AGU Fall Meeting: Today’s press events; General sessions; Potentially newsworthy presentations

14 December 2017


Saint Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square is a symbol of New Orleans.
Credit: Nowhereman86, CC BY 3.0.

Included in this announcement:

  1. Today’s press events
  2. New plenary session added: Perspectives and priorities on Earth and space science at four U.S. federal agencies
  3. Noteworthy sessions happening today
  4. Potentially newsworthy presentations
  5. Press field trip and Story Collider
  6. Online media resources

Please visit the 2017 Fall Meeting Media Center to view previous media advisories and press releases that include important information about press registration, badge pickup, press conferences, quiet rooms, searching the scientific program, and AGU On-Demand.

1. Today’s press events

9:00 a.m. – The costs of increased smoke exposure
10:30 a.m. – Using music to advance geoscience research
11:30 a.m. – The declared North Korean nuclear test on September 3, 2017
1:45 p.m. – Vaughan Turekian (Media Availability)
2:30 p.m. – Is climate intervention in our future? (Media Availability)

All Fall Meeting press events take place in the Press Conference Room, Room 346-347. They will also be streamed live on the AGU press events webpage and archived on AGU’s YouTube channel. Slides and other materials will be available in the Virtual Press Room on the Fall Meeting Media Center.

 2. New plenary session added: Perspectives and priorities on Earth and space science at four U.S. federal agencies

A special plenary session titled “Perspectives and Priorities on Earth and Space Science at Four U.S. Federal Agencies – NOAA, NASA, USGS, and NSF” has just been added to the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting scientific program.

The plenary session will take place on Thursday, 14 December from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. in the La Nouvelle C ballroom of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

In this session, a panel of some of the highest-ranking officials at U.S. science-based federal agencies – NASA, NSF, NOAA, and USGS – will present their views on the state of science at their agencies, their priorities for the near future and how science will fare in an era of increasing budget pressures. AGU president Eric A. Davidson will moderate the session.

Panelists include:
Thomas Zurbuchen (Invited), associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. and professor of space science and aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan;
William Easterling, head of the Directorate for Geosciences at the National Science Foundation and dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania;
RDML Tim Gallaudet, USN Ret., Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Acting NOAA Administrator in Washington, D.C.;
William H Werkheiser, acting director of the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia.

Registered journalists who are interested in attending this session should meet an AGU staff member at the entrance to the La Nouvelle C ballroom 30 minutes prior to the start of the session. Journalists can also stream the lecture live on AGU On-Demand.

3. Noteworthy sessions happening today

Fall Meeting Agency Lecture
Vaughan Turekian, senior board director for sustainability programs at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, will deliver the Fall Meeting Agency Lecture, “How a Geoscientist Can Change the World,” from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. in the New Orleans Theater, located on the second floor of the Morial Convention Center above Hall I-1. Registered journalists interested in attending this talk should meet an AGU staff member at the entrance to the lecture hall 30 minutes prior to the start of the talk. Journalists can also stream the lecture live on AGU On-Demand. A media availability will be held immediately following the lecture in the Press Conference Room, Room 346-347.

4. Potentially newsworthy presentations happening today and tomorrow

Late-breaking sessions

  • The North Korean September 3, 2017 Declared Nuclear Test
    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

Sessions

  • The Use of Humor in the Communication of Geophysical Science
    Session U54A, Friday, 15 December, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., Room E2

Abstracts

5. Press field trip and Story Collider

Press field trip: Climate and culture (2 p.m.)
Louisiana State Climatologist Barry Keim will lead registered journalists on 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.

Story Collider (7 p.m.)
The Story Collider is partnering with the American Geophysical Union for a free show in conjunction with the AGU Fall Meeting. Join your colleagues at BB’s Stage Door Canteen at the National WWII Museum, 945 Magazine St., for five personal stories about the Earth and space sciences told live. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; Show starts at 7 pm. Reserve your FREE spot at the show here.

6. Online media resources

For journalists: During the Fall Meeting, journalists can find many resources online in the Virtual Press Room in the Fall Meeting Media Center. These resources include press releases, press conference materials and other information. Videos of press conferences will be added to the Virtual Press Room during the meeting for easy online access.

The AGU press office also offers two online tools to connect reporters with scientific experts at the 2017 Fall Meeting. The Find an Expert tool allows reporters to view a list of scientific experts who are available for interviews at the meeting. The Request an Expert tool allows reporters to send requests for experts directly to PIOs. These tools are now available online in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

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.

The AGU press office also offers two online tools to connect reporters with scientific experts at the 2017 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. PIOs who wish to receive expert request emails from reporters should fill out the Receive Expert Requests form. More information about these tools can be found in the Fall Meeting Media Center.

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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:

Nanci Bompey
+1 (914) 552-5759
[email protected]

Lauren Lipuma
+1 (504) 427-6069
[email protected]

AGU Fall Meeting Press Room:
Morial Convention Center, Room 350-351
+1 (504) 670-5513
[email protected]