AGU Fall Meeting: Preliminary press conference topics; press events and general sessions

21 November 2016


WASHINGTON, DC — Discover the latest Earth and space science news at the 49th 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 Monday through Friday, Dec. 12-16, 2016 at the Moscone Center, 747 Howard St., San Francisco, California.

Included in this advisory:

  1. Press events and preliminary press conference topics
  2. Fall Meeting events and general sessions
  3. Press networking events
  4. Online resources
  5. New expert tools
  6. Press registration information

Please visit the 2016 Fall Meeting Media Center to view previous media advisories that include important information about visas for international reporters, searching the scientific program and AGU On-Demand. For any questions about the Fall Meeting or information included in this advisory, email [email protected].

  1. Press events and preliminary press conference topics

AGU’s Public Information office will be hosting four 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.
  4. Media Q&A – Scientists whose research is featured in AGU Fall Meeting press releases will be available to reporters.

So far, we expect briefings on the changing Arctic, climate change, planetary defense, ocean heat storage, underwater volcanoes, extreme weather, Mars, Ceres, melting ice sheets, the ionosphere and more. This list will grow and is subject to change.

The full list of press events, including dates, times, summaries and lists of participants will appear in a future advisory. All press events will take place in the Press Conference Room: Moscone West, Room 3000.

All press events will be web streamed and recorded. Information about press event web streaming will be included in a future advisory.

  1. Fall Meeting events and general sessions

In addition to press conferences, AGU is offering other events and activities of interest to the press, including beginner and advanced Blogging and Social Media Forums, a Fall Meeting Tweetup and more. Search all Fall Meeting events in the Events Calendar.

Keynote Lectures

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

  • S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco will deliver the Presidential Forum Lecture on Monday, Dec. 12 from 12:30 – 1:15 p.m. A media availability will be held preceding the lecture.
  • The Frontiers of Geophysics Lecture, “Shifting the Energy Mix in a Post-Paris World,” will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. The panel will present economic, scientific and industry viewpoints on future energy demand, the shifting energy mix/energy tradeoffs and the economic, social, and political drivers of those shifts in a post-Paris COP21 world.
  • Marcia McNutt, 22nd President of the National Academy of Sciences, will deliver the Union Agency Lecture on Thursday, Dec. 15 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. A media availability will be held immediately following the lecture.

All Keynote Lectures will take place in Moscone North, Hall E. 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: Moscone West, Room 3000.

Noteworthy 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. This year’s Union and Town Hall sessions include:

  • Kickoff Conversation on the Importance of Data in the Earth and Space Sciences: Rebecca Moore, Director of Google Earth, Earth Engine & Outreach, will discuss Google’s perspective on working with big data, especially from space, and the emergence of the use of massively-parallel cloud computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence and other tools to extract meaning and insight from these petapixel-scale datasets on Monday, Dec. 12 from 6:15 – 7:15 p.m. in Moscone West, Room 2022/2024.
  • Strategies for Attracting and Advancing a Diverse Geoscience Workforce: This session will highlight successful programs for attracting and advancing historically-underrepresented Earth scientists at multiple career stages and identify strategies that AGU and its members can enact to broaden the participation of a diverse membership and workforce. The session will take place on Monday, Dec. 12 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. in Moscone West, Room 2016.
  • The Path Forward from Paris, One Year Later: A panel of high level science policy experts from around the world will discuss the outcomes of COP21/CMP11 and implications for both the research, policy, and action agendas at local, regional and global scales. Margaret Leinen, AGU President, will host the panel, which will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 1:40 – 3:40 p.m. inMoscone North, Hall E. A media availability will be held immediately following the session in the Press Conference Room: Moscone West, Room 3000.
Late-breaking sessions

Following the August 24 central Italy and September 3 Pawnee, Oklahoma, earthquakes, AGU added several late-breaking sessions to its scientific program to cover the latest research on these events. These sessions include:

  1. Press networking events

Members of the media will be able to meet and mingle with colleagues at several events throughout the week:

First-timers breakfast – Dec. 12

Attending your first AGU Fall Meeting and don’t know where to start? Whether you’re covering a scientific meeting for the first time or just haven’t been to the Fall Meeting before, veteran reporters will let you in on their secrets for navigating the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists during breakfast 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. Monday, Dec. 12 in the Press Room (Moscone West, Room 3001A). No registration necessary.

NCSWA Holiday Dinner: California’s redwoods in a changing climate – Dec. 13

[The following notice is provided on behalf of the Northern California Science Writers Association about their holiday dinner.]

AGU press are encouraged to join their colleagues in the Northern California Science Writers Association for NCSWA’s annual holiday dinner on Tuesday, December 13. This year’s speaker is noted UC Berkeley ecologist Todd Dawson, one of the world’s leading authorities on redwood trees. Dawson will discuss the impacts of climate change on California’s redwoods and his high-altitude forest research, featured prominently in National Geographic and other outlets.

Details:
Tuesday, December 13, 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
L’Olivier, 465 Davis Ct. (within walking distance of Moscone Center)
Cost for non-NCSWA members: $45
NCSWA encourages AGU press to register online in advance as the event may sell out.

Journalism awards reception – Dec. 15

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

We will recognize the outstanding reporting and writing of 2016 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–Features winner Lizzie Wade and the 2016 David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–News winner Alexandra Witze.

The reception will take place in the Press Room, Moscone West, room 3001A, from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15.

  1. Online resources

During the Fall Meeting, journalists can find many resources online in the Virtual Press Room in the Media Center on the Fall Meeting website. Public information officers (PIOs) can now post releases and other materials on 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 are now able to 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, including uploading items in advance and scheduling them to post during the meeting.

Please note: PIOs do not need to register to upload press materials 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 releases. The AGU press office may remove any press releases posted by press officers who do not meet these criteria.

  1. New expert tools

The AGU press office is offering two new online tools to connect reporters with scientific experts at the 2016 Fall Meeting.

The Find an Expert tool allows public information officers 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. These new tools are now available online in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

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 and affiliation as well as 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 emails from reporters as part of the Request an Expert tool should fill out the “Expert requests notification sign up” form.

Please 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.

  1. Press registration information

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

The AGU Press Office provides complimentary press registration to members of the media 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 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]