In August of 2011 AGU decided to mark its centennial with a “grand challenge” that would would leverage discovery in the Earth and space sciences to make a concrete differences in people’s lives and the health of the planet. Informed by research and stakeholder interviews, the challenge was organized around three key ideas:
- Focus on the last mile – use science to touch people’s lives and the places they live, work and play.
- Build an exchange where people from different backgrounds and expertise form teams that work together to integrate many skills and perspectives to solve complex, local problems
- Engage AGU members, a diverse pool of students and scientists who are located all over the world, and focus on areas that leverage AGU expertise: climate change, natural hazards, and natural resources.
TEX was launched in spring of 2013, and has since grown from three pilot projects in the US to over 50 projects worldwide. We have developed a proven method for community science engagement (and made it open source), developed new ways for scientists and community leaders to do TEX projects, and worked with partners to launch the Resilience Dialogues.
Follow and engage with us to continue the evolution and spread of community science.