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Committee on Public Affairs
2008–2010 term
Chair
Eric Betterton, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Council Representative
Steve Sparks, University of Bristol, Great Britain
Members
Jana Davis, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Annapolis, Maryland
James Evans, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Harsh Gupta, Hyderabad, India
David Halpern, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Devino Moura, Brazil
Atsuhiro Nishida, Tokyo, Japan
Shelley Petroy, Ball Aerospace, Boulder, Colorado
Staff Liaison
Elizabeth Landau
Committee Charge
AGU helps to further the public welfare by ensuring that there is appropriate input from the Earth and space science community into sound public policy decisions. The Committee on Public Affairs is responsible for guiding AGU's efforts to enhance the linkage between our scientific knowledge and issues facing humankind. The Committee also assists members of the Earth and space science community worldwide in their efforts to ensure a political, social, and economic environment conducive to increasing excellence in science research.
Much of AGU's effort in this sector revolves around the development and distribution of position statements on science relevant to public issues. In developing these positions, AGU must ever be mindful of its unique position as an objective source of analysis and commentary for the full spectrum of the Earth and space sciences and must eschew taking or advocating positions that extend beyond the range of available geophysical data or recognized norms of legitimate scientific debate. The Committee is expected to work with other scientific societies worldwide in the development and promotion of broad policy statements.
The Committee may find it useful to have a subgroup to deal with U.S. policy matters. Likewise, the Committee may wish to establish other such groups where there is sufficient interest or need.
The Committee is responsible for selecting a member to serve as Congressional Science Fellow. This program provides an educational and public service experience for the recipient and sound scientific information to the U.S. Congress.
Specific areas for attention of COPA during the 2008-2010 term include:
Extending the International Perspective. The primary focus of AGU's public affairs committee has been U.S. governmental bodies at the local through federal level. Many policy issues of concern to AGU and its membership have no geographic or geo-political boundaries. During the last term the Committee determined that AGU's program should move away from its purely U.S.-centric past. During the 2008-2010 term the Committee is asked to take steps that will give AGU's public affairs program this broader perspective. In this context, the Committee will be forging new ground and will be building new collaborations with sister societies that share AGU's goals and concerns.
Program Overviews. Toward the end of the 2008-2010 term the Committee is asked to prepare a program overview for the next 5 years that fits into the AGU strategic plan. This overview should describe the principles that guide AGU's public affairs program, including things like who is served, how membership expertise is engaged, how resources are optimized through collaborations, donations, and sponsorships. The work of the Committee in developing this overview should help make the program more attractive for gaining further support from the membership and from outside resources. This overview should be an underpinning for future operational plans, which are an essential element of AGU's planning process. The operational plans are expected to include appropriate metrics for evaluating progress and determining to what extent each undertaking in this area is moving AGU toward the appropriate intermediate-term objectives. These plans are also expected to be realistic in terms of available resources.
Defining Core Program. AGU has limited resources to be expended on non-revenue-generating programs. At the same time, it is understood that the AGU must sustain a set of core programs. The Committee is expected to describe the elements of the public affairs program that will meet the definition for core programs adopted by the Budget and Finance Committee.
Program Support. The Development Board expects to work closely with the three committees responsible for AGU's outreach programs in order to prioritize needs and align the goals and objectives with resources of donors within the membership and external to AGU.
–July 2008