss opportunities for scientist- educator collaborations. Such infor-mal meetings are a critical component in

developing the network because they can target groups that may not be able to attend the annual event. Further, such informal meetings are instrumental in establishing and maintaining lines of communication between scientists and educators.

With help, SciREN has the potential to expand into a much larger partnership between scientists and educators, with the mutual goal of promoting science literacy through passionate and inspiring science education. Those interested in modeling SciREN’s approach to public outreach can learn more at http:// sciren .web .unc .edu/.

References

Breiner, J. M., S. S. Harkness, C. C. Johnson, and C. M. Koehler (2012), What is STEM? A discus-sion about conceptions of STEM in education and partnerships, Sch. Sci. Math., 112(1), 3–11, doi:10.1111/ j.1949-8594.2011.00109.x.

Smith, G. (2013), Place- based education: Prac-tice and impacts, in International Handbook of Research on Environmental Education, edited by R. B. Stevenson et al., pp. 213–221, Routledge, New York.

—Ethan J. thEuERkauf and JuStin t. RidgE, Insti-tute of Marine Sciences, University of North Caro-lina at Chapel Hill, Morehead City; email: ejtheu@ email .unc .edu

TRANSACTIONS AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION

The Newspaper of the Earth and Space Sciences

EditorsChristina M. S. Cohen, José D. Fuentes, Wendy S. Gordon, David Halpern, and Carol A. Stein

Editor in ChiefBarbara T. Richman

Staff

Editorial and Production: Randy Showstack, Senior Writer; Ernie Balcerak and Mohi Kumar, Science Writers/ Editors; Faith A. Ishii, Program Manager; Tricia McCarter-Joseph, Production Assistant; Liz Castenson, Editor’s Assistant; Valerie Bassett, Electronic Graphics Specialist

Advertising: Tel: +1-202-777-7536; E-mail: advertising@agu.org; Christy Hanson, Manager; Robyn Bassett, Classified and Display Ad Sales; Marketing: Mirelle Moscovitch, Marketing Analyst

©2014 American Geophysical Union. Material in this issue may be photocopied by individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permis-sion is also granted to use short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific books and journals. For permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications Office.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (ISSN 0096-3941) is published weekly except the last week of December by the American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, D. C., and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member Service Center, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. To submit a manuscript, visit http://eos-submit.agu.org.

Views expressed in this publication do not neces-sarily reflect official positions of the American Geophysical Union unless expressly stated.

Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO

http://www .agu.org/pubs/eos

Local Sciencecont. from page 41

Newscont. from page 41

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For more than 4 decades, scientists from around the world have converged on AGU’s Fall Meeting to hear about the latest discov-eries in Earth and space science, develop new collaborations and partnerships, and be a part of a passionate, innovative, and welcoming community of scientists dedi-cated to our mission of “Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity.” The 2013 Fall Meeting was no different, and with more than 22,000 attendees joining us in San Francisco from 9 to 13 December, it was our biggest meeting ever!

During the course of the week, attendees had access to an exten-sive schedule of scientific presenta-tions as well as skill-building, net-working, and social events. We had an overflowing schedule of amazing scientific presentations—more than 7000 oral presentations and more than 14,000 poster presentations—and there were nearly 70 town hall meetings on topics such as new ideas in geoscience communica-tions and the future of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change’s assessment reports. We also had a variety of workshops on topics including communicat-ing science in plain English, suc-ceeding on the tenure track, telling the story of your science using video, and landing a geoscience career in the energy industry.

In addition to the more than 20 named lectures, we featured 3 Union lectures: for-mer senator Olympia Snowe talked to us about “What’s Gone Wrong in Washington, and Why It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way” during the Presidential Forum, Columbia University professor James Hansen dis-cussed “Minimizing Irreversible Impacts of Human- Made Climate Change” during the Frontiers of Geophysics Lecture, and Sybil Seitzinger, executive director of the Inter-national Geosphere- Biosphere Programme at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, gave a talk titled “Welcome to the Anthro-pocene: A New Way of Looking at Our World” during the Union Agency Lecture.

We provided special programming for student members; job seekers; and K–12, undergraduate, and graduate educators. We also continued our Bright Students Train-ing as Research Scientists (Bright STaRS) program, which provides a forum for high school students to present their own

research results in a dedicated poster ses-sion—50 posters were presented by these young scientists, setting a new record for the program.

The SWIRL program, which promotes interdisciplinary collaboration at Fall Meet-ing by organizing select sessions from the various sections into themes, was contin-ued for a second year. The SWIRL topics for 2013 were titled Carbon Dioxide Sequestra-tion; Characterizing Uncertainty; Dust and Aerosols; Computational Methods Across Scales: Personal to High Performance Plat-

forms; Global Soils; and Urban Systems.

As a part of AGU’s commitment to communicating science to the public, we continued the annual public programming on Sunday afternoon. Lucile Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey—who is best known in California as the “earth-quake lady”—gave a lecture on the risks our society faces from earth-quakes. Her lecture was followed by Exploration Station, a family- friendly event that featured numer-ous exhibitors with hands- on activi-ties designed to teach children—and the young at heart—about the

wonder and excitement of Earth and space science.

The meeting’s exhibit hall included more than 285 exhibitors representing a variety of products, services, and organizations as well as the AGU Marketplace, where attend-ees could learn about AGU’s new and excit-ing projects and programs and stock up on AGU gear and accessories. And on Wednes-day evening, we honored more than 80 of our colleagues for their outstanding contri-butions to Earth and space science during the annual Honors Ceremony and Banquet, which is, for me, truly one of the highlights of Fall Meeting.

True to years past, we offered numer-ous networking and social events, includ-ing a student mixer, a networking reception for early-career female scientists and stu-dents, the full- service Career Center, and even the Open Mic Night, where attendees could show off their poetic and rapping tal-ents. For the first time, we combined the Ice Breaker reception with the opening of the Exhibit Hall on Monday evening to give attendees more time to connect with one

another and with our exhibitors.

Roughly 160 journal-ists attended meeting events physically and vir-tually, and AGU hosted more than 20 press con-ferences over the course of the week. We also hosted a NASA social event again this year, bringing 15 bloggers and social media experts to cover the Fall Meeting. News from the Fall Meet-ing was carried in news-papers and on websites around the world. And talk of AGU and the Fall Meeting dominated on social media as well, with more than 24,000 tweets using the meet-ing hashtag, #AGU13. So many people were talk-ing about the meeting that we ended up trend-ing on Twitter for the second year in a row! The best of these sto-ries and conversations were captured on FM Buzz, AGU’s new “news and more” site about the meeting (http:// fallmeeting .agu .org/ 2013/ fmbuzz).

To help facilitate par-ticipation from meet-ing attendees in San Francisco and those who were unable to travel, we also focused on expanding our vir-tual options. We live-streamed more than 90 sessions and lectures, and all of the sessions that were live-streamed—plus an additional 15 sessions—have been made available as videos on demand. Because we know it is impossible for attendees to see all of the great poster presentations Fall Meeting has to offer in a mere 5 days, we again offered our presenters the oppor-tunity to upload an electronic copy of their poster to the Fall Meeting website. You can learn more about accessing this con-tent by visiting http:// fallmeeting .agu .org/ virtualoptions.

As we look forward to 2014, I want to thank all those who were involved in plan-ning and organizing the 2013 Fall Meet-ing—from the Program Committee to those who proposed and organized workshops and town halls and especially those who submitted session proposals and abstracts and gave oral or poster presentations. AGU is a great organization because of

its members, and the contributions you have made were critical to making the Fall Meeting the world- renowned event it has become.

I’ve been coming to the AGU Fall Meet-ing for as long as I can remember, and the strength and excitement of the scien-tific program, the variety of workshops and social events, and the camaraderie between attendees have never failed to exceed my expectations. I hope that you can say the same. Be sure to add this year’s Fall Meeting to your calendars—Monday, 15 December through Friday, 19 December 2014.

I look forward to seeing you in San Fran-cisco in 2014!

––caRol finn, President, AGU; email: president@ agu .org

Connecting With Colleagues, Broadening the Knowledge Base, and Embracing the Joy of Science

Our Biggest and Best Fall Meeting Ever

James Hansen’s Frontiers of Geophys-ics Lecture garnered a standing-room-only crowd.

Sybil Seitzinger, executive director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, offered new perspec-tives on looking at the world during the Union Agency Lecture.

Fall Meeting Highlights cont. on page 44

Former U.S. senator Olympia Snowe discussed dysfunction within Congress during her Presidential Forum presentation at the Fall Meeting. Snowe also highlighted opportunities for AGU member involvement in improving science policy, saying, “Your voice does matter….You must not underestimate the impact and the effects and the influence that you have to bring to the table.”

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Once again, the AGU Fall Meeting was a great place for members to learn about cutting-edge science, reconnect with colleagues, and expand horizons.

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As AGU develops the Thriving Earth Exchange, a new initiative to help scien-tists work with communities from all over the world to tackle local challenges, the main questions asked by AGU members and scientists are: How can I contribute to community- inspired science when my research is about something totally unre-lated? I know that my basic research will be important, but what if I want to make a dif-ference right now?

The two Thriving Earth Exchange events at the 2013 Fall Meeting helped answer these and other questions. Discussions showed that even if your research isn’t ready for applica-tion or perfectly aligned to community needs, you can introduce communities to other sci-entists and scientific organizations or help them access and interpret the scientific litera-ture. As a scientist, you probably use things every day—like hazards maps—that commu-nities haven’t even heard of. George Ware, a public health specialist and Denver resident who participated in one of the events put it best when he said, quoting another commu-nity member’s statement from a prior meet-ing, “‘We don’t even know what we don’t know’ related to environmental issues and their impacts on our neighborhoods.”

The Thriving Earth Exchange is designed to help communities explore their Earth and space science –related challenges with support from all interested scientists. The

focus is on doing science with communi-ties instead of for them. As we learned in the two events, the process begins by collabo-rating with community members to help ask and answer important challenges that have an Earth and space science dimension.

For example, at the first of the Fall Meet-ing’s Thriving Earth Exchange sessions, rep-resentatives of a Denver- based community organization met with more than 70 meeting attendees to explore community questions related to water, soil, and air quality; climate change; and geohazards. The scientists were surprised when LaShonn Billingsley, a Denver resident, told them that many neighborhood residents don’t completely trust the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) because it is part of the federal government. Instead of asking the EPA to assess whether contami-nants could be found in the tap water of Den-ver neighborhoods, the group she worked with focused on methods that enabled resi-dents to test the water themselves.

The panel discussion at the second Thriv-ing Earth Exchange session built on this theme of trust, suggesting that while sci-entists have much to offer communities, they can’t offer anything until they listen and earn the trust of the community. John Bwarie, who runs a business focusing on the intersection of science and policy, was quick to point out that even policymakers often turn to trusted advisors (like relatives) rather

than scientific experts, for advice on compli-cated subjects.

Building these trusted relationships can lead to partnerships that address questions that might not be obvious at the start. As one scientist asked, “What do you do if the com-munity challenges miss the big underlying question?” Working with community part-ners, the scientist realized that the answer is to “meet people where they are”—to begin by addressing the issues raised by the com-munity before introducing new questions.

Asking communities and decision makers what is important to them, instead of decid-ing for them, goes a long way toward foster-ing conversations that matter. County and local governments are being pressed to do more with fewer resources, said Rob Gates, a water resource manager from Kentucky, at the second session. Gates added that those governments are excited to build relation-ships that can bring new solutions and new partnerships to the table but stressed that they need solutions to the problems they have already identified.

The Thriving Earth Exchange team thanks everyone who made the events at the Fall Meeting a success. Check back with us at http:// ThrivingEarthExchange .org or on Twitter @ThrivingEarth to help keep the con-versation going.

—Julia galkiEwicz, Coordinator, and RaJ Pandya, Program Director, Thriving Earth Exchange, AGU; email: rpandya@ agu .org

The 2013 AGU Honors Tribute, celebrated on Wednesday, 11 December 2013, honored 83 AGU geophysicists for their passion for sci-entific excellence and outstanding achieve-ments in advancing and communicating sci-ence to ensure a better future for humanity. The work conducted by this distinguished group of scientists, leaders, educators, and communicators truly embodies AGU’s vision to “advance and communicate science and its power to ensure a sustainable future.”

Union Awardees

AGU executive director/ CEO Chris Mc Entee began the tribute by presenting the awards to this year’s ten Union award-ees. They were honored not only for their hard work, dedication, and scientific excel-lence inherent in their research but also for achievements in education, communication, and outreach; for highlighting the impor-tance of Earth and space scientists; and for broadening the public’s understanding of science and how it benefits humanity.

Included in this year’s Union awards was the new Science for Solutions Award, given

to recognize the innova-tion and dedication of stu-dents and postdoctoral sci-entists who have put their knowledge to work on important soci-etal issues. The Climate Communication Prize, supported by a generous grant from Nature’s Own, was also presented during the ceremony, recognizing those whose

work promotes scientific literacy and fosters respect and understanding for science- based values as they relate to climate change.

Fellows

Also at the tribute, Margaret Leinen, AGU president- elect, presented the 2013 Class of Fellows. Each year, only one of every 1000 AGU members earns this special designation. AGU confers this special designation in trib-ute to the exceptional knowledge and vision-ary leadership that these recipients embody, and to the foundational contributions they have made to their fields of research.

Thirteen out of 62 elected Fellows are women, the largest number of women elected for a given year in the history of the Fellows Program. The 2013 elected class is one of our most scientifically diverse, with research interests spanning AGU’s section and focus groups. As Fellows, these 62 individuals join a highly influential, world- class group of scien-tists at the very peak of their prolific careers in the Earth and space sciences.

Medalists

The final highlight of the evening’s trib-ute was paid to the recipients of AGU Med-als, the highest honors conferred by the AGU and among the most prestigious scien-tific awards in all of geophysics. Carol Finn, AGU president, presented these medals to

ten men and women who have pio-neered new frontiers in geophysi-cal research. They have left their mark through their creativ-ity, original thinking, and ground-breaking advances in

the Earth and space sciences. Their dedica-tion, vision, and passion for discovery have changed the way we view the world around us, and their achievements have benefited society immeasurably.

This year’s William Bowie medal was given to Raymond G. Roble for his outstand-ing contributions to the physics and dynam-ics of the upper atmosphere and for pioneer-ing the development and use of numerical models for geoscience research. His accom-plishments have revolutionized the field and produced significant impacts on other areas, including planetary atmospheres and atmospheric electricity. Roble embodies the imperative of unselfish cooperation in research for which this medal is awarded.

The Macelwane medals were awarded to three outstanding young scientists who have made significant contributions to the geo-physical sciences. Six other medals were presented to AGU scientists whose examples of dedication, professionalism, and generos-ity have given guidance to students, inspired researchers, and encouraged collaborations across their scientific community.

A Festive Night

The integration of the Honors Ceremony and Banquet into an evening’s celebration was an astounding success. More than a thousand people attended this year’s Honors Ceremony, and almost 950 people joined the festive Honors Banquet. To increase student attendance to the Honors Banquet, AGU offered discounted student tickets, for the first time, and 125 were sold.

At the ceremony, Carol Finn thanked all who had committed and dedicated their time and energy in support of AGU’s Honors Pro-gram. These include AGU’s committed vol-unteer members who serve on the Awards, Fellows, Prize and Medal selection commit-tees and who gave their time to choose these honorees. AGU joins in thanking these indi-viduals, along with all members, relatives, and friends who celebrated scientific achieve-ment during the Honors Tribute.

The nomination period for the 2014 Union Honors award cycle is now open. Please nominate your colleagues who are deserv-ing of these rewards and recognition, pay-ing particular attention to underrepresented groups. With your help, we are sure to have another successful Honors Program!

—BEth PaREdES, Assistant Director, Executive Operations and Awards Administration, AGU; email eparedes@ agu .org

43,400 = Square feet occupied by the Exhibit Hall in the Moscone Center North Building

24,437 = Tweets sent 8–14 December by 10,321 contributors using #AGU13

22,161 = People registered21,227 = Abstracts submitted6,944 = Students, from high school to

graduate school, who attended2,606 = Presentations judged by 1,953

AGU members for the Outstanding Stu-dent Presentation Awards

2,391 = Attendees who supported AGU with a donation of any size

2,000 = Attendees who participated virtually using on- demand and live streaming options

1,834 = Fall Meeting registrants who supported AGU Student Travel Grants by adding a $5 donation to their registration

1,000 = People who attended the Hon-ors Ceremony and Banquet

467 = People who attended Explora-tion Station

431 = Fun Run participants who saw the Sun rise over the Golden Gate Bridge

285 = Exhibitors with booths in the Exhibit Hall

250 = AGU membership renewals processed

239 = Student T- shirt design contest– winning shirts sold at the AGU Marketplace

230 = Student Travel Grants and Berkner Travel Fellowships awarded

171 = AGU editors and associate edi-tors honored at the Editors’ Evening

170 = Gigabytes of video recorded by AGU videographer Derek Sollosi

158 = Jobs posted on the Career Cen-ter job board

150 = People who attended Open Mic Night, hosted by Richard Alley

95 = Countries represented by the attendees

86 = Bright Students Training as Research Scientists (Bright STaRS) who presented their research posters

83 = Honorees recognized75 = AGU staff on hand67 = Town halls held57 = Middle and high school teach-

ers and informal educators who partici-pated in the Geophysical Information for Teachers (GIFT)workshop

45.95 = Miles walked by Eos editor in chief Barbara Richman, as measured by her pedometer

40 = Participants who attended the Congressional Science and Mass Media Fellowship Luncheon

36 = Scientists and AGU members who shared their science with the pub-lic at Exploration Station

33 = People who attended the annual Heads and Chairs workshop

24 = Organizations represented at the Career Opportunities Luncheon

22 = Press conferences held20 = Union sessions held19 = Sea lions counted, on average,

snoozing on floating docks at Pier 39, blissfully unaware of the Fall Meeting

18 = Experts who were available at the AGU booth to give advice on using social media, talking with the public, being a K–12 resource, and informing policy

17 = International remote- viewing sites where members participated in the virtual offerings

13 = People who signed on to AGU’s Science Is Essential campaign

3.2 = Miles of posters on display each day, on average

1 = Times the GeoPigeon visited the Career Center

0.25 = Age, in years, of the youngest participant at Exploration Station

Priceless = Former senator Olympia Snowe’s praise of AGU’s Public Affairs work on the Hill

—PRanoti M. AShER, Manager, Education and Public Outreach, AGU; email: pasher@ agu .org; with many contributions from AGU staff

2013 Fall Meeting by the Numbers

Fall Meeting Highlightscont. from page 43

AGU Celebrates 83 Geophysicists at 2013 Honors Tribute

The citations to and responses from each of AGU’s medalists were published in the 7 January 2014 issue of Eos. The 14 January 2014 issue carried the citations to and responses from the awardees, and prize winner.

Citations to and Responses From AGU Medalists, Awardees,

and Prize Winner

Meeting People Where They Are: Thriving Earth Exchange

Scientific Leadership and Collaboration

The American Geophysical Union is a leader, collaborator and sought after partner for scientific innovation, rigor

and interdisciplinary focus on global issues.

Fall Meeting Highlights cont. on next page

(top) Honorees prepare to enter the Honors Ceremony. (right) AGU president Carol Finn (right) presents the William Bowie Medal to Raymond Roble.

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Virtual Options Program Offers Global Reach to Fall Meeting Presentations

Fall Meeting Highlightscont. from page 44

Through the Fall Meeting Virtual Options program, AGU expanded existing virtual offerings and piloted new concepts at the 2013 Fall Meeting. The program seeks to engage AGU members and the broader sci-entific community in a global knowledge- sharing effort that goes beyond a physical meeting. This includes the dissemination of research outside the meeting venue and the inclusion of remote audiences and present-ers in the on- site discourse.

With more than 500 presentation record-ings and nearly 3800 ePosters, the Virtual Options program made an unprecedented number of Fall Meeting presentations avail-able beyond the walls of the Moscone Cen-ter. This research has reached to the far cor-ners of the globe, with live streams being viewed from all seven continents. More than 2800 scientists across more than 60 coun-tries—including nearly 2000 who did not attend the Fall Meeting—signed up to watch recordings of Union lectures, named lec-tures, and oral presentations.

In addition, 50 institutions spanning 18 countries registered as remote viewing sites and gathered their scientists to watch the live streams and recorded content in a communal setting, which allowed for net-working and group discussions. Registered institutions included U.S. government agen-cies, international research institutes, com-panies, museums, universities, a community college, and a high school.

Since 2011, AGU has offered an ePoster option to poster presenters, enabling them to

include electronic copies of their posters in a searchable database. This year’s database contains 3790 ePosters, a record- breaking total and more than double the number of ePosters from the 2012 Fall Meeting. So far, at least 2200 scientists have viewed ePosters, including more than 600 scientists who did not attend the Fall Meeting.

In addition to expanding the reach of sci-entific research presented in San Francisco, the Virtual Options program experimented with bringing content into the meeting. Eleven poster presenters, calling in from var-ious locations throughout the United States, interacted in real time with attendees in the poster hall, using kiosks equipped with two- way audio and video connections.

The Fall Meeting Virtual Options program is a concrete example of AGU’s commitment to its strategic objectives on scientific lead-ership, collaboration, and organizational excellence. The expansion of virtual oppor-tunities complements the on- site experience and enables the research presented to reach an even broader scientific audience.

AGU will be evaluating efforts to provide virtual content and welcomes members’ input so that future offerings are developed with members’ needs in mind. Additional information on the Virtual Options program is available at http://fallmeeting .agu .org/ virtualoptions, and feedback can be sent to virtualoptions@agu.org.

—Emily RoBichaux, Project Manager, AGU; email: virtualoptions@agu.org

Journal Editors Celebrated at Editors’ EveningAt the Fall Meeting, the premiere social

event for AGU’s many journal editors is the annual Editors’ Evening, an opportunity for members to celebrate and to recognize the efforts of retiring editors. At the event, AGU president Carol Finn welcomed all those in attendance and thanked them for volunteer-ing their time for the benefit of AGU and the wider research community.

The welcome was followed by the hon-oring and recognition of a number of retir-ing editors: Meric A. Srokosz, Geophysical Research Letters; Eric Sundquist, Global Biogeochemical Cycles; Louis A. Derry

and James A. Tyburczy, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems; Robert L. Lysak, Masaki Fujimoto, and Philippa Browning, Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR)-Space Physics; Sara C. Pryor and Yinon Rudich, JGR-Atmospheres; Todd Ehlers, Tectonics; and Rezaul Mahmood, Earth Interactions.

AGU thanks all of its editors and associate editors, current and newly retired, for all of their hard work.

—JEanEttE Panning, Manager, Journals Editor Coordination AGU; email: jpanning@ agu .org

Attendees Discuss Science Policy Outreach The 2013 Fall Meeting provided partici-

pants with many opportunities to increase their involvement in Earth and space sci-ence policy. Whether attendees were inter-ested in outreach campaigns, concerned about recent legal attacks on science, or fascinated by the prospect of working with policy makers, the meeting teemed with opportunities to learn and become more involved.

In response to the federal budget seques-tration and ongoing federal budget cuts to science, AGU Public Affairs initiated the Science Is Essential campaign at Fall Meet-ing. This movement urges AGU members to become involved in science policy out-reach through regular communications like Science Policy Alerts and the AGU Expert Outreach Network (AEON). Public Affairs staff was on hand at various events and at the AGU Marketplace to discuss the program. To learn more about Science Is Essential, visit http:// sciencepolicy .agu .org/ scienceisessential.

The need for scientists to make their voices heard and educate policy makers and the public about the importance of feder-ally funded research was echoed in the Fall Meeting virtual option event “2014: A Fund-ing Odyssey” and at former U.S. senator Olympia Snowe’s Presidential Forum presen-tation. View Fall Meeting virtual options at http:// fallmeeting .agu .org/ virtualoptions.

In response to increasing legal attacks against scientists and their research, AGU partnered with the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) to educate partici-pants on the legal challenges facing some AGU members (see “AGU and Climate Sci-ence Legal Defense Fund support scien-tists facing legal attack,” this page). For the

second straight year, AGU and CSLDF also offered one- on- one consultations with an attorney throughout the meeting. Many sci-entists took advantage of the opportunity for pro bono legal advice.

Attendees interested in working with Con-gress to shape policy and inform the public about the importance of Earth and space science participated in the Communicating with Congress Workshop and the Congres-sional Science and Mass Media Fellowship Luncheon. Both events featured a panel of experts who discussed their work with or on Capitol Hill and the opportunities and chal-lenges faced when a scientist ventures into the legislative arena.

Numerous Public Affairs sessions high-lighted the importance of communicating science effectively to stakeholders, including “Hydraulic Fracturing: Knowns, Unknowns, and Communication to the Public” and “Sci-entists Must Film! Using Video to Enhance and Expand Science and Science Commu-nication.” Other sessions provided guid-ance on how to respond to recent modifica-tions to federal and institutional policy. For example, in the “Adapting to and Mitigating the Impacts of Recent Policy Changes” ses-sion, Suzette Kimball, acting director of the U.S. Geological Survey, discussed how her agency has responded to new federal poli-cies affecting government participation in scientific conferences.

To get involved in science policy, stay up to date on the latest policy developments, or apply for a Congressional Science Fellow-ship, visit AGU’s science policy website at http:// sciencepolicy .agu .org.

—ERik hankin, Public Affairs Specialist, AGU; email: ehankin@ agu .org

AGU and Climate Science Legal Defense Fund Support Scientists Facing Legal Attack

A lawyer and a scientist walk into a room—but this is no joke. Scientists are fac-ing subpoenas, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and other legal issues regarding their scientific work. It is not part of a scientist’s traditional training to learn how long to keep e mails related to feder-ally funded research or what to do if their research is subpoenaed. To assist members dealing with these matters AGU partnered, in 2013, with the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) for a second year to put on the Legal Education for Scientists program, a series of events aimed at helping them navi-gate these often murky legal waters.

At Fall Meeting 2013, AGU scientists Andy Dessler, Michael Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Ben Santer, and Kevin Trenberth shared their experiences of the legal repercussions for their scientific work during a brown bag lunch event, Facing Legal Attack: Scientists Tell Their Stories. The panelists described legal challenges as difficult and unexpected parts of their scientific careers, gave anecdotes on what they did after being served with FOIA requests and subpoenas, and offered advice to scientists facing similar legal struggles.

Despite these hardships, all of the panel-ists mentioned that at some point during the process they came to realize that they did

not have to go through it alone and could turn to groups such as AGU and CSLDF to help them find legal assistance. The panel-ists said that it helped to know that other sci-entists had been through similar situations and had come out on the other side with productive careers and positive attitudes.

Aside from hearing about other scientists’ experiences, Fall Meeting attendees also had a chance to get some personalized advice from an attorney with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a group expe-rienced with the legal issues often faced by geoscientists. This was the second year that attendees had this opportunity, and slots filled up quickly.

If you have faced a legal attack or just want to know what you should do to be prepared, join us at the Fall Meeting 2014 and be on the lookout for the Legal Edu-cation for Scientists events. More infor-mation on all past and upcoming events is available on the AGU Science Policy website: http://sciencepolicy .agu .org/ legal- education- for- scientists/.

—ElizaBEth landau, Public Affairs Manager,

AGU; email: elandau@agu.org

Science and SocietyThe American Geophysical Union engages members,

shapes policy, and informs society about the excitement of Earth and space science and its role in developing

solutions for the sustainability of the planet.

Fall Meeting Highlights cont. on page 46

Editors of AGU journals and Eos reconnect with colleagues at the Editors’ Evening.

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Give the geophysics community an update on your project, program, or research experience: Contribute a brief report to Eos.

To learn more, visit http:// onlinelibrary . wiley .com/ journal/ 10 .1002/ (ISSN) 2324 -9250/ homepage/ ForAuthors .html.

Contribute to Eos!

Gary W

agner

More than 24,000 tweets were sent 8–14 December by more than 10,000 contributors using the AGU hashtag #AGU13.

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“What you heard in the poetry, what you heard in the stories and the songs here tonight—there are people in the world who will get that a lot better than our posters,” said Richard Alley to a packed crowd of Earth and space scientists at the Fall Meet-ing’s second annual Open Mic Night. “Not only are they going to be happier because of it, but so are we.”

Alley is known for hosting EARTH: The Operators’ Manual, a television series that aired on PBS. But on 10 December 2013 he hosted something a little different—a night when a dozen Fall Meeting attend-ees rapped, rhymed, and recited tales of Earth and space science for an audience of 150 people at a bar in downtown San Fran-cisco. The event was just one of many orga-nized by the AGU Public Information Office meant to celebrate plainspoken science and to offer meeting attendees opportunities to improve their communication skills.

On Sunday, 8 December, the busy week kicked off with a workshop, Communi-cating Climate Science in an IPCC Year, offered by AGU and the Union of Con-cerned Scientists, where 40 participants practiced turning their research and exper-tise into succinct talking points that could be easily shared with the press, policy mak-ers, and the general public.

Later that afternoon, roughly 70 people crowded into Salon 4 at the Marriott Mar-quis for a second event, Science Story-telling Workshop: Video- Making Tips and

Tools. Video- making experts, including speakers from Google Earth™ and GoPro, encouraged scientists to shoot video while doing field research. Scientists often go to remote, difficult- to- access places, the panel-ists said, which gives them the opportunity to capture and share otherwise unobtain-able stories.

On Sunday evening, nine competitors went head- to- head for FameLab: Science Sto-rytellers Public Contest. Held at the Califor-nia Academy of Sciences, FameLab is like American Idol for scientists. Competitors are given 3 minutes each to explain a complex science topic in plain language for a diverse audience. Participants tackled a wide range of subjects, including Mars exploration, the migration of the Eskimo Curlew (an endan-gered Arctic shorebird), and DNA barcod-ing. Gabriella March, a graduate student in geochemistry at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, won the Fall Meeting FameLab for her talk, “Five Things Geologists Want You to Know.”

On Tuesday, roughly 120 people gathered for Sharing Science in Plain English: Panel and Late Lunch. At the start of the panel, moderator John Calderazzo, a Colorado State University English professor, asked par-ticipants to pair off for an experiment. One partner was asked to communicate a song of his or her choosing to the other by knocking on the table with his or her knuckles. About half of the room recognized the songs their partners were “playing” for them. When it

comes to sending and receiving messages, Calderazzo explained, the sender has to consider what the receiver knows, including whether he or she is familiar with a particu-lar rhythm.

That afternoon, scientists curious about blogging joined seasoned bloggers for the Bloggers Forum. There, about 90 partici-pants discussed the world of science blog-ging, including how to get started.

Throughout the week, meeting attend-ees stopped to watch Earth and space sci-ence videos in the AGU Cinema, a film

festival of more than 100 videos playing in a continuous loop. The short films, both live action and animated (including one animated with Lego® bricks), covered topics ranging from satellites and ocean drilling to underwater volcanoes and leaf research.

—maRy cathERinE adamS, Public Information Specialist, AGU; email: mcadams@ agu .org

Scientists declared Comet ISON dead, revealed the coldest place on Earth, and unveiled new clues about possible life in the Solar System during press conferences at the 2013 AGU Fall Meeting.

More than 150 journalists from around the world reported on the latest findings from the Mars Curiosity rover, new images of Jupi-ter’s moon Europa, and the current state of the Arctic, among other items of interest. Twenty-two press conferences organized by the Public Information Office helped gener-ate more than 4200 news stories about sci-ence presented at the Fall Meeting as of the end of 2013.

During the meeting, the world’s largest annual gathering of Earth and space sci-entists, social media platforms lit up with news and comments. AGU’s Facebook page reached more than 475,000 people around the world. Some 10,000 Twitter users tweeted the AGU13 hashtag (#AGU13) more

than 24,000 times, reaching more than 45 million individual Twitter accounts.

The AGU Blogosphere included more than 30 posts related to the Fall Meeting, including more than 20 stories generated by students from the science writing program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. These guest bloggers, reporting for AGU’s blog GeoSpace, scoured the poster hall and scientific sessions to find news about earth-quakes, space weather, the ocean, and other Earth and space science topics.

Some of the top news to come out of this year’s Fall Meeting include the following:

• Curiosity mission scientists revealed that an ancient, large freshwater lake on Mars—now a dry lakebed—may have had the right conditions for supporting life.

• The lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth, –135.8°F on a high ridge on the East Antarctica Plateau, was unveiled by NASA and U.S. Geological Survey scientists.

• Astronomers officially announced the death of Comet ISON, the closely watched comet that did not survive its brush with the Sun on Thanksgiving Day.

• Images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope showed that Jupiter’s moon Europa may be spouting water geysers, furthering the search for life in the deep reaches of the solar system.

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and partner sci-entists released their annual Arctic Report Card, showing that the Arctic is continuing to warm despite a cool 2013.

• Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NASA, and NOAA discussed new systems that utilize GPS to improve real-time warnings of earthquakes, tsunamis, and extreme weather events.

• Scientists working with NASA’s Cassini spacecraft reported an unknown object at the edge of one of Saturn’s rings. The team also mapped the lakes and seas on Saturn’s moon Titan.

• Researchers said that the hole in the ozone layer is expected to fully recover by 2070.

• Chemists reported that perfluorotribu-tylamine, an artificial greenhouse gas used by the electrical industry, is 7100 times more

powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the Earth on a per molecule basis.

• Using new models, scientists found that hundreds of generations of pocket gophers may have built the mysterious Mima mounds in western Washington.

News from the meeting was carried by hundreds of media outlets and social net-working sites including the following:

ABC News, Al-Jazeera, Associated Press, BBC, Chemical & Engineering News, Cli-mate Central, ClimateWire, CNNMoney, CBS, Discover, Discovery News, Earth Mag-azine, Fox News, Ghana Broadcasting Cor-poration, Gizmodo, The Guardian, Hindu-stan Times, io9, Le Monde, LiveScience, MSNBC, National Geographic, National Public Radio, Nature, New Scientist, The New York Times, Physics Today, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, PBS, Reddit, Reuters, Science News, Scientific American, Sky&Telescope, Slashdot, Space .com, Sterne und Weltraum, UniverseToday, UPI, USA Today, Voice of America, The Washing-ton Post, Wired, Xinhua News Agency, and Yahoo! News.

—nanci BomPEy, Public Information Specialist and Writer, AGU; email: nbompey@agu.org

Fall Meeting Science Makes Headlines, Generates Thousands of Tweets

Fall Meeting Highlightscont. from page 45

Rapping, Blogging, and Plain Language: The Stars of Science Communication Events

Did you know that your donations allowed 10 Berkner Student Travel Grant recipients from underserved countries to

present their research at the2013 AGU Fall Meeting?

 Make a difference.Donate to AGU!

www.agu.org/givingtoagu

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Fall Meeting Highlights cont. on next page

Why is this man so excited? An audience member reacts to a performance at the Fall Meeting’s second annual Open Mic Night, where attendees told jokes, rapped about climate science, and shared illustrated haiku in front of more than 150 people at Jillian’s, a bar and restaurant in downtown San Francisco.

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More than 22,000 people registered for the 2013 AGU Fall Meeting, the largest in AGU’s history.

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Imagine the United States without Los Angeles. That was the unnerving hypotheti-cal posed by Lucile Jones to an audience of more than 100 people at AGU’s annual pub-lic lecture on the opening day of the 2013 Fall Meeting. As the science advisor for risk reduc-tion with the U.S. Geological Survey, Jones is a familiar face to many Californians—she is often interviewed in the wake of the state’s frequent earthquakes. In her lecture, Jones explained that there is a high likelihood that a major quake will hit the Los Angeles region.

When a big one does hit, Jones said, there will be major effects on the city’s infrastruc-ture, including building stability, access to water, and the operation of the electrical grid. She added that if major supply routes

for food, water, and emergency services straddle faults, communities run the risk of being cut off from aid, depending on differ-ent earthquake scenarios.

Jones also explained what city officials and residents can do to prepare for a major earthquake, including using appropriate construction techniques and keeping impor-tant supplies, such as water, fire extinguish-ers, and a first aid kit, on hand. She illus-trated these points with an engaging video (available at http:// www . youtube .com/ watch ?v =w9NtvuiVmw8). Lucile Jones’s lecture can be seen in its entirety as one of AGU’s virtual meeting offerings: http:// education . agu .org/ education - activities -at -agu - meetings/ public -lecture/.

The annual public lecture is just one of the ways in which the Fall Meeting helps AGU members share their knowledge and passion with the public.

Following the public lecture, AGU’s free, hands- on, family- friendly Exploration Station hosted more than 460 participants at 36 dif-ferent exhibits. This annual event, which is open to the public, features AGU members leading interactive demonstrations on a range of topics, from the science of Mars to sedimentology, earthquakes, the electromag-netic spectrum, and much more.

More than half of the exhibitors were repeat presenters, who returned after suc-cessful exhibits at past meetings. These Exploration Station regulars were joined by new booths and exhibitors, including the “AstroWizard” Dave Rodrigues, who wore a sorcerer’s hat and robes and performed magic tricks while teaching young students

core concepts of science and astronomy. When asked, exhibitors and attendees responded that they hoped that the event would continue for years to come.

“The most amazing part was that we could talk to actual scientists about the exhibits,” said one attendee in a postevent anonymous survey. “Their passion and knowledge is contagious!”

Mark your calendars for 14 December 2014, when the next public events at the Fall Meeting will take place. In addition to AGU’s longstanding Exploration Station exhibi-tors, there will be a new group of presenters ready to share their hands- on science and a new public lecture speaker.

—anniE tamalavagE, Education and Outreach Intern; and BEthany holm adamEc, Education and Outreach Coordinator, AGU; email: bhadamec@ agu .org

In a new documentary screened at the 2013 Fall Meeting, viewers follow the wan-derings of Simon Lamb, a New Zealand geol-ogist on a mission. Lamb is out to explore firsthand the research that climate scien-tists do and to gauge whether their claims that human- made emissions are changing Earth’s climate are correct.

In Thin Ice (2013), Lamb exudes a winning eagerness, sincerity, and seeming naïveté. His personality (and a charming musical score) carries the audience along as he observes and interviews climate scientists from New Zealand to Antarctica to England.

During a panel discussion following the 9 December screening, which drew more than 150 AGU Fall Meeting attendees, Lamb emphasized how important it was to him to show the scientists as they really were. He wanted to let their explanations of the sci-ence, and their obvious devotion to figuring out how things work, answer any critics.

For instance, the filmmakers kept their cameras rolling as Lamb visited the

incredibly cluttered office of Phil Jones, research director of the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia in Nor-wich, U.K. Jones, for reasons having nothing to do with the film, later became the target of intense criticism during the 2009 “Climat-egate” scandal. “I wasn’t trying to spin the scientists,” explained Lamb, who conducted all the film’s interviews, shot nearly all of its footage, and served as the narrator.

Science filmmaker Geoffrey Haines- Stiles (Cosmos, Earth: The Operator’s Manual) moderated the panel, which included physi-cist Myles Allen of Oxford University, who also appeared in the film, and geologist Peter Barrett, an Antarctic researcher at Vic-toria University of Wellington, who was also one of two executive producers of the film.

True to Thin Ice’s goal of letting the cli-mate scientists speak for themselves, said Barrett in an interview, “Simon and I agreed from the outset that the film would focus on the scientists and what they said.” Barrett had negotiated the agreement with Victoria

University of Wellington, Oxford University, and DOX Productions, London, that made the 73- minute film possible and secured for it the unusual support it received from aca-demia for its production.

Thin Ice “brought tears to my eyes,” said audience member Michael Mottl, chair of the department of oceanography at the Uni-versity of Hawai‘i at Manoa, in Honolulu, who noted its portrayal of climate scien-tists in the field under modest or difficult

circumstances. “It’s so clear they’re driven. That goes a long way to counter those say-ing [climate change] is a hoax,” he said. “How could anyone possibly believe that when they see a film like this?”

For more on the film, go to http://www .thiniceclimate .org.

—PEtER wEiSS, Public Information Manager, AGU; email: pweiss@ agu .org

Getting Up Close and Personal With Climate Scientists in Thin Ice

Fall Meeting Highlightscont. from page 46

Geologist Simon Lamb discusses Thin Ice, the film he helped to create, after it was screened at the 2013 Fall Meeting.

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In total, 6944 students, from high school students to graduate students, attended the 2013 Fall Meeting. Several activities and ser-vices were geared toward them, with some even organized spontaneously to meet stu-dent needs. Here are some highlights:

Student Mixer. The conversation flowed at the third annual Student Mixer. Students were able to meet up with old friends, make new ones, and network.

Water Sciences Pop-Up. Organized by students, this innovative new oral session format consisted of a series of 5-minute “ pop- up” talks about the future of water sci-ences. Students touched on such topics as the use of images in capturing the public’s attention, keywords to use in getting across

the message of water conservation, and the use of video in scientific presentations.

Student Lounge. AGU’s first- ever Student Lounge was launched at Fall Meeting 2013. The lounge included meeting and milling spaces, a charging station for cell phones and laptops, tables to encourage collabora-tion, and beanbags for resting. Students also used the lounge to network with their sec-tion and focus group leadership and fellow students.

—kaRa SmEdlEy, Program Manager, Student Initiatives, Science Department, AGU; email: ksmedley@ agu .org

New Opportunities and Fun Events for Students Talent Pool

The American Geophysical Union is a diverse and inclusive organization that uses its position to build

the global talent pool in Earth and space science.

Fall Meeting Highlights cont. on page 48

AGU leadership and staff had the plea-sure of hosting a 12 December 2013 recep-tion to honor those celebrating their 25th and 50th years of AGU membership. Fifty- two members with more than 1500 years of collective AGU membership were in atten-dance and were awarded gold and silver lapel pins commemorating their many years of involvement with AGU. Members who were unable to attend will receive their pins in the mail shortly. Having the opportunity to meet with members and hear firsthand about their accomplishments was inspira-tional for the staff and affirmed how grati-fying it is to work with such an incredible group of people.

—RoBERt BuRman, Membership Specialist, AGU; email: rburman@ agu .org

Reception for 25- and 50-Year Members

A 25-year member sporting a sweatshirt from his first AGU Fall Meeting in 1988.

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Renew Your Membership Today!

membership.agu.orgThe nearly 7,000 students who attended the Fall Meeting had ample opportunity to meet and greet.

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Advice workshops proved to be the most well- attended Career Center events at this year’s Fall Meeting, with a total of roughly 700 people participating. Topics included how to avoid mistakes when applying for and working on a post doctoral position, finding hidden job opportunities by network-ing, negotiation strategies, and tips for tak-ing control of your career.

The 120- seat room was overflowing. Meet-ing attendees (some seated, some lean-ing against walls, some cross- legged on any available floor space) eagerly listened to

discussions on how to avoid post doc pit-falls and how to turn “sorry, we can’t offer you a salary any larger than that” into “sorry, we can’t offer you a salary any larger than that—but, sure, we’ll pay for you to attend two international conferences a year and requisition the Large Hadron Collider for your research group.”

As well as giving advice en masse, pro-fessional career counselor Alaina Levine advised 42 attendees who signed up for indi-vidual consultations. AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange program manager Raj Pandya

critiqued the resumes and teaching state-ments of 10 attendees.

In the Career Lounge, adjacent to the Career Center, attendees listened to informal talks given by geoscience professionals from the energy industry, national laboratories, instrument manufacturing companies, and science communication organizations. Sarah Andrews, a forensic geologist and prolific crime novelist, attracted the largest crowd when she discussed science, her career as a U.S. Geological Survey employee, and the geological in- jokes and clues in her books.

Tickets for the 2013 Career Opportuni-ties Networking Lunch sold out weeks in advance of the Fall Meeting, and 24 organi-zations sent representatives to it. Attendees practiced their networking skills and found out about careers in employment sectors such as science policy, environmental con-sulting, oil and gas, aerospace, reinsurance,

the U.S. national laboratories, the federal government, and European Union agencies.

The geoscience professionals were all impressed with the enthusiasm and the ease with which all the attendees net-worked. But as Levine, who moderated the event, stated, networking is more than say-ing hello and shaking someone’s hand; geo-science professionals must keep in regu-lar contact with everyone they add to their networks.

Add the AGU Career Center to your net-work by signing up for the monthly newslet-ter (fill out the form at careers .agu .org), and get a jump on the must- see events planned for the 2014 Fall Meeting. AGU is already working on securing a bigger room for this year’s career workshops.

—Paul cooPER, Career Services Coordinator, AGU; email: pcooper@ agu .org

Kaiwen Chen, grade 12. Kaiwen worked for more than a year with Professor Kono Lemke from Hong Kong University’s Depart-ment of Earth Sciences. His research topic, focused on geochemistry, required him to stretch academically beyond ISF’s chemis-try curriculum and required countless hours of independent study to complete the proj-ect. After rolling up his Bright STaRS poster, titled “An ESI/ FTICR- MS Study of Zinc Sul-fate”, he commented:

This is what the AGU meeting was for me: intellectually challenging, intriguing, and fulfilling. I shared my new knowledge with an excited brain and on two tired legs for a whole morning, but it could have contin-ued longer. The discourse between me, the young scientist, and the established scientists helped me see where I am, what is missing, and what will be forthcoming.

Emily Zhang, grade 10. Emily was inspired by the scientists she met and is hop-ing to use the biogeoscience posters she reviewed as inspiration for her extended essay, a research paper required for the Inter-national Baccalaureate Diploma. She was inspired by the other high school research-ers she met at the Bright STaRS poster session and after the session she commented:

I decided to focus only on the Bright STaRS posters instead of walking around like the other days. During the day, I met a lot of friendly high school students from the U.S., and we chatted together and got along very

well. Their research was inspiring and fabu-lous. Their topics were very eye- catching, especially the research about PM2.5 [par-ticulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns] in the BART stations. I found it very interesting because PM2.5 is one of the most important issues in China.

However, no one has actually looked at the air inside the BART stations or, in Hong Kong’s case, MTR stations. This research can have a very huge impact on environmental studies. This reminds me that science isn’t always about big research that will change the world but also about the little things that can make our lives better. And that’s all sci-ence is about, to change lives, to discover truth, and to know.

Cynthia Ng, grade 9. Cynthia enjoyed getting to know her fellow Bright STaRS stu-dents and learning about their research, but she best sums up the conference after attending the workshop where Mike Osborne talked about effective science com-munication. She said:

On the third day of AGU, I attended the Effective Communication Workshop, and I agree with Mike Osborne that with-out effective communication, a scientist’s research, product, or findings will be like a jewel enclosed in a rock. Society pays sci-entists to conduct research, so it is our job, as scientists, to repay society by explain-ing effectively our research findings and the implications.

Kevin Lam, grade 9. Despite being faced with a lot of complex research, Kevin learned about several new topics of science he had never considered, and he clearly understood the importance of communi-cating these difficult concepts to a broader audience. He noted:

As detailed and well presented as the post-ers were, many required a greater knowledge than I have in order to understand them. Posters that successfully communicated to us all had presenters who were open to ques-tions and accommodating to our “lack of knowledge.” I felt thankful to them, because without their explanations, I wouldn’t have understood their work. I deeply appreci-ate the time they took to make the explana-tions and help answer our questions. With-out patient scientists, the world would be stuck in a vicious cycle where the population would be split into two: “scientific and knowl-edgeable” and the general population who do not know the “scientific world.”

Yiu Kwan Lau, grade 9. Yiu Kwan is one of ISF Academy’s keen robotics students and was very interested in how robots can be used to actually help scientists gather infor-mation and data. Yiu Kwan attended an oral presentation that inspired him to think closely about his next robot design. He noted:

The first and most memorable talk I attended was the talk about the wave glider. It was a robot designed to be self- sustaining

and contained a GPS and other machinery that allowed it to collect samples from the ocean. A team of elite engineers created this equipment, which can stay afloat at sea for 40 days.

This is a very important development in oceanography, for instead of sending a bunch of people on a ship for hundreds of thousands of dollars, oceanographers can build or buy this product to help conduct the required research. Secondly, the probe can reach areas where humans wouldn’t dare go. They could send it to areas with potential dangers that affect humans, such as sharks and other sea predators.

Students were very thankful for the oppor-tunity to participate in the AGU Fall Meeting and planning for the AGU Fall Meeting 2014 has already begun!

If other groups want to participate in the Bright STaRS program for AGU Fall Meet-ing 2014, they should contact Pranoti Asher (pasher@agu.org) before April 2014. See also the Bright STaRS program on the AGU website to learn more, http://education.agu .org/diversity-programs/bright-stars/.

––diana iBaRRa, Shuyuan Science Programs Man-ager, ISF Academy, Hong Kong

Fall Meeting Highlightscont. from page 47

We’re Going to Need a Bigger Room: Advice Workshops Are the Hit of Career Center

Perspectives From Hong Kong High School Students

School activities that involve international travel are rare events for high school students. School activities involving science and international travel are even rarer.

After more than a year of planning, five students and three faculty members from the Inde-pendent Schools Foundation (ISF) Academy, an International Baccalaureate high school in Hong Kong, attended AGU’s Fall Meeting, all for the first time. These students and faculty were in San Francisco for the complete conference and attended poster sessions, keynote speeches, oral presentations, the Exhibit Hall, and workshops. Supported by his fellow stu-dents, one young scientist even presented his own poster on 12 December as part of AGU’s Bright Students Training as Research Scientists (Bright STaRS) program.

The students offered their impressions of the conference.

Fall Meeting Highlights cont. on next page

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Several AGU Bright Students Training as Research Scientists (Bright STaRS) discuss their work during the poster session.

Poster sessions are a good opportunity to have in-depth discussions about research as well as to meet other scientists with similar interests.

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The AGU Board of Directors and Coun-cil both held meetings in San Francisco the weekend before Fall Meeting, wrapping up a very busy and productive year. The Board and Council have a joint work plan (see http:// sites .agu .org/ leadership/bod/), and meetings are planned to provide a � ow of information between the two groups, as well as to staff and other parts of the Union, including committees and task forces, edi-tors, and sections and focus groups. Out-comes from the meetings are posted on AGU’s website: Board outcomes can be found at http:// sites .agu .org/ leadership/ bod/ board- outcomes/ and Council outcomes at, http:// sites .agu .org/ leadership/ science - council/ council- outcomes/.

The meetings were kicked off with State of the Union reports from President Carol Finn, President- elect Margaret Leinen, and Executive Director/ CEO Chris McEntee. They provided written reports, which are pub-lished on AGU’s website (http:// sites .agu .org/ lead ership/ bod/ state- union/), as well as pre-sentations to set the context for the meeting. Their three unique perspectives cover what’s happening externally, what they are hearing from AGU members, and what’s coming up.

Accomplishments include: • Approval of an international position-

ing statement and objectives after more than a year of dialogue with many parts of the

Union—the Board, Council, International Secretary, people with a perspective on AGU meetings and publishing, and mem-bers who volunteered, among others. The positioning statement and objectives lay the foundation for a more de� ned international strategy that aligns with AGU’s strategic plan and advances geoscience around the world. AGU’s science, members, and part-nerships are global; however, the organiza-tion is based in the United States and its pol-icy activities re� ect that reality. Next steps include composing an international com-mittee and developing an operational plan to clarify the actions to be taken to imple-ment the international strategy and related costs. More information about AGU’s interna-tional strategy will be communicated in the upcoming months.

• Approval of two updated publishing policies recommended by the Publications Committee, one regarding the availability of data necessary to understand results pre-sented in papers (http:// publications .agu .org/ author- resource- center/ publication - policies/ data- policy/) and the other regard-ing issuing and documenting corrections for papers (http:// publications .agu .org/ author- resource- center/ publication- policies/ electronic- correction- policy/). 

• Approval of revisions to the con� ict of interest policy for all award selection

committees recommended by the Honors and Recognition Committee. The revisions help clarify disqualifying relationships.

• Approval of a policy de� ning consensus and dissent as recommended by the Posi-tion Statement Task Force. The new policy is incorporated into the existing process for reviewing and developing position state-ments; it guides panels clearly on what it means to have a consensus and how to han-dle any dissent.

• Approval of a code of conduct and leadership criteria for the Council as rec-ommended by the Governance Committee and Council Leadership Team. The code of conduct and leadership criteria help to clar-ify and strengthen the governance roles of Council members.

• Approval of the changes to the AGU bylaws recommended by the Bylaws Task Force, after a legal review and 60- day member comment period. These changes bring the bylaws up to date with current

organizational practice and Washing-ton, D.C., legal requirements. The updated bylaws are posted on the AGU website: http:// sites .agu .org/ leadership/ governing- documents/ bylaws/

• Approval of the 2014 operating and capi-tal budget, which aligns with and advances AGU’s strategic plan. Each year, the Board establishes guidelines for creating the bud-get and operating plan and receives a multi- year � nancial projection. Beginning in 2014, AGU is using investment returns to fund pro-grams and products.

In addition, the Board continued a stra-tegic discussion on AGU becoming a more innovative organization and one that actively and effectively engages its mem-bers. The Council provided input into the strategic review of AGU’s meeting programs and publishing strategy.

The Board and Council have begun to prepare for the 2014 AGU elections. At its meeting, the Council took action as recom-mended by the Governance Committee to give eligible voters the right to vote in every section and in every focus group to which they belong. This decision will be imple-mented in the 2014 AGU election.

As indicated by these accomplishments, many parts of AGU work together to con-tinue to advance the Union’s mission and vision. AGU is a strategy- driven organiza-tion, committed to the development of lead-ers who will help the organization thrive in a rapidly changing world. Regular scans of trends and issues around the world, as well as looking ahead to possible future scenar-ios, help AGU leaders to have robust dia-logue and make informed decisions.

As the AGU Board and Council look ahead to 2014, they are committed to the identi� cation of future leaders, better engagement of members, and continuation of items on their work plan.

––CHERYL ENDERLEIN, Assistant Director of Leader-ship, Executive Office, AGU; email: cenderlein@ agu .org

Fall Meeting Highlightscont. from page 48

AGU Board and Council Close Out Productive Year

The AGU Martketplace and Gift Shop featured new AGU logo items and old favorites. The “This is my gneiss chert” and “I need my space” T- shirts for kids were hits this year; both were requested in adult sizes for next year!

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As a scientifi c society, the American Geophysical Union operates within a new business model that is

sustainable, transparent, and inclusive in ways thatare responsive to members and stakeholders.

Fall Meeting Highlights cont. on page 50

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Colleagues share a lighter moment between sessions.

Going strong! The fourth annual AGU 5K Fun Run/Walk was the largest yet, with 431 participants.

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At the 2013 Fall Meeting, AGU announced new plans for donor recognition and benefits.

Through donor survey responses and con-versations throughout the past year, many key themes arose regarding the function of the Fall Meeting’s Donor Lounges. Members found that the lounges fulfilled their need for a quiet space where they could meet col-leagues and see familiar faces. The lounges also fostered feelings of inclusion and appre-ciation because they recognized members’ support of AGU through the years. However, donors suggested that donor areas should be used more actively to benefit AGU’s pro-grams and initiatives.

Further, donors would like to see more recognition awarded to members and donors for their contributions, whether financial, time- based, or scientific. How-ever, donors stressed that the cost associ-ated with donor recognition benefits should remain low so that AGU programming can be kept strong.

To meet these needs, beginning on 1 Jan-uary 2014, new donor recognition categories and benefits allow AGU’s generous bene-factors to enjoy more consistent and timely recognition through newsletters, teleconfer-ences with AGU leaders, and events at the Fall Meeting while remaining informed and making an even bigger impact on the AGU

programs and initiatives that mean the most to them.

In 2014, the format for the Fall Meet-ing Donor Lounges will change. Donors at any level, as well as any other AGU mem-bers, will have access to the area that was the South Donor Lounge; the West Donor Lounge will no longer be available. The new South Lounge space will be an open, quiet meeting place with table space and seating areas where all donors and AGU members will be able to network and relax in between sessions.

A new Development Office space at the 2014 Fall Meeting will host a continuous cal-endar of donor recognition events through-out the week, in which donors, volunteers, leaders, and others can take part in events and programming specific to AGU initiatives and funding opportunities. Watch for infor-mation about specific events and invitations.

Thank you for your continued generos-ity and support of AGU. Your feedback and support continue to be of the highest impor-tance to us as we work to fulfill our mission and grow our reach with the help and dedi-cation of generous benefactors.

Please visit http:// giving .agu .org/ 2014- donor - recognition for more information and details.

—victoRia thomPSon, Development Manager, AGU; email: vthompson@ agu .org

Thank You to Our Sponsors

AGU would like to take the time to recognize the generous support from all of the sponsors of the 2013 Fall

Meeting and the events at the meeting.

AIR Worldwide • Almax easyLab • American Journal Experts • ARCUS Center for Planetary Space Exploration, Western University • CliC

Deltech Inc. • Department of Geography, University of Vermont GEM Advanced Magnetometers • Geometrics, Inc. • International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Michigan Technological University, Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences

Sensors & Software • University of Hawaii, Department of Geology & Geophysics University of Oklahoma, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences

University of Pennsylvania, Master of Science in Applied GeosciencesUniversity of Texas at Austin – Jackson School of Geosciences

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Fall Meeting Highlightscont. from page 49

New Donor Recognition Benefits for 2014 Announced

Ethics Workshop Sheds Light on Gray Areas

AGU’s Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Workshop at the 2013 Fall Meeting, held on 9 December, highlighted the coura-geous conversations necessary to navigate through questions of scientific integrity and professional ethics. Participants debated real-world scenarios surrounding author-ship, data management, plagiarism, and con-flicts of interest. These discussions empha-sized the importance of preserving scientific integrity and the responsibility of each mem-ber to uphold the standards of scientific conduct.

Presenters also discussed scientific ethics resources available from AGU. As a follow-up to the workshop, the ethics group hosted a game show–style program in the student lounge on 10 December in which contes-tants won prizes for knowledge of AGU trivia and aspects of the Union’s Scientific Integ-rity and Professional Ethics policy.

Additional information on AGU scientific ethics can be found at http://ethics.agu.org/.

—Randy townSEnd, Senior Journal Program Manager, AGU; email: rtownsend@agu.org; and Billy williamS, Science Director, AGU

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AGU president Carol Finn (left) and AGU executive director/CEO Chris McEntee open the Ice Breaker and Exhibit Hall, which featured booths from more than 285 exhibitors.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2014 AGU Fall Meeting: 15–19 December. See you there!

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AGU’s diverse awards program recognizes individuals who have made outstanding con-tributions to the advancement of the geo-physical sciences, to the service of the com-munity, and to the public’s understanding of Earth and space science. From students and early- career scientists to established leaders in their fields, the AGU Honors and Recog-nition Program highlights the value of their contributions to and impact on the geophys-ical sciences.

Nominations for 2014 AGU Fellows and for recipients of Union awards, medals, and prizes will be accepted until 15 March, and I urge you to take this opportunity to nomi-nate a student, colleague, peer, or mentor whose achievements have made a difference in Earth and space sciences. Receiving an

AGU award, medal, or prize is a high honor that can advance an individual’s career and establish someone as a leader in Earth and space sciences.

In addition to the Union awards, almost all of AGU’s 23 sections and focus groups offer awards and the opportunity to give a focused presentation to recognize outstand-ing work in their areas of science. Many sec-tion and focus group awards target students, early- career scientists, and members in developing countries. Nominations for sec-tion and focus group awards and lectures will be accepted until 15 April.

This year’s nomination process for all AGU awards features a new, streamlined submission system that you can log in to simply using your AGU ID and password.

The system allows you to save nomination packages as you work on them and to view their status once submitted.

The Honors and Recognition Commit-tee has worked hard in recent years to clar-ify issues related to conflicts of interest for nominators, those writing letters of support, and those serving on nomination review committees. You will find the revised offi-cial Conflict of Interest Policy and the eligi-bility requirements listed for each individual honor at http:// honors .agu .org.

Finally, as you consider nominations for the long- established AGU awards and hon-ors, remember to also nominate members

for the new Ambassador Award, which will be presented for the first time in 2014. This award will honor members whose achieve-ments extend beyond those recognized by traditional scientific disciplines for outstand-ing contributions in the areas of societal impact, service to the Earth and space com-munity, scientific leadership, and promotion of talent/ career pool; winners will be con-ferred as AGU Fellows.

—Judith ann mckEnziE, ETH- Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, Chair, AGU Honors and Recognition Committee; email: agu_honors@agu.org

ABOUT AGURecognize Excellence— Submit an AGU Honors Nomination

Outstanding Student Paper Awards

The following members received Outstanding Student Paper Awards at the 2013 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Winners have individual pages on AGU’s website at http://membership.agu.org/ospa-winners/. See also “Outstanding Student Paper Awards” published previously (Eos, 95(3), 30, and Eos, 95(4), 37). Look to future issues of Eos for more award winners.

Hydrology (H)

Rose Z. Abramoff, Boston Univer-sity, Root phenology at Harvard Forest and beyond

Masoud Arshadi, University of Colorado at Boulder, High- resolution experiments on chemical oxidation of DNAPL in variable- aperture fractures: Delineation of three time regimes

Tania Bakhos, Stanford University, Fast solvers for transient hydraulic tomography based on Laplace transform

Paolo Benettin, University of Padova, Coupling hydro- chemical models and water quality datasets: Signatures of mix-ing patterns and non- stationary travel time distributions

Cameron Bracken, University of Colo-rado at Boulder, Variability of hydroclimate extremes on seasonal to multidecadal time scales in the western US

Linyin Cheng, University of California, Irvine, Nonstationary extreme value analysis in a changing climate: A software package

John Gardner, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Quanti-fying N2 and N2O production in agricultural streams using open channel methods: A tool for finding missing watershed nitrogen

Si Gou, Texas A&M University, Simulating groundwater- plant- atmosphere interactions in a semiarid savanna

Jonathan Herman, Cornell University, Multi- agent many- objective robust decision making: Supporting cooperative regional water portfolio planning in the eastern United States

Paul Micheletty, Colorado School of Mines, Application of MODSCAG and MODIS snow products in post-fire watersheds in the western U.S.

Kristen Lani Rasmussen, University of Washington, Seattle, TRMM precipitation analysis of extreme storms in South America: Bias and climatological contribution

Noah Schmadel, Utah State University, The role of spatially variable stream hydrau-lics in reach scale, one- dimensional solute predictions

Colby Thrash, Clemson University, Moni-toring changes in soil water content using subsurface displacement

Mohammad J. Tourian, University of Stuttgart, Estimating runoff using hydro-geodetic approaches; assessment and comparison

Samuel Tuttle, Boston University, Using large-scale precipitation to validate AMSR-E satellite soil moisture estimates by means of mutual information

Jana von Freyberg, University of Neuchâtel, A field study in the Swiss Rietholz-bach basin to understand landscape filtering of hydro- climatic drivers and its effects on streamflow composition

AGU HONORS PROGRAM

UNION AWARDS • FELLOWS • MEDALS • PRIZES

RECOGNIZE THE EXCEPTIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF YOUR COLLEAGUES

Deadline: 15 March

SECTION & FOCUS GROUP AWARDS AND LECTURES

Deadline: 15 April

Nominations Now Openhonors.agu.org

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Your science can make a difference. Are you up for it?

thrivingearthexchange.org

What’s on the Web?Read the latest offerings from the AGU Blogosphere:

The Landslide Blog: “The Seti River rock avalanche in Nepal—A new image from the International Space Station” (http://goo .gl/F5FIYN)

The Plainspoken Scientist: “How to bore everyone with science” (http://goo .gl/p8y4zl)

Georneys: “Monday geology picture: Shipwreck on Noordhoek Beach, South Africa” (http://goo .gl/9Q0RDU)

Mountain Beltway: “Virginia House Bill 207: Encouraging pseudoscience is a bad idea” (http://goo .gl/T7jJD0)

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POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Biogeosciences

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Aquatic Biogeochemistry, University of Florida.

The Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Florida has an opening for a full-time postdoctoral associate. The position requires a PhD in Oceanography, Marine Science, Aquatic Chem-istry, Marine Organic Geochemistry, or similar field obtained within the last 3 years and expertise in the application of isotopic and chemical biomarker techniques, with specific emphasis on the use of GC-MS and HPLC-MS.

The successful applicant will in part, join an exciting new NSF-funded study of carbon cycling dynamics across a complex landscape of changing vegetation in the Everglades and would also be encouraged to explore new research endeavors in areas of aquatic carbon biogeochemistry outside of this project. A basic goal of the research is to understand carbon storage dynamics across a complex landscape of changing vegetation. Highly motivated candidates with strong analytical skills chemical biomarker and isotopic techniques are encouraged to apply and to incorporate their inter-ests into the project. Demonstrated experience in the GC-MS and HPLC-MS analyses will be empha-sized. A demonstrated record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals is required.

The post-doc will work closely and under the direction of Dr. Thomas S. Bianchi. The position is for 24 months, beginning as early as summer 2014 with the possibility of renewal pending funding.

Applications should be submitted by email as a single pdf to Dr. Thomas S. Bianchi (tbianchi@ufl.edu) and include: CV, publication list, statement of research interests, one-page summary of Ph.D. the-sis, minimum of three letters of recommendation and statement of immigration status of non-citizens. Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2014 but the position will remain open until filled. More information regarding Dr. Bianchi’s lab can be found online at http://web.geology.ufl.edu/ BianchiWebsite/index.html

The University of Florida is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Ocean Sciences

National Science Foundation Biological Ocean-ography Program Director, Ocean Section Division of Ocean Sciences.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seek-ing qualified candidates for the position of Biologi-cal Oceanography Program Director for the Ocean Section (OS) within the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE), Directorate for Geosciences (GEO). The OS Section includes the programs of Biological Ocean-ography, Chemical Oceanography, and Physical Oceanography. The Biological Oceanography Pro-gram supports research in marine ecology broadly defined: relationships among aquatic organisms and their interactions with the environments of

the oceans or Great Lakes. Information about the Division’s activities may be found at the following website here.

NSF Program Directors bear the primary responsibility for carrying out the agency’s overall mission to support the innovative and merit-reviewed activities in basic research and education that contribute to the nation’s techni-cal strength, security, and welfare. To fulfill this responsibility requires not only knowledge in appropriate disciplines, but also a commitment to high standards, a considerable breadth of inter-est and receptivity to new ideas, a strong sense of fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity.

This position will be filled by a one- or two-year Visiting Scientist Appointment, Federal Temporary Appointment, or an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignment.

For more information regarding this opportunity and to apply for a Visiting Scientist, IPA, or Federal Temporary appointment, please follow guidance provided through the following:

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/oce14002/oce14002.jsp?org=NSF

NSF is an equal opportunity employer commit-ted to employing a highly-qualified staff reflecting the diversity of our nation.

National Science Foundation Chemical Ocean-ography Program Director, Ocean Section Division of Ocean Sciences.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Chemical Oceanography Program Director for the Ocean Section (OS) within the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE), Directorate for Geosciences (GEO). The OS Section includes the programs of Biological Oceanography, Chemical Oceanography, and Physi-cal Oceanography. The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemical com-ponents, reaction mechanisms, and geochemical pathways within the ocean and at its interfaces with the solid earth and the atmosphere. Information about the Division’s activities may be found at the following website here.

NSF Program Directors bear the primary responsibility for carrying out the agency’s overall mission to support the innovative and merit-reviewed activities in basic research and education that contribute to the nation’s techni-cal strength, security, and welfare. To fulfill this responsibility requires not only knowledge in appropriate disciplines, but also a commitment to high standards, a considerable breadth of inter-est and receptivity to new ideas, a strong sense of fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity.

This position will be filled by a one- or two-year Visiting Scientist Appointment, Federal Temporary Appointment, or an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignment.

For more information regarding this opportunity and to apply for a Visiting Scientist, IPA, or Federal Temporary appointment, please follow guidance provided through the following:

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=oce14001

NSF is an equal opportunity employer commit-ted to employing a highly-qualified staff reflecting the diversity of our nation.

OCEANOGRAPHY AT APPLIED PHYSICS LAB-ORATORY, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON.

The Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at the University of Washington invites applications to a research position with principal investigator responsibilities in the Ocean Physics Department (http://opd.apl.washington.edu). Historically, OPD has emphasized small-scale oceanography, ocean instrumentation and measurements. We seek candidates with interest and expertise in these areas and/or in their interactions with larger-scale ocean processes and with ocean biological and chemical processes. OPD researchers have excel-lent capabilities in ocean measurements and engineering and we encourage applications from researchers who will utilize these. The successful candidate will be permanent Professional Staff at APL (www.apl.washington.edu) and have the opportunity to interact closely with the large and vibrant oceanographic community in Seattle. We seek candidates who have completed their post-doctoral research with a record that demonstrates high potential to develop their own well-funded program. Initial salary support over a nominal 1-year period will come from start-up funds. Thereafter, candidates are expected to have established self-sustaining grant-funded research programs.

Applications including CV, research inter-est summary, publication and funding history, and names of four references should be sent to:opdjobs@apl.uw.edu

Solid Earth Geophysics

Visiting Assistant Professor in Mineralogy / Structural Geology.

The Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at The University of Iowa invites applica-tions for a full- time Visiting Assistant Professor in Mineralogy or Structural Geology. The appoint-ment will begin August 20, 2014 and go through summer 2015. The successful applicant will teach four courses during the academic year and early summer: Mineralogy, Structural Geology, Natural Disasters, and Geologic Field Methods. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences or equivalent, at time of hire. Desirable qualifications include: appropriate teaching expe-rience, field experience, and research activity that complements ongoing research in our Petrology/Tectonics group.

Candidates should submit applications online at https://jobs.uiowa.edu/ (requisition #63778). In addition to curriculum vitae, the application should include a cover letter, a statement of teaching interests, and evidence of teaching ability. Please provide contact information for three letters of rec-ommendation in the online application. Screening of applications begins March 1, 2014 and will con-tinue until the position is filled. Questions regarding this position can be directed to Dr. Mark Reagan at mark-reagan@uiowa.edu.

The Department and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are strongly committed to gender and ethnic diversity; the strategic plans of the University, College and Department reflect this commitment. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity/affir-mative action employer.

Interdisciplinary/Other

GDL Foundation Fellowships in Structure and Diagenesis

The GDL Foundation supports study and research of chemical and mechanical interactions, structural diagenesis, in sedimentary basins. Practi-cal applications are of particular interest.

We are currently seeking applications from M.S. and Ph.D. candidates, post-doctoral researchers, and scientists for fellowships, up to $10,000, based on specific proposals for research and participation in meetings and conferences to share results.

Submit applications (available at: www. gdlfoundation.org) by April 1, 2014.

The UN University. - Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES) invites applications for a short-term home-based consultant to develop content for an e-learning curriculum on the evaluation of geother-mal water in water resources assessment. A PhD in hydrology, hydrogeology, geological sciences, natu-ral sciences or engineering or a Master’s degree and 10 years of professional work experience in a related area is required. Minimum 3 years of professional experience in geothermal resources; experience in providing education and training and developing the curriculum; and oral and written communication skills in English are also required. A more detailed description of the posi-tion and requirement can be found as “CONTENT DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT (HOME BASED) For E-learning course on the Evaluation of Thermal Water (Consultant Contract - CTC)” at: http://unu.edu/about/hr.

Student Opportunities

NOSAMS Graduate Student Internship Program.

Two internships will be awarded this year to U.S. graduate students for research at the NOSAMS radiocarbon facility at the Woods Hole Oceano-graphic Institution. The internships should involve application of radiocarbon measurements to an important oceanographic research problem and/or development of new techniques for radiocarbon measurement and will provide 2 to 6 weeks at NOSAMS. Available funds will cover all analytical costs (for a modest number of analyses), round-trip travel, accommodation and subsistence while in Woods Hole, but not field work and sampling.

Candidates should submit a two-page proposal outlining the proposed work and motivation by June 1, 2014. Proposals and 2 page CVs (both as pdf files should be sent to wjenkins@whoi.edu along with contact information. Proposals will be judged on the basis of scientific soundness, relevance to capabilities and objectives at NOSAMS, novelty, and scientific impact. Priority will be given to col-laborative research with PI’s at NOSAMS, and that show promise for follow-on projects. Winners will be notified via email by July 1, 2014. Internships can be used at a mutually agreed time between Septem-ber 1, 2014 and August 31, 2015. Please visit our web site at http://www.whoi.edu/nosams

Summer School in Glaciology, Alaska.The course is held in McCarthy, Alaska, 6-16

August 2014, and is open to graduate students worldwide. Application deadline is 20 February 2014. For more information see

http://glaciers.gi.alaska.edu/courses/summer-school or contact Regine Hock (regine@gi.alaska.edu).

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