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4 June 2021
Take 5… grading for equity
The book “Grading for Equity” shares three pillars for equitable grading – accuracy, bias-resistant, and motivational. But we also need to make sure our classroom practices and assessments are also designed through an equitable lens.
1 June 2021
Corinth Canal: a video of the rockfall that has left it closed since January
Corinth Canal: a video of the rockfall that has left it closed since January According to Wikipedia, the Conrinth Canal, “connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland“. Built in 1893, it was for a while an important trading route within Greece. However, it is a very narrow cut through bedrock – it is 6.4 km long …
26 May 2021
Geology Bites – a podcast with researchers sharing earth and space science
As we look to help students build a science identity and recognize the accomplishments of our colleagues, the Geology Bites podcast is a great addition to our toolkit for celebrating science and scientists.
25 May 2021
#QuiltYourScience for AGU 2021 and beyond
What is your science journey: unlocking Earth’s secrets? exploring the heights of our atmosphere to the depths of our ocean? or teaching others about the wonders of our universe? We invite quilters of all ages and skill levels to join us in December 2021 for a virtual celebration of quilts that celebrate the earth and space sciences. Create a mini quilt or a square illustrating your work in and/or passion for earth and space science research, communication or education.
Aliens In The Sky? Show Me Some Real Evidence!
Houston, we have a problem. News outlets have found that when they publish any story that has the letters UFO in it, they get a lot of hits. This leads to two things: More UFO stories and poor journalism. Here is an example I saw this last weekend. It was on the NBC website and showed the image below: Any meteorologist can tell you what you are looking at, and …
20 May 2021
AGU endorses the National Ocean Exploration Act
On 11 May 2021, AGU sent a letter of endorsement to leadership of the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Committee for the National Ocean Exploration Act. The National Ocean Exploration Act will help to ensure that our oceans continue to provide resources vital to our lives and our livelihoods—from food and energy sources to weather and global climate modulation, to biologically diverse habitats. Specifically, right now, there are significant …
16 May 2021
Documenting geoscience career paths with the Earth Science Resources video series
I strongly believe showcasing different career opportunities to students will help increase diversity in geoscience because “get a job” often takes precedent over “follow my passion” when you are a first-generation college student. But I want students to know they can have both! — Dr. Cindy Bergeron, creator/producer of Earth Science Resources [quote via email]
14 May 2021
The LARAM 2021 school
Applications are open for LARAM (“LAndslide Risk Assessment & Mitigation”) 2021. LARAM is a fantastic two week training programme for early career researchers run by the University of Salerno.
29 April 2021
The mining-induced Jianshanying Landslide in Guizhou Province China
A new paper in the journal Landslides (Chen et al. 2021) highlights the enormous and very rapidly evolving Jianshanying Landslide in Guizhou Province China, triggered by coal mining.
27 April 2021
Great Whale River: a very large, low-angled landslide in Canada on 22 April 2021
On 22 April 2021 a very large landslide occurred on the Great Whale River in Quebec, Canada. Images suggest that this landslide, which is about 4 km long, was a quick clay slide.
22 April 2021
AGU endorses the NSF for the Future Act
On 15 April 2021, AGU sent a letter of endorsement to the leadership of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee for the National Science Foundation for the Future Act. On behalf of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and our community of 130,000 worldwide in the Earth and space sciences, I am writing to thank you for crafting and offering AGU’s official endorsement for the National Science Foundation for the Future …
21 April 2021
AGU Endorses the Combatting Sexual Harassment in Science Act
On 20 April, AGU sent a letter of endorsement to the leadership of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee on the Combatting Sexual Harassment in Science Act. Dear Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas – On behalf of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and our community of 130,000 worldwide in the Earth and space sciences, I am writing to thank you for crafting and offering AGU’s official endorsement for the Combatting …
15 April 2021
Changing rainfall patterns in the Indian monsoon with future warming
A new paper in the journal Earth System Dynamics suggests that future warming will drive an increase in rainfall in the Indian monsoon. This is likely to increase landslide impacts in the most seriously affected landslide region.
10 April 2021
Making a first impression with your syllabus
From semester to semester, syllabi are dynamic, living documents. Although many institutions push for a syllabus to be a listing of university rules and policies, even going so far as to use the wording that the syllabus is a “contract”, there is language and approaches we can select to use for the syllabus to be more inviting, to be more inclusive, and to make an even better first impression for students beginning their semester/quarter journey with us.
9 April 2021
Weather Satellites Do Far More Than Monitor Weather. They Watch Volcanoes Too
The La Soufrière volcano on St. Vincent has rumbled to life and the loop below shows the second of two eruptions today. This is a dangerous volcano. It killed over 1000 in 1902 and it is a stratovolcano. Those are the ones that go BANG, unlike the shield volcanoes in Hawaii that spread runny lava everywhere. The last eruption was in April of 1979, and let’s hope this one is …
6 April 2021
Take 5… open educational resources
Making resources freely available to students has its benefits – but there are also costs. Are the technologies used for these OERs accessible on mobile devices and/or require high-speed access, special browser plug-ins, etc.? Are faculty compensated for preparing the OER, for maintaining/updating the OER? How are current events and societal challenges making it into OER – or are they? The research shows there are clear benefits to students using OER and not having to purchase textbooks – but let’s look at the entire OER system to make sure it is accessible, fair, and sustainable for not only students but faculty as well.
5 April 2021
A New Guide to the First Amendment for Scientists (from The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund)
The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) shares a new resource: A New Guide to the First Amendment for Scientists. Visit CSLDF’s original post and download the guide. Today we published A Pocket Guide for Scientists: The First Amendment to help scientists understand how this amendment protects their free speech rights. We wrote this guide so scientists can make informed decisions about how to safely and effectively participate in advocacy and activism. …
Impacts of the pandemic on women in academic SEM (NASEM Report)
“The future almost certainly holds additional, unforeseen disruptions that will test the principles and resilience of institutions of higher education. It also almost certainly requires the contributions of STEMM, which can be fully realized only if the well-being of women in these fields does not significantly suffer from the COVID-19 pandemic and other disruptions.”
30 March 2021
AGU Endorses the Rural STEM Education Research Act
On 25 March 2021, AGU sent a letter of endorsement to leadership of the House Science, Space, and Technology committee for the Rural STEM Education and Research Act. On behalf of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and our community of 130,000 worldwide in the Earth and space sciences, I am writing to thank you for crafting the Rural STEM Education Research Act (H.R. 210) and to offer AGU’s official endorsement for …
