WASHINGTON, DC — Discover the latest Earth and space science news at the 50th annual AGU Fall Meeting this December, when about 24,000 attendees from around the globe are expected to assemble for the largest worldwide conference in the Earth and space sciences.

This year, the meeting runs from Monday through Friday, Dec. 11-15, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130.

Included in this advisory:

1. Online resources – now live
2. Expert tools – now live
3. Reporting from the AGU Fall Meeting webinar – recording now available
4. Fall Meeting keynote lectures and general sessions
5. Late-breaking sessions – abstracts now online
6. Press events and preliminary press conference topics
7. Press field trip + happy hour: Living with Water in New Orleans – register now!
8. Press field trip: Climate and Culture – register now!
9. Journalism awards reception
10. Press registration information

Please visit the 2017 Fall Meeting Media Center to view previous media advisories that include information about searching the scientific program and visa information for international reporters. For any questions about the Fall Meeting or information included in this advisory, email [email protected].

 1. Online resources – now live!

During Fall Meeting, journalists can find many resources online in the Fall Meeting Media Center. Public information officers (PIOs) can now post press releases and other materials to the site.

For journalists: In the Virtual Press Room, journalists can find press releases, press conference materials (including PowerPoint presentations, images, videos, scientific papers, and more, as available) and other information. Videos of press conferences will be added to the Virtual Press Room during the meeting for easy online access.

For public information officers: PIOs can now share press releases and other materials in the Virtual Press Room by directly uploading them via the Press Item Uploader. PIOs can upload press releases, tip sheets and press conference materials to the Virtual Press Room at any time before or during the meeting. PIOs can also upload materials and schedule them to publish at a later date.

Note: PIOs do not need to register to upload press items to the Virtual Press Room. However, only public information and press officers of recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit Earth and space science research organizations are eligible to upload press items. The AGU press office may remove any items posted by press officers who do not meet these criteria.

2. Expert tools – now live!

The AGU press office offers two online tools to connect reporters with scientific experts at the 2017 Fall Meeting. These tools are now available online in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

The Find an Expert tool allows PIOs to list scientific experts who are available to be interviewed by reporters at the meeting. The Request an Expert tool allows reporters to send requests for experts directly to PIOs.

For journalists: With the Find an Expert tool, reporters can search a list of scientific experts in various topic areas who are at the meeting and available for interviews. These experts have been listed by PIOs from recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit Earth and space science research organizations. With the Request an Expert tool, reporters can send a request for an expert directly to PIOs via email. When a reporter fills out the “Request an Expert” form, participating PIOs will receive a private email with the reporter’s name, affiliation and information about the kind of expert he or she is seeking. PIOs can then contact reporters directly if they have an expert available.

For public information officers: With the Find an Expert tool, PIOs can list up to 10 scientific experts who are at the meeting and available for interviews with reporters. Reporters can then search the list of available experts for scientists who meet their needs. PIOs do not need to register to list an expert; they simply need to fill out the “List an Expert” form on the Find an Expert page.

The Request an Expert tool allows reporters to send a request for an expert directly to PIOs via email. When a reporter fills out the Request an Expert form, participating PIOs will receive a private email with the reporter’s name and affiliation as well as information about the kind of expert he or she is seeking. PIOs can then contact reporters directly.

PIOs who wish to receive expert request emails from reporters should fill out the Receive Expert Requests form.

Note: PIOs do not need to register to list an expert on the Find an Expert page. However, only public information and press officers of recognized scientific societies, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit Earth and space science research organizations are eligible to list experts. The AGU press office may remove any experts posted by press officers who do not meet these criteria.

More information about these tools can be found in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

3. Reporting from the AGU Fall Meeting webinar – recording now available

BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos and freelance reporter Julia Rosen shared their secrets for navigating the AGU Fall Meeting in a webinar on November 14. View a recording of the webinar here.

4. Fall Meeting keynote lectures and general sessions

Fall Meeting Keynote Lectures cover different and exciting topics applicable across all fields of Earth and space science. This year’s lectures include:

• Veteran journalist Dan Rather will deliver the Presidential Forum Lecture on Monday, December 11 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. A media availability will be held immediately following the lecture.
• A Special Keynote Panel titled “Why We Are Still In” will take place on Tuesday, December 12 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. AGU is facilitating this special plenary around the wearestillin.com movement, a response to a U.S. governmental decision to depart from the Paris Climate Accord. Panelists include the Honorable James Brainard, Mayor of Carmel, Indiana; and Sra. Tanya Müller García, Secretary of the Environment, Mexico City. A media availability will be held immediately following the lecture.
• Joanna Morgan, Professor of Geophysics at Imperial College London and Co-Chief Scientist of the IOPD-ICDP Expedition 364 Chicxulub Impact Crater Drilling Project, will deliver the Frontiers of Geophysics Lecture, “Chicxulub: The End of an Era,” on Wednesday, December 13 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Joanna Morgan will participate in a media availability on Tuesday, December 12 at 10:30 a.m.
• Vaughan Turekian, Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State, will deliver the Fall Meeting Agency Lecture, “How a Geoscientist Can Change the World,” on Thursday, December 14 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. A media availability will be held immediately following the lecture.

All Keynote Lectures will take place in the New Orleans Theater, located on the second floor of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center above Hall I-1. Registered journalists who are interested in attending these events should meet an AGU staff member at the entrance to the lecture hall 30 minutes prior to the start of the talk.

All media availabilities will take place in the Press Conference Room, Room 346-347, located on the third floor of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center above Hall E.

Safe AGU: Ethics, response to harassment and work climate-related events 

This year, AGU’s Board of Directors adopted an updated Ethics Policy. This policy takes a much stronger stance against harassment by including it in the definition of research misconduct and expanding its application to AGU members, staff, volunteers, and non-members participating in AGU-sponsored programs and activities, including AGU Honors and Awards, and governance. The purpose of these updates is to address persistent ongoing issues of harassment, discrimination, and bullying within the sciences.

AGU will be hosting a Town Hall session on the updated ethics policy on Tuesday, 12 December from 6:15 – 7:15 p.m. in Room 203-205. Visit the Fall Meeting Safe AGU page for a list of additional 2017 Fall Meeting events that delve into these issues.

Union and Town Hall lectures

AGU Fall Meeting Union sessions focus on multidisciplinary topics with a broad interest to the scientific community. Town Hall lectures offer an opportunity for government agencies, academic programs, special projects, and other focused interest groups to gather input from the broader AGU Community. Browse the scientific program for a list of this year’s Union and Town Hall sessions.

5. Late-breaking sessions: Abstracts now online

Several late-breaking sessions have been added to the Fall Meeting program to cover the latest research on recent events. These sessions include:

• Climate Solutions: Policy, Planning, Science and Engineering in Uncertain Political and Economic Times
  Oral session GC23H, Tuesday, 12 December, 1:40 – 3:40 p.m., Room 252-254
• Late-Breaking Research Related to the 2017 Hurricane Season in the Americas
  Poster session NH23E, Tuesday, 12 December, 1:40 – 6:00 p.m., Poster Hall D-F
  Oral session IN31F, Wednesday, 13 December, 8:00 – 10:00 a.m., Room E3
  Lightning session NH32C, Wednesday, 13 December, 10:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m., Room E3
  Oral session U32B, Wednesday, 13 December, 10:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m., Room La Nouvelle C
  Oral session NH33E, Wednesday, 13 December, 1:40 – 3:40 p.m., Room E3
  Oral session NH34B, Wednesday, 13 December, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., Room E3
  Oral session NH34C, Wednesday, 13 December, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., Room 352
• The September 2017 Tehuantepec and Puebla Earthquakes in Mexico
  Oral session S32D, Wednesday, 13 December, 10:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m., Room 343
  Poster session S33G, Wednesday, 13 December, 1:40 – 6:00 p.m., Poster Hall D-F
• Late-Breaking Sessions on the North Korean September 3, 2017 Declared Nuclear Test:
  Oral session S34C, Wednesday, 13 December, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., Room 228-230
  Oral session S41G, Thursday, 14 December, 8:00 – 10:00 a.m., Room 225-227
  Poster session S43H, Thursday, 14 December, 1:40 – 6:00 p.m., Poster Hall D-F
• 2017 South East Asia Flooding
  eLightning session NH51D, Friday, 15 December, 8:00 – 10:00 a.m., eLightning area

6. Press events and preliminary press conference topics

AGU’s Public Information Office will be hosting three kinds of press events at the Fall Meeting:

1. Press Conference – A small panel of speakers will share newsworthy findings being presented at the meeting.
2. Workshop – Experts will provide comprehensive information and answer reporters’ questions about an upcoming project or mission, or an ongoing area of research, rather than present breaking news.
3. Media Availability – A prominent person(s) in the Earth and space sciences will be available to reporters.

So far, we expect briefings on Jupiter, the changing Arctic, outer solar system exploration, melting glaciers, the 2017 solar eclipse and more. This list will grow and is subject to change. AGU also plans to send out press releases highlighting new research results presented at the meeting.

The full list of press events, including dates, times, summaries and lists of participants, will appear in a future advisory one week before the start of the meeting. All press events will take place in the Press Conference Room: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Room 346-347. Information about press conference webstreaming will be included in a future advisory.

In addition to press conferences, AGU is also offering other events and activities of interest to the press, including beginner and advanced Social Media Forums, a Fall Meeting Tweetup, press field trips, Open Mic Night, Story Collider and more. See #7 and #8 below for more information about the press field trips. Sign up to perform at Open Mic Night here.

NOTE: Some events and activities, including but not limited to invitation-only events and communications workshops, are not open to press badge holders.

7. Press field trip + happy hour: Living with Water in New Orleans (Dec. 10)

On Sunday, December 10, AGU, ISEECHANGE and local scientists and experts will lead members of the media on a field trip around New Orleans from 1 – 5 pm, with a post-trip happy hour from 5 – 7 pm.

Participants will visit the Gentilly Resilience District and other New Orleans neighborhoods affected by flooding. The tour will include a history of the city’s relationship with water, exploration of green infrastructure demonstration projects implemented by various public agencies and nonprofits, and information about large-scale innovative urban water management projects breaking ground in 2018.

The field trip will conclude with a media networking happy hour alongside AGU scientists and local experts sponsored by the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.

More details about the field trip and happy hour, including registration information and eligibility, can be found here.

Note: The happy hour following the field trip is open to all AGU Fall Meeting press registrants. You do not need to attend the field trip to come to the happy hour, nor do you need to register in advance for the happy hour.

8. Press field trip: Climate and Culture (Dec. 14)

On Thursday, December 14, Louisiana State Climatologist Barry Keim will lead a tour of his hometown, New Orleans, from 2 – 5 pm, to show how water, engineering, and culture intersect in the Bayou State. This field trip is sponsored by Louisiana State University and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The tour will include stops at iconic places including the 17th Street Canal Breach that led to thousands of homes flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Musicians’ Village, a revitalization project conceived by New Orleans natives Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis dedicated to support the arts, an above ground cemetery as well as the Lower Ninth Ward flood breaches and home of music icon Fats Domino.

More details about the field trip, including registration information and eligibility, can be found here.

9. Journalism Awards Reception (Dec. 12)

We invite you to join your Press Room colleagues to honor and celebrate AGU’s most recent journalism award winners during an informal reception on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

We will recognize the outstanding reporting and writing of 2017 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–Features winner Tony Bartelme, 2017 David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–News winner Courtney Humphries and 2017 Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism winner Rich Monastersky.

The reception will take place in the Press Room, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Room 350-351, from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

10. Press registration information

Online press registration for the Fall Meeting is now open. Please pre-register to expedite the on-site badge pick-up process.

The AGU Press Office provides complimentary press registration to professional journalists representing media organizations, freelance journalists, photographers, videographers, bloggers, authors, filmmakers, public information officers, institutional communicators and student journalists for the express purpose of gathering news and information to produce media coverage of AGU meetings. Press registrants receive, at no charge, a badge that provides access to all scientific sessions, the press room and the press conference room. For eligibility requirements, please visit the Press Registration Eligibility Requirements page.

Registrations are approved at the discretion of the AGU press office and approval may take up to 5 business days. Eligible members of the press may also register for press credentials on-site at the meeting. The on-site registration location, badge pick-up location, and Press Room, Press Conference Room and Quiet Rooms locations will be included in a future advisory.

Check the online Who’s Coming list of journalists and press officers who have registered for the meeting. This list is updated regularly.

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The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing more than 60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our other social media channels.

AGU Contact:

Lauren Lipuma
+1 (202) 777-7396
[email protected]

Nanci Bompey
+1 (202) 777-7524
[email protected]