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.
AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange facilitates urgent community discussions about the Pinole Creek Watershed’s future imperiled by trash. California’s Pinole Creek Watershed comprises 15 square miles of Contra Costa County (one of California’s original 27 after statehood in 1850), situated northeast of San Francisco. Its two main cities, Pinole and Hercules, sit adjacent to a number […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is pleased to announce the October 2022 cohort of Community Leads! They will work with Community Science Fellows to launch 10 community science projects across the United States and in Jamaica! Stay tuned for more information about the impactful projects to come and the communities who lead and inspire them! Bucksport, South […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is pleased to announce our October 2022 cohort of Community Science Fellows! They’ll be working with communities from across the United States and Jamaica to launch impactful community science projects. The partnership will connect communities with scientists and technical experts and support them as they work together to tackle local challenges related to […]
Creating an interactive tool to build awareness AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange maps the extent of the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, to alert local authorities and residents of the risks of increased flooding When Jessica Tran began working with Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) in September 2020, she knew the community nonprofit […]
There is a growing awareness about the connection between time spent in nature and our mental health. At the same time, there is a growing concern about the mental health of teens, who spend less and less time outdoors, and more and more time in front of screens. In many historically marginalized communities, a […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is pleased to announce our July 2022 cohort of Community Leads! They will work with Community Science Fellows to launch 16 community science projects. Stay tuned for more information about the impactful projects to come from this launch and the communities who lead and inspire them! Adel, Georgia: Concerned Citizens of Cook […]
Author: Natasha Udu-gama On 12 May 2022, Thriving Earth Exchange hosted a public conversation on “What does equitable co-production look like in practice? A discussion.” I served as an advisory board member for the NSF EAGER grant on Equity in Co-production last year and the organizers asked if Thriving Earth would be willing to […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is pleased to announce our July 2022 regional cohort of Community Science Fellows! They’ll be working with communities from across the United States and Mexico to launch impactful community science projects. The partnership will connect communities with scientists and technical experts and support them as they work together to tackle local challenges related […]
Thriving Earth Advisory Board Members share their views and vision for community science around the globe Thanks to the ambitious and inclusive leadership of AGU and the Thriving Earth Advisory Board, the reach and impact of Thriving Earth Exchange goes well beyond U.S. borders. We recently caught up with two of our esteemed Advisory Board […]
Challenges like climate change, pollution and natural hazards know no borders. Thriving Earth Exchange has long facilitated community science beyond the U.S., and our international activities are accelerating even more thanks to new opportunities and partnerships. Here are six ways for communities, scientists & organizations to engage: Join our WhatsApp group: Our Global Community Science […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is pleased to announce our April 2022 regional cohort of Community Science Fellows! They’ll be working with communities from across the state of Wisconsin to launch impactful community science projects. We are thrilled to be working with University of Wisconsin’s UniverCity Alliance and EPIC-Network to launch a cohort of community science projects in […]
AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s UniverCity Alliance and Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N), will support 14 projects across the state of Wisconsin. As participants in the first state-based cohort of Thriving Earth projects, the community leads in the April 2022 cohort will work with Community Science […]
Residents and volunteer scientists collaborate across continents to build flood resilience Ellicott City, Maryland, is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, but this charming, historic mill town on the banks of the Patapsco River can feel like a step back in time. Unfortunately, homes that are a treasured legacy of the city’s historic roots […]
At their core, many community science projects revolve around one critical question: What decisions can make life better in this community? It’s a tough question, made tougher by the increasingly complex economic, social and environmental issues many towns and cities are facing today. It also happens to be one of the questions government finance officers […]
In the past two years, the interwoven issues of climate and environmental justice have started to get increasing attention in the scientific community. It’s about time. Or maybe it’s too late. Maybe it’s 150 years too late to prevent climate change and the impact it will have on those who are both most vulnerable to […]
During AGU’s 2021 Fall Meeting in New Orleans, we were honored to meet many community members who are working to make the region’s neighborhoods healthier, more connected and more resilient. Here’s a glimpse of what we saw. Community lead Julia Kumari Drapkin stands in front of a football field in Gentilly, now the site of […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is pleased to announce our February 2022 cohort of Community Leads! They will work with Community Science Fellows to launch impactful community science projects. Some projects in this cohort are launched in partnership with the American Meteorological Society, and some are with communities who are members of the Anthropocene Alliance and ecoAmerica. […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is pleased to announce our February 2022 cohort of Community Science Fellows! They’ll be working with communities from across the United States to launch impactful community science projects. We are pleased to partner with the American Meteorological Society to launch this cohort, and welcome communities from the Anthropocene Alliance network. Stay tuned […]
How can scientific institutions like AGU be better partners to communities? AGU’s 2021 Fall Meeting took place in New Orleans, Louisiana. While we were there, Thriving Earth Exchange visited several communities where Thriving Earth community science projects have taken place or are still in progress. We met community leads, learned more about their projects and […]
Thriving Earth Exchange recently welcomed Community Science Fellow coordinator Maria Sharova and manager of community lead engagement Blake McGhghy , and since then, they’ve been vital members of the team. To kick off a new year of commitment to community science, we held a Q&A with them to learn more about them – and their […]
2021 followed a year no one could have expected. Yet even as we continued to respond and adapt to the new reality of the ongoing pandemic, Thriving Earth Exchange found innovative ways to advance community science and spark new collaborations in the United States and around the world. This year, we launched a record number […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is to share our 201 video featuring photos, written testimonials and videos from many of our wondering Thriving Earth Exchange participants — including community leads, scientists and Community Science Fellows, and partners in the U.S. and around the world! A huge thank you to everyone who contributed for the opportunity to hear […]
When Glastonbury, Connecticut’s health officials and town leadership suspected uranium contamination in residential wells, they partnered with Thriving Earth Exchange to investigate. The project uncovered key information the town needed to advise residents, summed up in a thorough report written with the community in mind – all amid the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. What’s in your water? Glastonbury, a community with a history of agriculture and fruit orchards, is a town of about 35,000 people, and a suburb of the city of Hartford. “We take a lot of […]
Thriving Earth Exchange and AJGES team up to bring community science to Senegal In the latest expansion of Thriving Earth’s impacts beyond the U.S., a new partnership with a group of scientists in Senegal provides an opportunity to bring the community science approach to local environmental issues in the West African nation. The Association of […]
Share your Story! Have a passion for community science? Share it with us to be featured at Fall Meeting 2021! Each week until Nov. 29, we’re sharing a new prompt to get your creative juices flowing. This Week’s Prompt: Why Is Community Science the Future of Science and Society? Tell us where community science going. […]
AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange and ecoAmerica are thrilled to announce a new partnership to support projects that help communities respond and adapt to the impact of climate change on public health, the environment and infrastructure. Thriving Earth Exchange connects communities with scientists and technical experts to help them explore priorities related to natural resources, natural […]
Thriving Earth Exchange is pleased to announce our October 2021 cohort of Community Science Fellows! They’ll be working with communities from across the United States to launch impactful community science projects. Three projects in this cohort are launched in partnership with the National Park Service, and five are with communities in the Anthropocene Alliance network. […]
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 […]
