Education

The goal of AGU’s education and career services programs is to expand public knowledge and understanding of the Earth and space sciences and foster a productive geoscience workforce. Our strategy is primarily targeted at the interface between the research and education communities, with emphasis on developing resources and offering services to:

Encourage continued professional development of AGU members as educators,
Foster improved Earth science teaching at the pre-college level,
Nurture undergraduate and graduate students and early career Earth and space scientists,
Recruit the next generation of Earth and space scientists, and
Promote increased diversity in the Earth and space science workforce.

Committee on Education & Human Resources (CEHR)

CEHR provides guidance on AGU’s education and outreach portfolio, with additional support from the Section education and outreach committees, and education representatives from related societies and scientific organizations. Implementation of these programs relies heavily on volunteer efforts within the AGU membership.

AGU Positions Statements Related to Education

Volunteer to Help (email)
Support these Programs [select Education Outreach Fund]

AGU Education Briefs

Free electronic alert service providing timely information on geoscience education news, events, workshops, funding solicitations, and research opportunities for educators.

Heads and Chairs of Earth and Space Science Departments

Since 1997, this forum has discussed important issues common to geophysical science departments, including research funding, program assessment, modernization of post-secondary curricula, increasing faculty diversity, and student career planning. This group meets jointly on a biannual basis with the Heads and Chairs of Meterology Departments.

Next Meeting: 15 December 2008, in San Francisco.

Past Meetings

Research Grants and Awards

AGU Excellence in Geophysical Education Award: The AGU Excellence in Geophysical Education Award was established in 1996 to acknowledge a sustained commitment to excellence in geophysical education by a team, individual, or group at any grade level.; Award Recipients; Nomination Information — 15 October 2005 deadline; Citation for Most Recent Medalist
Horton Research Grants: The Hydrology Section awards two Horton Research Grants each year to support Ph.D. candidates whose research is in hydrology and/or water resources.; Description; Recent recipients
Scarf Award: The Space Physics and Aeronomy Section presents the Scarf Award annually to a recent recipient of a Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) for outstanding dissertation research that contributes directly to solar-planetary science.; Description; Recent recipients
Mineral and Rock Physics Outstanding Student Award: The Mineral and Rock Physics Group presents the Mineral and Rock Physics Outstanding Student Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions by young scientists who are engaged in experimental and/or theoretical studies of minerals and Earth materials with the purpose of unraveling the physics and chemistry that govern their properties.; Nomination information.
Outstanding Student Paper Awards: Most Sections and Focus Groups offer Outstanding Student Paper Awards for student-first-author presentations given at annual AGU meetings.; OSPA Information Sheet

Geoscience Education Reform

AGU has played an important role in ongoing community efforts to improve the quality of Earth and space science education and teaching, including these recent conferences and workshops.

Scrutiny of Undergraduate Geoscience Education: Is the Viability of the Geosciences in Jeopardy?: AGU Chapman Conference, 1994; http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/education/Scrutiny_1994.pdf (11MB); (sponsored by AGU)
Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Earth Science Education: National Science Foundation, 1996; (sponsored by AGU)
Revolution in Earth and Space Science Education: TERC, NSF, 2002; http://www.earthscienceedrevolution.org/
Teach the Earth: the Science Education Resource Center for Geoscience Faculty: http://serc.carleton.edu/

Education Activities at AGU Meetings

AGU offers a variety of education-themed (ED) technical sessions, as well as numerous education, outreach, and student-focused programs, at its annual meetings. During the Fall Meeting these programs include:

The Academic Showcase highlights over 30 institutions offering graduate degree programs in the Earth and space sciences.
The Breakfast for Students is a complimentary networking event for undergraduate and graduate students with the leadership and its Sections and Focus Groups.
The Education and Student Lounge provides a gathering spot for students and educators, with daily discussions regarding education issues, resources, and early career information.

Summaries of all Education, Outreach, Student, and Career programs held at AGU meetings are available:

Student Travel Grants

Student Travel Grants are available for a limited number of students planning to attend annual and biannual AGU meetings. This program provides financial assistance to U.S. and international young scientists and students who have little or no support from research contracts or grants, and plan to present an oral/poster presentation as first author at the meeting. Application requirements and funding amounts vary by meeting.

Procedure for Selecting AGU Student Travel Grant Recipients

In a perfect world, we'd be able to give every student travel grant applicant an award; however, AGU has to make the tough decision as to who receives an award and who doesn't. Though it's a tough choice (frequently an extremely tough one), we hope that it's as equitable as it can be. The student applicants are ranked according to the following criteria and point system:

Current level of support

2: less than $6,000/year
1: between $6,000 and $12,000/year
0: more than $12,000/year

Education level

2: undergraduate or within 1 year of finishing PhD

1: Masters and PhD students (except those within 1 year of finishing)

The student applicants are then sorted by their rank. The ranking favors PhD students within 1 year of finishing who are at less well endowed universities as well as undergraduate students, because in almost all cases their current level of support is less than $6,000/year.

AGU's Education manager, Inés Cifuentes, then reviews each applicant's information to select a pool of candidates that is ~50% women, about one third from outside the US, well distributed among the sections and focus groups (i.e. not all hydrology), and a good mixture of undergraduate and graduate students. Their statements about the "Benefit of Attendance" and "Career Goals" are used to identify those students who have never attended an international meeting as well as those who have a specific purpose in attending the meeting in addition to presenting their research, i.e. exploring graduate school or post-doctoral opportunities.

The Education manager then sends the list of possible candidates as well as the entire applicant list to a subcommittee of AGU's Committee on Education and Human Resources who make the final determination of the student travel grant recipients.

Increasing Diversity in the Geosciences

The AGU Diversity Plan (May, 2002) outlines a comprehensive strategy for increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in the geosciences. This plan is being implemented through several programs:

Bright STaRS (Students Training as Research Scientists) is a program to bring up to 50 high school students engaged in after-school and summer research projects in geoscience disciplines to annual AGU meetings to present their results.
AGU convened the first Joint Society Conference on Increasing Diversity in the Earth and Space Sciences (IDEaSS Conference, 2003), bringing together 70 representatives of 26 scientific organizations and 6 federal agencies to discuss a formal resolution to collaborate (pdf) on increasing diversity in the geosciences.
The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Sciences (MS PHD'S) Program, directed by Dr. Ashanti Pyrtle (USF), is an NSF/NASA funded program that provides mentoring, networking, and professional development opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups who are pursuing careers in the geosciences. The description and application form for the 2007–2008 Professional Development Program are now available.
Read more about AGU’s diversity programs: A Unified Approach to Diversifying the Earth Sciences (Karsten, Geotimes, 2003)

More information on diversity in the geosciences…

Resources for Science Teachers

Geophysical Information for Teachers (GIFT) Workshops — held in conjunction with the annual meetings — allow secondary science teachers to hear about the latest geoscience research from the scientists making the discoveries, explore new classroom resources for their students, and visit exhibits and technical sessions of the AGU meeting for free.

Past GIFT Workshops [PDF, 78kB]

GIFT Workshop in Ethiopia [PDF, 132kB] — As part of International Heliophysical Year, the Education and Public Outreach section of AGU's Space Physics and Aeronomy section organized a GIFT workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mark Moldwin and others wrote an article for Eos, the AGU newspaper, about this workshop.

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) — AGU sponsors both a Featured Speaker for the annual NSTA convention and additional speakers as part of the NESTA-NAGT-AGU Earth and Space Science Resource Day during the annual and regional NSTA conventions.

Current and Past NSTA Convention Speakers