Thriving Earth Exchange

Thriving Earth Exchange and Science To Action at AGU’s Centennial Fall Meeting

View recordings of Centennial Sessions held at AGU Fall Meeting 2019 that focus on the intersection of science and society including community science and climate action.

Science & Society Panel: As the world becomes increasingly complex and science becomes ever more integral to daily life, it is more important than ever that scientists engage with lay audiences – from policy makers to the media to communities and public audiences – to help them connect to science information and concepts. Hear from a panel of scientists who work to communicate, engage, and collaborate with these audiences about the role their outreach has had in making positive change.

Value of Diversity in Team Science : As AGU looks ahead to its next 100 years, how will earth and space science continue to evolve? This plenary presentation will focus on the value of diversity in our work. Specifically, how engaging with diverse ideas and perspectives can make us better scientists and ensure our work is more broadly applicable to societal needs.

People Impacted By Climate Change : This panel discussion featured speakers from communities who are already impacted by and responding to climate change in innovative ways.

What is Science to Action at AGU all about?

AGU Fall Meeting is the largest Earth and space science gathering in the world, with approximately 28,000 attendees annually. This year’s meeting was held in San Francisco, California on December 9-13, 2019.

Within this meeting, a group of members who organize themselves under the banner of Science to Action carried out a collection of sessions, workshops, and networking events that are about how we connect science with action through partnering with communities and working with decision makers. Another group, Native Science, hosted events that explore the connections between science and indigenous ways of knowing. All of us – Thriving Earth Exchange, Science to Action, and Native Science – share the goal of helping all communities thrive by increasing science engagement to improve daily life and better confront concerns posed by extreme events, climate and land cover change, and natural hazards. We share an evidence-based conviction that co-created science or community science is a good way to do this important work.

Email [email protected] for an introduction.

Click here for review Science to Action activities from previous years.

Thriving Earth Exchange Events (Note: these events have occurred already)

[ezcol_1third]Building a Community Science Movement: A networking reception hosted by Thriving Earth Exchange[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Community Science is defined as the process by which scientists and communities do science together to advance local priorities and move science to action. By re-imagining science as a partnership with communities, community science builds support for science, tackles pressing global issues like climate change, and improves lives and livelihoods in communities around the world. It re-frames science as a democratic, participatory, equitable activity, and connects scientific knowledge to community wisdom. Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of community science – including over 100 community science projects that are part of AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange program – and help build a movement.

Tuesday, 10 December: 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Grand Hyatt, Grand West, Ballroom Level[/ezcol_2third_end]

[ezcol_1third]Community Science 101: Practical Tips and Real-world Strategies for Engaging with Communities[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Community science can help you transform your science into an impactful force for good! Join Thriving Earth Exchange staff for this workshop to learn and practice the skills needed to build effective relationships with communities to address critical local needs in climate change, natural hazards, and natural resource management.

Wednesday, 11 December: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Marriott Marquis, Golden Gate B, B2[/ezcol_2third_end]

[ezcol_1third]Science and Society: Panel Discussion and Networking[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Thursday, 12 December: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Centennial Theater, Main Stage[/ezcol_2third_end]

Networking

Indigenous Knowledges Networking Reception
Wednesday, 11 December: 6:30 – 8:30 PM
The W Hotel, Room TBD

Union Sessions

[ezcol_1third]Earth Science/Earth Covering Science Solutions for the Future: Technologies and Resources[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]A panel to learn from communities who are already impacted by and responding to climate change, with a particular emphasis on communities who don’t have as many opportunities to share their insights with AGU members. Our panel will include community leaders themselves and the scientists who work at the interface of communities and climate science.

Tuesday, 10 December 2019
15:50 – 16:50
Moscone South – Hall D, Centennial Central

[/ezcol_2third_end][ezcol_1third]U019 – Water in the Coupled Earth-Human System: Convergent science, decision-making and community action[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]Producing water science which informs policy and/or leads to community action can often prove illusive. Ethical, culturally appropriate, socially compelling, scientifically sound, and economically viable water related solutions will require convergence of scientific research across disciplines as well as a better understanding of and responsiveness to the values, needs and priorities of decision makers, community members, and practitioners. Leaders working on the boundary between science, environmental health, and social action will provide their perspectives as to what the needs and priorities are, while providing concrete examples and guidance for how to translate science to action across a diverse set of fields (e.g. media and communications, public health, policy making, and resource management).

This session provides a forum for an active dialog between scientists and a diverse group of decision-makers and experienced influencers that will be continued in related scientific sessions where panelists will act as discussants.

Monday, December 9: 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Moscone South – 303-304[/ezcol_2third_end]

[ezcol_1third]U32A – I2TK: Intergenerational, Intercultural Transfer of Knowledge: Diversity and Inclusion in Research, Education, and the Science of Storytelling[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]We erroneously think stories are shaped by people; in fact stories shape people. Critical stories have connections to the best science, best practices, and relationship to the art of survival. Could the science of storytelling be directly linked to the art of survival? Is our capacity to adapt directly linked to our ability to communicate? As remotely sensed and ground based science capabilities increase, science communication relies even more on storytelling to convey this research; moving content from data collection to stories, anecdotes and narratives which are much easier to comprehend. Non-expert audiences often get the majority of their scientific information from mass media relying on stories that are relevant and resonate. We welcome abstracts that show examples of traditional storytelling, yet more importantly, demonstrate multiple ways of knowing including practices that encourage sustainability and communicate lessons learned today through more effective storytelling, artful, compelling media, and more impactful results.

Wednesday, December 11: 10:20 – 12:20 pm
Moscone South 303-304[/ezcol_2third_end]

Tutorial Talks

[ezcol_1third]Science to Action: How to Work with Communities and Make an Impact[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end]

Earth and space science contributes to a future where all communities and ecosystems thrive. For example: hydrology helps design wetlands that mitigate flooding in working-class neighborhoods, climate modeling helps diverse communities prepare for extreme events, and solar forecasts help safeguard critical infrastructure. Exactly how does this happen – what does it look like on a personal, institutional, and systemic level? How can we do more?
A robust and growing body of trans-disciplinary research and practice explores coproduction between scientists and communities. We can use this to identify and promote cooperative practices that enrich science, advance community priorities, promote equity, and preserve ecosystems.

This tutorial will describe those cooperative practices. We will show how scientists have worked with diverse communities and navigated cultural differences, how to design science for social justice, and how to advance adaptation by connecting to broader priorities. We’ll describe bridges between scientific and indigenous knowledge and offer advice on how to navigate priority differences with integrity. We’ll talk about working around barriers and highlight institutional practices that support collaboration and help science better connect with decision making. We’ll discuss what this implies for science education and literacy. Finally, we’ll describe systematic changes that can foster collaboration, improve science, and make an impact in communities.

Tuesday, 10 December 2019
10:50 – 11:20
Moscone South – 104-105, LLS[/ezcol_2third_end]

Science to Action & Native Science Sessions

All Science to Action and Native Science sessions are listed in the AGU Community Science Field Guide.

Science to Action at AGU Fall Meeting 2019