19 November 2015
WASHINGTON, DC— Discover the latest Earth and space science news at the 48th 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. 14-18, at the Moscone Center, 747 Howard St., San Francisco, Calif.
Included in this advisory:
- Virtual Press Room and PIO Uploader – now live!
- Press event formats and preliminary press conference topics
- Fall Meeting general sessions and associated press events
- AGU On-Demand
- Fall Meeting events
- Northern California Science Writers Association Holiday Dinner
- Journalism Awards Reception
- Press registration information
- Who’s coming
Please visit the 2015 AGU Fall Meeting Media Center for previous media advisories that include important information about visas for international reporters and searching the scientific program.
- Virtual Press Room and PIO Uploader – now live!
During the Fall Meeting, journalists can find press releases and 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 public information officers: Sign up now for a login for the PIO Uploader. PIOs with a login can add 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. To register for a login, go to the Media Center on the Fall Meeting website and click on the “For PIOs” tab. Only registered PIOs will be allowed to upload content.
For journalists: Press releases, press conference materials (including PowerPoint presentations, images, videos, scientific papers, and more, as available), and video recordings of press conferences are added to the Virtual Press Room during the meeting for easy online access.
- Press event formats and preliminary press conference topics
AGU’s Public Information office will be hosting three kinds of press events at the Fall Meeting:
- Press Conference – A small panel of speakers will share newsworthy findings being presented at the meeting.
- 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.
- Media Availability – A prominent person(s) in the Earth and space sciences will be available to reporters.
So far, we expect press conferences on the changing Arctic, Mars exploration, the Pacific Ocean, air quality, Earth’s climate and a new X-PRIZE competition. 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.
- Fall Meeting general sessions and associated press events
Fall Meeting general sessions cover different and exciting topics applicable across all fields of Earth and space science. This year’s general sessions will include several high-profile speakers:
- During a special session, Peter Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of XPRIZE, as well as several XPRIZE leaders and sponsors, will announce a new XPRIZE competition on Monday, December 14 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. A press conference about the announcement will be held following the session.
- Elon Musk, CEO and Lead Designer at SpaceX and CEO and Product Architect at Tesla Motors, Inc., will participate in a ‘fire-side chat’-style interview as part of the Presidential Forum on Tuesday, December 15 from 10:10 – 11:00 a.m.
- France A. Córdova, Director of the National Science Foundation, will address Fall Meeting attendees as the 2015 Union Agency Lecturer on Tuesday, December 15 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. A media availability will be held immediately following the lecture.
- Gordon McBean, President of the International Council for Science, will give the annual Union Frontiers of Geophysics Lecture on Thursday, December 17, from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
All general sessions will take place in Moscone North, Hall E. Any associated press events will take place in the Press Conference Room: Moscone West, Room 3000.
- AGU On-Demand
AGU On-Demand (formerly ‘Virtual Options’) will provide online access to live streaming and recorded content from the meeting, including lectures and oral presentations. Click here for a list of AGU On-Demand sessions. E-posters (electronic versions of Fall Meeting posters) will also be available online. Begin viewing AGU On-Demand sessions on Sunday, December 13 at 12:30 p.m. PST.
Registration for access to AGU On-Demand is required, but free. Information on how to register will be included in a future advisory. For more information, email [email protected].
- Fall Meeting events
In addition to the scientific program, AGU is also offering other events and activities of interest to the press, including beginner and advanced Blogging and Social Media Forums and more. Search all Fall Meeting events in the Events Calendar.
Note: The How to Communicate Opinion Forum has been canceled.
- Northern California Science Writers Association Holiday Dinner – Dec. 16
[The following notice is provided on behalf of the Northern California Science Writers Association about their holiday dinner.]
NCSWA Holiday Dinner Dec. 16: Pluto’s Moons and the New Horizons mission
The Northern California Science Writers Association invites AGU press to its annual holiday dinner on Wednesday evening, Dec. 16, in downtown San Francisco. This year’s speaker is Mark Showalter of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, co-investigator on NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and an expert on the outer solar system’s moons and rings. Showalter will share his insider’s view of New Horizons and its discoveries of a surprisingly youthful surface on Pluto. He will focus particularly on Pluto’s four small “spinning top” moons, whose dynamics are strongly affected by Pluto’s large companion moon Charon. The most distant moon, Hydra, whips around on its axis 89 times during each lap around Pluto. “We expected chaos, but this is pandemonium,” Showalter said.
The evening also will feature a trivia contest for door prizes and mingling with Bay Area science writers at NCSWA’s largest annual event.
Details:
Wednesday, December 16, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 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 at http://www.ncswa.org/event-2089442.
- Journalism Awards Reception – Dec. 17
We invite you to join your Press Room colleagues to honor and celebrate AGU’s most recent journalism award winners during an informal ceremony and reception.
We will recognize the outstanding reporting and writing of 2015 Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism winner Andrew Revkin; 2015 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–Features winner Douglas Fox; and the 2015 David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–News winner Sandi Doughton.
The ceremony will take place in the Press Conference Room, Moscone West, Room 3000, Level 3, from 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 17. A reception will follow across the hall in the Press Room (Moscone West, Room 3001A).
- Press registration information
Online press registration for the Fall Meeting is open. Please pre-register to expedite the on-site badge pick-up process.
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. Note: Some events and activities, including but not limited to invitation-only events and communications workshops, are not open to press badge holders.
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.
- Who’s coming
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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Contact:
Nanci Bompey
+1 (202) 777-7524
[email protected]