You are browsing the archive for Eric A. Davidson.
12 November 2020
Congratulations to the newly-elected leaders!
We are excited to have such a distinguished group of individuals who have been elected to serve AGU and our community.
31 October 2019
Special Election to Fill AGU Board Vacancy Begins 4 November
Owing to unforeseen family circumstances, AGU Board director Chris Ballentine recently resigned. Chris was in his second term on the Board and was due to rotate off in December 2020. AGU president Robin Bell asked the Leadership Development and Governance Committee to explore how best to fill the vacancy. The Leadership Development and Governance Committee recommended that AGU hold a special election. Because the usual biennial process to identify and …
28 November 2018
AGU Helps Science and Scientists Make a Local Impact
Several students and early career members of AGU have told me that they chose a career path in science for both the excitement of curiosity-driven science and the feeling that science can help them contribute to making the world a better place. Indeed, AGU’s mission includes both promoting discovery in Earth and space science and doing so for the benefit of humanity. Figuring out how to do that second part—benefiting …
25 July 2018
Solidarity Among Scientists Across the Globe Is Needed Now More Than Ever
Frustration is mounting over nationalist policies in the U.S. and other countries, which are obstructing the free exchange of ideas and effective collaboration among scientists. These policies have multiple impacts. The most immediate and visible human tragedies are borne by refugees and immigrants. At the same time, several academics have lost their jobs or their ability to carry out their missions where nationalist governments have restricted academic freedoms and defunded …
22 March 2018
AGU’s Revised Ethics Policy: Where We Are 6 Months Later
By Robin Bell, Eric Davidson, and Chris McEntee Roughly six months ago, AGU leadership adopted a revised ethics policy that took a noticeably stronger stance on workplace climate issues by including harassment, bullying, and discrimination in the definition of scientific misconduct. In doing so, we recognize appropriate personal conduct as part of the broader context of scientific responsibility and the expected research behavior—because harassment, bullying, and discrimination negatively impact the …
22 December 2017
Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler! 2017 Fall Meeting in New Orleans
It wasn’t your grandfather’s AGU that met this month in New Orleans for the first time. As in recent years, it was just as large (with nearly 23,000 registrants from 92 countries, more than 9,000 oral abstractsand 13,000 poster abstracts), but the innovations, energy, and vibrancy took us to new levels! Innovations: How to make a huge meeting feel more manageable? Discussion pod options were increased, allowing attendees to converse …
15 September 2017
A Revised Ethics Policy: Setting the Bar High to End Harassment in the Sciences
By Eric Davidson, AGU President, Robin Bell, AGU President-elect, and Margaret Leinen, AGU Past President Science is strongest when a diverse set of voices are not only allowed, but encouraged, to share their perspectives and scientific ideas. Harassment and discrimination can negatively impact that diversity of voices and have no place in a research environment or workplace of any kind. They compromise open communication, create a hostile work climate, and in …
12 July 2017
Stand Up for Earth and Space Science: Meet with Your Legislator During August Recess
“We need to tell that story,” said my Senator, after I told him how NOAA’s Sea Grant Program budget is only $73 million/yr, even though it helps hundreds of communities to prepare for hurricanes and storm surges and manage coastlines1. I suspected that he would be a strong supporter of science, but I didn’t realize how appreciative he would be to have a clear narrative that he could share with …
1 May 2017
March for Science: Reflections from AGU President Eric Davidson
Editor’s Note: This week, we’ll be sharing reflections on the March for Science from AGU leaders. This is part one of three. Part two and part three can be viewed here. My young adult son was at my side, holding the AGU banner as we participated in the March for Science in Washington, D.C. While I can remember other historic marches on Washington–for civil rights, protesting the Vietnam War, and the …
10 March 2017
AGU Responds to Statements from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Climate Change
Yesterday, Scott Pruitt, the newly installed head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), made a statement regarding climate change in answer to a question posed to him on a CNBC program. “I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it’s a primary contributor to the …
8 February 2017
Climate Science, the White House, and the Value of Data
The presumed top two candidates for President Trump’s science advisor have been reported by several credible media organizations to characterize human-induced climate change as “a radical hypothesis,” “exaggerated,” and the product of “a cult.”* We urge From The Prow readers to sign and promote our petition to appoint an individual with a strong scientific background who understands the rigorous scientific method and the need for evidence-based science. The American Geophysical …
4 February 2017
Climate Science & Data Management
UPDATE (5 February, 12:36 p.m.): I want to clarify – AGU’s position on the scientific consensus on climate change and the need for openness and transparency in science is firm. As we stated “while climate science knowledge is evolving, these reports do not change our fundamental understanding of climate change,” and “AGU remains committed to serving as a leader in data and transparency in science.” As to the merits – or lack thereof – of the …
3 February 2017
AGU President Eric Davidson: The Path Before Us
If the thought had ever crossed my mind when I first joined AGU in 1990 that I might one day join its leadership, I would have dismissed it as highly unlikely. As a graduate student, I had imprinted on a community of soil scientists and ecologists. I attended my first AGU meeting to stand in for my post-doctoral advisor to deliver a talk in an Atmospheric Sciences session on sources …
13 December 2016
What I Would Say to President-Elect Trump and His Science Advisor
The implications of the elections were an undercurrent at our Board and Council meetings, and a topic of conversations throughout the Moscone Center. AGU has already taken steps to address our changing landscape, and our approach is evolving. If I had a chance as of today, based on what I’ve heard and assimilated, this is what I would say to President-Elect Trump. What would you say? Dear President-Elect Trump: I …
6 October 2016
What’s the Role of the Scientific Community in Combating Sexual Harassment?
Originally posted to the Wiley Exchanges community. While sexual harassment in academia and in scientific workplaces is receiving increasing attention by the media, it is by no means a new phenomenon. Now that the topic is finally receiving some of the attention that it has long deserved, the time is right for scientific societies to lead the way to create a culture where sexual harassment, and harassment of any kind, …
18 September 2015
An Emerging Bipartisan Recognition of Climate Change
Once upon a time, in a city named after America’s first president, science enjoyed broad bipartisan support, including the biomedical, geophysical, environmental, and social sciences. The scare of Sputnik not only inspired American space exploration in the 1950s and 1960s, but also reinforced a commitment to basic research in many disciplines, which paved the way for development of technological applications far beyond the imagination of the original researchers. Current cell …
