Connecting Science & Society

Priya Nanjappa’s job is to use her science background to help develop policies in Colorado. We talked about the importance of science policy with Roger Pulwarty and Michael Hayes on a previous Sci & Tell episode.

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Night of the Killer Smog

Priya Nanjappa’s job is to use her wildlife and environmental expertise to help develop policies in Colorado. One of the first environmental laws enacted in the US is the Clean Air Act of 1970. We talked about why this law was enacted on Third Pod from the Sun – check it out!

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Footprints from an Ancient World

Priya Nanjappa is an expert in wildlife and environmental sciences (at least we think so!). Curious about what sorts of things you can study in those fields? Check out this Third Pod from the Sun episode with ichnologist Renata Netto.

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Standing Up for Science During an Epidemic

Priya Nanjappa’s job is to use her wildlife and environmental expertise to help develop policies in Colorado. Recently we talked with Ilaria Capua on Third Pod from the Sun, a virologist who also used her expertise to advise policies in Italy- until it went horribly wrong.

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The Changing Climate’s Snowball Effect

Priya Nanjappa’s job is to use her wildlife and environmental expertise to help develop policies in Colorado. We’ve been seeing the dangerous affects of climate change over the past few years- can policies help mitigate them? Read more in this Eos article:

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Specifically Tailored Action Plans Combat Heat Waves in India

Priya Nanjappa’s job is to use her wildlife and environmental expertise to help develop policies in Colorado. Many recent science policies are developed to help combat climate change. For example, Ahmedabad, a city in Gujarat, India, is the first city in the country to create a heat action plan to combat frequent heat waves:

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Building Resilience in Rural America

Paula Buchanan’s job involves helping the public prepare for natural disasters. Rural communities are disproportionally affected by natural hazards, but there are ways to change that. Read more in @AGU_Eos:

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Thriving Earth Exchange

Paula Buchanan makes sure her research involves and benefits the communities she’s working in. At AGU, we call this community science, and we created the Thriving Earth Exchange to support those projects. Learn more about it and all the cool projects its funded here:

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Voices for Science

On top of all the amazing things Paula Buchanan is doing, she’s a Voices for Science advocate with AGU! Learn more about the program here:

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Careers in Community Science

Paula Buchanan makes sure her research involves and benefits the communities she’s working in. At AGU, we call this community science. Read more about it in @AGU_Eos:

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Assessing Social Equity in Disasters

Paula Buchanan’s job involves helping the public prepare for natural disasters. Disadvantaged communities are disproportionally affected by natural hazards, and new research is helping measure just how much.

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Volcano Disaster Prepping

Paula Buchanan’s job involves helping the public prepare for natural disasters. John Ewert helps people prepare for volcano eruptions- at least, he did in this #ThirdPod ep!

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Special Release: Tribes, Trails, & Tailings

Science isn’t more important than the communities where you are researching. Paula Buchanan is always conscious of helping the communities that are affected by what she studies. And on a previous #ThirdPod ep, we spoke to indigenous scientists about working in their communities.

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3rd Pod Summer: The Johnstown Flood

Paula Buchanan’s job involves helping the public prepare for natural disasters. The Johnstown Flood was one of the US’s most devastating natural disasters. We discussed it in depth on #ThirdPod:  

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Relating Seismicity and Volcano Eruptions

Melissa Scruggs is currently earning her Ph.D. in volcanology. We know that earthquakes tend to coincide with volcanic eruptions, so what if we could use earthquakes to remotely predict the eruptions? This Eos article explains:

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Gunslingers of the Sea

Prosanta Chakrabarty studies ichthyology, specifically fishes & evolution. But we don’t think he ever looked into one of the loudest animals in the ocean. What if we told you that that animal is… a shrimp? Check out this Third Pod episode w/Joe Haxel to learn more:

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Chasing Narwhals, Unicorns of the Sea

Prosanta Chakrabarty studies ichthyology, specifically fishes & evolution. But we don’t think he ever looked into unicorns (of the sea, that is). Part of biologist Kristin Laidre’s job is to track down narwhals – not a bad gig. We talked to her about her job on Third Pod:

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Satellite Recon

As Director of the Earth Sciences division at NASA, Karen St. Germain oversees lots of satellites that collect data to help us better understand the Earth. The September 2020 issue of Eos highlights some of these projects.

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Can Satellites Fill Gaps in Agricultural Water Monitoring?

The Earth Sciences division at NASA, which Karen St. Germain is the director of, works on groundbreaking research in Earth Science using satellites. One question scientists have been asking is whether satellites can help us monitor water usage- but research suggests that it might not be effective. David Shultz explains in this Eos article.

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Satellite Captures Detaching Iceberg in Near-Real TIme

In her Sci & Tell episode, Karen St. Germain explains that one of the main roles of the Earth Sciences department at NASA is to use satellites to study the Earth. This Eos article talks about one of those satellites, which captured an iceberg in Antarctica detatching in real time.

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Uncovering the Ozone Hole

NASA doesn’t just study space- just ask Karen St. Germain, the Director of Earth Sciences at NASA. If you’re curious about what sort of things the Earth Sciences department is working on, check out this Third Pod episode where we interview two NASA scientists studying the ozone layer.

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Reimagining STEM Workforce Development as a Braided River

In her Sci & Tell episode, Karen St. Germain talks about the importance of being able to switch gears throughout your career. This Eos article similarly suggests that we stop insisting that there’s only one path to a STEM career, and instead see how each individual’s unique experiences can lead them to their next opportunity.

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Six Ways Satellites Tracked COVID-19

As Director of the Earth Sciences division at NASA, Karen St. Germain oversees lots of satellites that collect data to help us better understand the Earth. Recently, the satellites have been particularly useful in showing us the impact of COVID-19 on the planet. Here are 6 things we learned from satellites.

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Satellite Sleuthing Detects Underwater Eruptions

As Director of the Earth Sciences division at NASA, Karen St. Germain oversees lots of satellites that collect data to help us better understand the Earth. There are lots of scientists around the world who study Earth Science using data from satellites. This Eos article highlights a few scientists using satellites to learn more about…

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Girl Scouts Emphasize STEM Education

If it weren’t for teachers and mentors encouraging her to keep pursuing her passions, Karen St. Germain may have never become Director of Earth Sciences at NASA. Girl Scouts USA understands the importance of encouraging young girls to pursue STEM careers, so they created new badges in 2019 related to space science.

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Habitability and the Evolution of Life Under Our Magnetic Shield

Sharmila Bhattacharya describes her job as the Program Director of Space Biology at NASA as “figuring out how to keep astronauts alive in space” (that’s wrong find the actual quote). One thing that keeps us safe here on Earth: the Earth’s magnetic field- but at the moment it is poorly understood. This Eos article discusses…

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Tests Indicate Which Edible Plants Could Thrive on Mars

Sharmila Bhattacharya’s job as the Program Director of Space Biology at NASA is to figure out how to keep astronauts safe in space. Undergraduate students of Edward Guinan at Villanova University are studying similar things, as they work on figuring out which plants can survive on Mars.

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Can Microbes Survive Multiple Trips into the Stratosphere?

You don’t have to be the Program Director of Space Biology at NASA like Sharmila Bhattacharya to research how biological organisms survive in space. This Eos article highlights a group of high school students who sent microbes up into the atmosphere to potentially see how life on other planets survive in extreme conditions.

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Rafael Loureiro on Space Plants

Sharmila Bhattacharya is the Program Director of Space Biology at NASA Headquarters. If you want to learn more about space biologists, check out this old Sci & Tell episode with Rafael Loureiro, a self-proclaimed “space botanist.”

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Third Pod Live: Anthony Rapp

If Sharmila Bhattacharya wasn’t a scientist, she would’ve wanted to work in theatre- maybe she would’ve been telling science fiction stories! If you’re curious about the intersection of science and storytelling, check out this Third Pod episode with Star Trek Discovery actor Anthony Rapp, where he discusses how one portrays science on screen.

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AGU Sharing Science

In her Sci & Tell episode, Sharmila Bhattacharya talks about the importance of science communications in helping people understand scientific data no matter what their background is. Need some help communicating your work to others? Check out AGU’s Sharing Science resources.

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Planetary Cave Exploration Progresses

Sharmila Bhattacharya says her job @NASA is to figure out how to keep humans safe in space. Scientists are studying caves on Earth to help with future cave exploration on other planets. Read more in this Eos article.

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Scientific Meetings for All

For single moms like Melissa Scruggs, lack of childcare makes it difficult for scientists to attend conferences. This Eos piece outlines ways to make scientific meetings more accessible:

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Mt. St. Helens: 40 Years Later

Melissa Scruggs is currently earning her Ph.D. in volcanology. One of the most famous volcanic eruptions was the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. We talked about its 40th anniversary on Third Pod:

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Escape from Thera

Melissa Scruggs is currently earning her Ph.D. in volcanology. What sorts of things do volcanologists study? Listen to this Third Pod episode with Krista Evans, who studies Thera’s volcano:

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Deviations from the Norm

Melissa Scruggs is working on her Ph.D. in volcanology. Wonder what it’s like to work in some of the world’s harshest environments? We talked to 5 scientists about it in this Third Pod episode

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Instruments of Unusual Size

Melissa Scruggs is currently earning her Ph.D. in volcanology. What do we know about volcanoes so far? Check out this Third Pod episode w/ Jeffrey Johnson, who studies the sounds from volcanoes:

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Et tu, Etna?

Like Melissa Scruggs, we here AGU think volcanoes are pretty cool! On Third Pod we talked about the interesting connection between Mt. Etna’s eruption and Julius Caesar’s assassination:

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Volcano Disaster Prepping

Melissa Scruggs is currently earning her Ph.D. in volcanology. What do volcanologists do when they know a volcano is about to explode? We talked to John Ewert about this on Third Pod:

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Careers in Community Science

Mónica Feliú-Mójer’s work in science communications is grounded in her Puerto Rican community. At AGU, we call this approach to science “community science.” Read more about what that is here:

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Thriving Earth Exchange

Mónica Feliú-Mójer’s work in science communications is grounded in her Puerto Rican community. At AGU, we call this approach to science “community science,” and we launched the Thriving Earth Exchange to support those projects:

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Voices for Science

Melissa Scruggs, who we interviewed for Sci & Tell, is also a Voices For Science advocate! Learn more about the science communications program here:

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Hubble Turns 25

Before Ed Weiler became the Associate Administrator at NASA, he was the chief scientist on the Hubble Telescope. Check out this Eos article from 2015 celebrating the Hubble’s 25th anniversary:

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From Athlete to Astronaut

Although Ed Weiler wasn’t an astronaut, he certainly helped many of them go to space. Check out this Third Pod interview from last year with Leland Melvin- who’s an athlete turned astronaut!

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Damselfish in Distress?

Prosanta Chakrabarty studies ichthyology, specifically fishes & evolution. This Eos article discusses how boat noise pollution is affecting the evolution of damselfish:

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Worlds Premiere

Excited about the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope? John Mather is….and so is Eos! The latest issue of Eos is all about the James Webb- check it out!

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Guardian of the Moon Rocks

John Mather’s map of the Big Bang has spawned countless new discoveries from planetary scientists. The moon landing has also influenced research today. We reflected on it on Third Pod:

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Ballooning on Venus

John Mather mapped the Big Bang by sending a balloon into the atmosphere to measure Big Bang radiation. Check out this Third Pod episode about scientists using balloons to study Venus:

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When the Sahara was Green

Saleh Ahmed studies climate change in South Asia and the US. Listen to his Sci & Tell episode for more. How important is climate change? Well, did you know the Sahara Desert was once green…

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Building Resilience in Rural America

Part of Saleh Ahmed’s research is studying how climate change is affecting rural America. You can learn more in his Sci & Tell episode. So how is rural America dealing with the effects of climate change? Find out in this Eos article:

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