Education Programs

Professional Development Workshops for AGU Scientists and Educators

Fall Meeting attendees are eligible to participate in several special workshops that offer professional development activities related to education, teaching, and research in the Earth and space sciences. Current workshops include: "Teaching Geoscience with Visualizations," "Space Science and Astronomy Teaching Excellence Workshop for College Faculty," "Grant Proposal Writing for Minority and Minority-Serving Scientists," "How to Get a Research Program Started at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution," and "Scientific Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom".

More information about these workshops and how to register for them can be found at Professional Development Workshops.

Education/Student Lounge

Are you looking for a place to continue an engaging discussion prompted by an Education Session? Or trying to find a comfortable chair to read brochures from the Academic Showcase, or chat with fellow job-seekers about career alternatives? Are you a student or recent graduate interested in getting informal advice from program managers about how the federal funding system works? Visit this special lounge, located adjacent to the Career Center in the 3rd floor lobby of Moscone Center West and available to meeting attendees from 0830h - 1700h daily. Look for the schedule of daily special events and bring-your-own brownbag lunch-time talks on specific topics, posted at the lounge entrance.

Outreach Programs

Geophysical Information for Teachers (GIFT) Workshop
0830h - 1530h Tuesday and Wednesday
San Francisco Marriott Hotel, Yerba Buena Salons 1 & 2

We're sorry but the registration deadline for the GIFT Workshop has passed.

This workshop offers teachers of pre-college students an opportunity to meet the scientists doing the research that is defining our physical world and its environment in space. This Fall's workshop on “Extreme Exploration: NASA Solar System Missions 2003-2006” will explore the latest scientific results from the recent Mars Exploration Rover and Cassini Saturn missions and provide a preview of upcoming missions to the Moon, Mercury, and beyond. Educators will learn to use mission science and technology to meet their curriculum requirements and explore practical and inexpensive hands-on classroom activities that encourage discovery and critical thinking. Participating teachers will also have an opportunity to attend technical sessions and exhibits of the AGU meeting. Registration deadline is Wednesday, 24 November 2004, and space is limited to the first 50 participants. For more information, contact Outreach: AGU, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009; Tel: +1-800-966-2481, ext. 515; Fax: +1-202-328-0566; E-mail: outreach@agu.org.

AGU Media Panel Discussion on Science Communication
1815h - 1930h Tuesday
Moscone Center West, Room 2010

Homo sapiens bites Canis familiaris! If "man bites dog" is the definition of news, then what constitutes science news in the mass media? How can you help make it better? Join a panel of distinguished science journalists from the San Francisco Chronicle, BBC, U.S. News & World Report, and NOVA to learn how you can work effectively with them and their colleagues.

Bright STaRS (Students Training as Research Scientists)
0830h - 1600h Thursday
San Francisco Marriott Hotel, Golden Gate A2 (with afternoon Poster Session in Moscone West Exhibit Level 1)

A growing number of after-school and summer programs now offer hands-on research experiences in the Earth and space sciences for high school students. This special day-long program brings nearly 50 San Francisco Bay Area students engaged in geosciences research to the Fall Meeting. In the morning, the students attend a special symposium, where they hear AGU members describe the breadth of the Earth and space sciences and some of the current outstanding problems being investigated in particular sub-fields. In the afternoon, a dedicated Education Session at the Fall Meeting features the research being conducted by the students themselves. Meeting attendees are encouraged to come and meet these future stars of the geosciences community! AGU members interested in presenting a talk during the morning symposium should contact Jill Karsten, AGU; Tel: +1-800-966-2481, ext. 508; Email: jkarsten@agu.org.

How to Become a Congressional or Mass Media Fellow—and Why!
1230h - 1330h Wednesday
San Francisco Marriott Hotel, Yerba Buena Salons 10 & 11

Broaden your experience and become a more savy scientist by participating in the policy process on the national level or by reporting and writing science news for a major publication. Current and past fellows from both of these programs will share their experiences and answer your questions. Mass Media Fellows report on and write about science news for a newspaper, magazine, or radio or TV station for a 10-week period during the summer. Congressional Science Fellows deal with science issues in the office of a senator, representative, or committee for a full year. Space is limited. Lunch provided (first come, first served).

Career Services

Career Center
0830h - 1700h Monday through Friday
Moscone Center West, 3rd Floor Lobby

AGU continues its acclaimed and successful Career Center, a valuable source for employment positions, current career information, and the latest data on employment trends in the geosciences.

Job Openings

A PUBLIC LISTING of job openings is available at the 2004 Fall Meeting Employment Opportunites page.

Employers

Employer Pre-registration Form -->To post your positions, register on-site. With the Fall Meeting attracting some of the most talented and promising geoscientists, the AGU Career Center is your ideal choice to recruit for positions, meet and interview candidates and access our extensive resume database. All employers must be registered to attend the meeting to participate in this activity. Employers are charged a small fee to post job announcements ($75 for 1-3 positions; $100 for > 3 positions). Interview booth space is available for rental at these rates:

Job Candidates

The Fall Meeting brings together top employers from academe, industry and government. The AGU Career Center provides a full range of job opportunities in the geosciences as well as post-doctoral opportunities, fellowships, and other valuable career information and services. All job candidates must bring 5 copies of their resume for consideration and be registered for the meeting to participate. There is no charge for job candidates to use the Career Center services.

Booth Reservatons/Contact

To request additional information or reserve interview booth space, please contact AGU Career Services, AGU, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009; Tel: +1-800-966-2481, ext. 504; Fax: +1-202-328-0566; E-mail: careers@agu.org.

Career Planning Workshop: Careers in Academia
1930h - 2100h Monday
San Francisco Marriott Hotel, Yerba Buena Salon 1

Many graduate students in the Earth and space sciences are interested in faculty positions. What is it like being a professor at a community college? A liberal arts college? A research university? How do teaching, research, and life balance in different academic settings? This session will include an interactive panel discussion featuring faculty from different types of academic institutions followed by a brief reception. To request additional information, please contact AGU Career Services, AGU, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009; Tel: 800-966-2481, ext. 504; Fax: +1-202-328-0566; E-mail: careers@agu.org.

Programs Especially for Students

Student Travel Grants

The application deadline, 9 September 2004, has passed.

Annual MARGINS Prize for Outstanding Student Presentation

We're sorry, the application deadline has passed.

The MARGINS Program offers a $1000 prize for the Outstanding Student Oral Presentation or Poster on MARGINS-related science at the 2004 AGU Fall Meeting. The prize is open to students from any country presenting a MARGINS-related talk or poster at the conference for which they are the first author.

MARGINS is an NSF-funded program that seeks to facilitate outstanding interdisciplinary research, with foci on rupture of continental lithosphere, the (subduction) seismogenic zone, (passive margin) source-to-sink sedimentation, and the subduction factory. This prize highlights the important role of student research in accomplishing MARGINS science goals, and encourages cross-disciplinary input to the MARGINS Program.

Entries must include a brief statement of how the research relates to some aspect of MARGINS Science. This statement will be used for pre-screening of entries for relevance, and may be considered in the final choice of winner. The winner and any honorable mentions will be notified after the conference, and will be recognized within the MARGINS website and newsletter.

Please direct email inquiries to the MARGINS Office: margins@levee.wustl.edu.

Academic Showcase
0830h - 1700h Monday through Friday, 17 December, San Francisco
Moscone Center West, 3rd Floor Lobby

Academic institutions offering Earth and space science degrees and programs will be showcased in this dedicated exhibition area. Up to 30 departments searching for graduate students or postdoctoral candidates, trying to fill open positions, or simply advertising their institutions and their programs will be participating. The Showcase offers a valuable opportunity for students to explore their graduate school and academic employment options. See the Exhibits section of the meeting web site for department registration information and a list of participating institutions.

ExxonMobil Morning Mixer for Students
0630h - 0745h Wednesday
San Francisco Marriott Hotel, Yerba Buena Salon 8

A complimentary breakfast will be held in honor of all graduate and undergraduate students registered for the meeting. Students will have the opportunity to hear an overview of AGU programs that serve its student members, meet with AGU leadership and representatives from ExxonMobil, and network with other students and future colleagues attending the meeting.

Outstanding Student Paper Awards

Judges from most of the Sections and Focus Groups will be circulating throughout the meeting, in order to identify the best presentations by first-author students at the meeting. Judges will consider the scientific content of the work, but will place significant emphasis on the quality of the presentation delivery and graphics and the knowledge and poise of the student presenter. Winners (notified by the end of January 2005) will receive a formal certificate and have their names published in Eos later in the spring.