Start a Thriving Earth Exchange Project

Our work focuses on local challenges related to natural hazards, natural resources, and climate change. Projects must utilize earth and space scientific knowledge or methods to collect data, apply scientific knowledge or processes, or make results of scientific research accessible. This includes approaches that utilize "Western science" data or methods to support or weave together with Indigenous science, perspectives, and values. Some examples of projects we have supported are: collecting air, water or soil samples to examine them for pollutants; using existing GIS data to create an interactive map so communities can determine their relative environmental hazard risks; helping determine the cause of an environmental issue; creating green space or gardens; and creating a plan to protect a natural resource. Please note that projects should be narrowly focused. Having a successful project with our program does not mean your community issue is solved, but that it is a milestone to achieving a larger goal.

The core component of a project should be the use, application, discovery of or broadening access to knowledge about Earth and space science. AGU is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit that cannot support partisan activities, political campaign activities, or lobbying. We are unable to support projects that collect personal health information or human biomedical specimens such as saliva, urine, blood, psychological data, etc. Please also keep in mind that project participants including the Community Leads, Community Science Fellows, and Volunteer Scientists are volunteers and projects have limited funding and should conclude within 18 months.

Projects last 12-18 months. Depending on your community and project’s experience, the project could finish earlier or at the 18-month mark. A project may not have accomplished all of its goals, but it’s come to a logical conclusion and the fellow and scientist have wrapped up their roles. Thriving Earth Exchange is a steppingstone to achieving a larger goal and the focus is on developing and obtaining scientific data that can result in a larger project in the future.

Each project requires two Community Leads, who bring the community context, knowledge, insights and connections. You represent and speak on behalf of your community. You engage widely within the community and ensure that the project is responsive to your community priorities and that it is relevant and impactful in the community. Being a community lead requires approximately 3-4 hours a week of your time. However, this estimated time can fluctuate throughout the duration of your project depending on where you are and what may be needed from you to develop the tool/solution. You work with your project team (Co-Community Leader, Community Science Fellow and Scientist/Expert) throughout the course of your project and communicate effectively and professionally amongst each other.

As a Community Lead, a reliable internet connection, ability to communicate virtually/familiarity with video conferencing software (i.e., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, etc.) along with good communication skills and a co-community leader/team to support are crucial for your role. This virtual Community Science program is designed to function completely online and it’s essential that you communicate with your project team effectively and efficiently throughout each phase of your project.

Your Community Science Fellow acts as the project manager. They will coordinate with you to: schedule calls to learn more about your project; draft up a project description based on your conversations (though it will need your input to finalize!); search, vet and recommend scientists/technical experts; and coordinate communications and project plans, to name a few. It is important that your fellow helps you narrow your project to something achievable with pro bono support for 18 months. Your Community Scientist will work with you to develop a tool/solution that you outline together. *Remember the community science fellow and scientist are not working for you, but with you and your community as volunteers. It is crucial to remember that you are all members of the same team.

We have a limited amount of mini-grant funding available to projects and projects can also seek external funding for their work. You may apply for funding to support the activities of your community science project. Your Community Science Fellow will provide more information when your project has started.

Reports, webinars, application of technology, conference or community gathering/forum, proposal, exhibition, interview, communication materials, maps, podcast and more. Additionally, your project can result in greater community understanding of an issue, a new community resource, data and analysis for a larger initiative and improved health and access, and/or reduced environmental harms.