Welcome to the Thriving Earth Exchange’s (TEX) blog space. The purpose of the blog is to inspire thinking, open-participation and discussion on particular topics or themes. We encourage you to leave comments on any blog post by clicking through to each post and sharing your thoughts at the bottom.
Nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Coast, Clark County, Washington, is a largely rural, forested area rich in both natural beauty and natural resources. Outdoor enthusiasts are drawn to the sweeping river views and bountiful fishing afforded by the Columbia and Lewis Rivers, while industrial interests are drawn by the region’s stores of […]
An assistant dean reflects on the role of academic administrations in advancing community science For environmental chemist Christopher Spiese, PhD, science doesn’t stop in the lab. “If I think about my scientific heroes, I think about people who did excellent science in the lab and brought it out into the wider world,” says Spiese, […]
Small town seeks to cultivate fruitful connections in the wake of disaster The Australian town of Tallangatta knows a thing or two about change and resilience. Tallangatta, population 1,100, today sits on the edge of Lake Hume. In the 1950s, the entire town was relocated to its current spot, when the dam creating Lake […]
For environmental scientist Katherine Meierdiercks, collaborating with communities is part of the job You could say coming to Siena College as an assistant professor was a watershed moment for watershed expert Katherine Meierdiercks, PhD. Having long approached science as an expression of service, Meierdiercks found in the college the mix of encouragement, opportunities and […]
Capacity is often in short supply in local government. It can be hard to know where to turn to find much-needed support, useful resources, and innovative ideas, particularly when it comes to research and science. Two organizations are partnering to change that. The Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network (EPIC-N) program and AGU’s […]
Supplementing this project work, FACS acquired pro-bono legal support through the ABA-SEER/Thriving Earth Exchange partnership to develop a legal brief on the use of public rights away for the installation of solar or other renewable energy. The purpose of the brief is to provide guidance for public and private entities. The legal brief will examine […]
Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city, with 300,000 residents spread out over an area about the size of Delaware. Part of Dena’ina Elnena (Dena’ina Country), home to members of the Eklutna and Knik tribes and many nationalities, it is a place with deep indigenous roots and a complex cultural and political history. Nestled between the Cook […]
Back-to-school is an exciting time, whether for elementary-school students or PhD candidates. As classes across the nation start up this month – some in-person, some virtual – we have an opportunity to take a fresh look at the relationship between our classrooms and our communities. With issues like health and climate top of mind in […]
Thriving Earth Exchange would like to extend a warm welcome to our July 2021 cohort of Community Science Fellows! They’ll be working with communities from Alaska to the Bahamas to launch impactful community science projects. Stay tuned for exciting news from this group! Tatiana Eaves (she/her) is an ecologist by training who currently works […]
A public education campaign helps residents take control in the face of disaster The 2020 River Fire. Photo by Jamie Tuitele-Lewis, RCDMC The 2020 wildfire season was one of the worst on record, and, thanks to unusually dry, hot and windy conditions in the West, the 2021 season is predicted to be just as grim. […]
Reflections from a Thriving Earth Exchange scientific partner Win Cowger, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Riverside, first served as a Thriving Earth Exchange community scientist for a project in Staunton, Virginia. Residents in this small town nestled in the Shenandoah Valley wanted to create a more environmentally sustainable community. Cowger’s expertise […]
As the waters retreat, hopes rise in Ocean City, New Jersey While the community science process itself can be instructive and empowering, often the greatest impacts of a project come months or years later. To dig into what happens after a community science project ends, we spoke with Suzanne Hornick, founder and chair of […]
After lending a hand in over 10 community science projects, Steven Emerman has some thoughts about what it means to be a scientific partner. There was the time he answered lawyers’ questions about flooding for 8 hours in a grueling legal deposition. And the time he helped determine that flood map inputs had been […]
By Raj Pandya There have been two great editorials in the last month that, together, call for a community-driven approach to science at a national scale. The first, Science’s New Frontier, describes an American Science Corps that would place as many as 20,000 early career scientists in underserved rural and urban communities. The second, Biden’s Science Challenge, points out how […]
The Tar Creek in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, runs directly through a 40-square-mile Superfund site, full of giant mounds of toxic mining waste—a fine, white sand-and-gravel mix known as “chat,” easily blown away by the breeze—that is polluting the entire county’s drinking water, yards and fields. Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency, a community-led non-profit environmental […]
We’re excited to welcome and introduce our newest cohort of Community Science Fellows. Beginning this spring they will work with communities across the United States to develop and implement new community science projects. Abra Atwood (she/her) is PhD Candidate in Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California, working with Dr. Josh West. Her work […]
by Angela M. Chalk Mirrors are a reflective surface that provides a clear image. They give a true representation of what is seen. The experience I share is my story as a Community Science Fellow with the American Geophysical Union’s Thriving Earth Exchange. This journey began as a community leader to solve a problem […]
Sure you think your community science project is the bee’s knees–you’re passionate about it! That’s why you got involved in the first place. But what about your friend, your neighbor or your legislator? To reach them, you’re going to have to communicate, and do it well. We’ve been amazed at how creative and engaging our […]
The Kiamichi River, in southeastern Oklahoma, is a pristine 177-mile river with headwaters in the Kiamichi Mountains, on the Oklahoma border with Arkansas. But it won’t stay clean if the state has its way: lawmakers want to divert the flow of the Kiamichi to meet the water needs of the Oklahoma City area, and possibly […]
by Kathleen Pierce Many people already have an image of some of the neighborhoods that make up South Central Los Angeles County, California, such as Watts and Compton, from their portrayal in movies and TV. But look beyond the screen and you’ll find a vibrant, forward-thinking community where residents are rolling up their sleeves […]
By Raj Pandya What if, instead of funding scientists to work in and with scientifically underserved communities, we gave community organizations money and let them choose the science projects, and scientists, they wanted to work with? Thriving Earth Exchange is going to try this out, in a small way, with our new Neighborhood Fund. Introducing the Thriving Earth Exchange […]
Thriving Earth Exchange and NEON Launch New Community Science Partnership We’re excited to welcome our newest cohort of Community Science Fellows, and first in partnership with the National Ecological Observation Network (NEON). This cohort is comprised of field staff across 12 of NEON’s domains. Beginning in February 2021, they will be conducting outreach to communities […]
Three Scientific Societies Launch New Community Science Initiative Welcome our newest cohort of Community Science Fellows! This exceptional group is part of a cohort led in partnership with AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the Association for Science & Technology Centers (ASTC). Together, our three organizations seek to bridge our networks […]
2020 Thriving Earth Exchange Year in Review 2020 was a year of change in ways none of us anticipated. Along with the rest of the world, the Thriving Earth Exchange team and our network of fellows, community leaders, scientific partners and collaborators were challenged to accept, accommodate and adapt as the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the […]
“Small but mighty” Park City leads the way on climate by Kathleen Pierce Park City, Utah, is famous for its winter sports and glitzy Sundance Film Festival. But when the more than 3 million annual tourists and vacation home owners leave, the city’s 8,300 year-round residents don’t relax. Instead, they are busy accomplishing bold climate […]
Image: The view from NEON’s field site in Yellowstone National Park. Photo courtesy of Battelle, NEON Program. Meet Our New Partner: National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Thriving Earth Exchange and NEON join forces to bring powerful ecological data to bear on community priorities When we think of challenges like sea level rise or air pollution, […]
Starting Community Science Right: One Key Word and Five Key Questions By Raj Pandya, Program Director, Thriving Earth Exchange People often ask us what it takes to get a community science project off the ground. To me, it all comes down to one key word: priorities. Hands down, the most important thing about community science […]
New: Thriving Earth Exchange participants have special access to EPIC’s Member Commons for trainings, support and other resources. The Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network (EPIC-N) connects university resources to the needs of local governments and communities to improve the quality of life for all involved. This happens through application of The […]
Image courtesy of Gloria Horning Thriving Earth Exchange’s partnership with Higher Ground’s Anthropocene Alliance has led to almost a dozen projects in communities impacted by flooding, including coastal communities facing the impacts of climate change in the spaces where they live, work, play, and pray. Gloria Horning, a community leader from Pensacola, Florida recounts her […]
Taking a ‘village’ approach to Flint’s future by Kathleen Pierce Flint, Michigan, is more than a water crisis. It’s a community. While the nation’s attention may have shifted away from the tragedy and injustices of its water struggles, community leaders aren’t giving up on the city or its kids. Case in point: the Sylvester […]
Welcome our newest cohort of Community Science Fellows! As part of our Science, Policy, and Engagement Cohort (SPEC) sponsored by the Moore Foundation, this outstanding group will guide community science projects in partnership with community leaders and scientists across the U.S. with a special focus on media and policy engagement. Meet the Fellows! Thriving Earth […]
Notes from the Field- Cambridge Project Update The City of Cambridge is working to plan and prepare for the impacts of climate change. The city is currently in the midst of developing a citywide Climate Change Preparedness & Resilience (CCPR) Plan in order to help the city adapt to the future and be […]
This is the second in a three-part blog series on gaps in science engagement by Thriving Earth Exchange program director Raj Pandya. Find part 1 linked here and part 2 here. The Untapped Potential Community Science: Part 3, Science Literacy By Raj Pandya, Director, Thriving Earth Exchange Capsule Summary: Science literacy shouldn’t just be about understanding, but […]
About the Fellowship Thriving Earth Exchange Community Science Fellows are current and future leaders in the community science movement. After being matched with a local community, each fellow is responsible for shepherding a community science project from idea to impact. This includes getting to know the community, identifying ways science can advance community goals, recruiting partner […]
Big insights from a tiny town by Anne Johnson World Population Day, recognized on 11 July each year, draws attention to population issues around the globe. It primarily focuses on the toll unsustainable growth can take on people and the environment—an urgent concern, to be sure. What about the other end of the spectrum? While […]
This is the second in a three-part blog series on gaps in science engagement by Thriving Earth Exchange program director Raj Pandya. Find part 1 linked here. The untapped potential of community science: part 2, public participation in science policy By Raj Pandya Capsule summary: The challenges we face now are both technical and ethical. […]
A personal reflection on racism, anti-racism and science by Raj Pandya, Director, Thriving Earth Exchange This is a personal reflection from me, Raj Pandya. It is not an official position of AGU or Thriving Earth Exchange, though it is influenced by the experience of working in both places and the many wonderful, insightful people I’ve […]
Seven tips for managing community science projects while keeping your distance By Raj Pandya, Melissa Goodwin, and Anne Johnson (Note: Anne Johnson regularly manages and edits the Thriving Earth Newsletter and contributed specific ideas to this blog). All of us likely will be dealing with some level of physical distancing (also called social distancing) for […]
Community science and the post-pandemic world Thriving Earth wants your thoughts! By Erin Gleeson, Thriving Earth Exchange staff To say that COVID-19 has changed – IS changing – life as we know it is something of an understatement. Within a matter of a couple months, it has touched nearly every single person on this planet. […]
More Ways You Can Help During the COVID-19 Crisis Thinkers and tinkerers are taking a DIY approach to COVID-19 challenges. What can you bring to the fight? As the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic began to sink in across the nation this spring, Thriving Earth Exchange Director Raj Pandya wrote about how geoscientists can […]
Learning Scientific Strategy from Improvisational Theater: The Power of “Yes, and…” By Kevin Noone, Thriving Earth Exchange Advisory Board Chair In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of transitions. He was well suited to the task, having one face oriented towards the past and one towards the future. I think Janus would be very proud […]
This blog was originally posted on the University of Washington Program on Climate Change website on May 5, 2020, and is posted here with permission from the author. By Lily Hahn Here in Seattle, hydropower supplies more than 85% of our electricity. But in Arlington County, Virginia, the dominant utility derives at least 50% of its […]
Maddy Nyblade, a geoscientist studying at the University of Minnesota, has been a member of the Thriving Earth Community for several years, but her passion for community driven science has been a force in her career path for a long time. At AGU’s 2019 Fall Meeting, Maddy attended a Thriving Earth Exchange workshop as a […]
Trash-tography – San Diego 4th Graders Take on Water Pollution by Kristen Hurst, Indraneel (Neel) Kasmalker, Carly Ellis, and Kirstin Skadberg It was a beautiful fall day in San Diego. Meaning…it was hot! We were walking down the hill from Carver Elementary toward Chollas Creek with a class of 20 bright and curious fourth graders. […]
We know that many members of the Thriving Earth Exchange community are directly or indirectly affected by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) health emergency. Our thoughts are with you all. Please know we will do what we can to support all our communities, partners, scientists, community leaders and fellows. We can help revise timelines, move to […]
by Raj Pandya, Thriving Earth Exchange Program Director Capsule Summary: Community science powerful, but there remains untapped potential. We need: More communities and scientists involved, Better inputs through increased intentionality and support, and More follow-up on the outputs through synthesis and response. Thriving Earth Exchange has been doing community science for over five years, and […]
by Kelly McCarthy, Project Manager, Thriving Earth Exchange Thriving Earth Exchange welcomes new partners and collaborators around the globe to advance and improve the practice of community science Early this year, Program Director Raj Pandya wrote that the next chapter for Thriving Earth Exchange and community science is “bigger than us.” He explained that […]
By Raj Pandya, Director, Thriving Earth Exchange Thriving Earth Exchange and Community Science: What’s Next? This year, Thriving Earth Exchange reached the goals set for the program as part of AGU’s Centennial: 100 projects in 100 communities, with over 100 scientists involved. In fact, we even got a little farther than that. So, how did […]
