Professor, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes diverse leaders from around the world, representing various identities, voices, and perspectives. List any identities, voices, and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and any other identity you feel comfortable sharing.

I had a heterogeneous and “nonlinear” career path. Master in applied physics, 18 months of work in the semiconductor industry, a Ph.D. and postdoc in instrumentation for high-energy astrophysics. Then I got interested in atmospheric electricity and high-energy radiation from thunderstorms and lightning, and started building my career path in that direction. Following my scientific ambition, at the age of 42 I resigned from my permanent research position in Italy to build a new career as faculty staff at a university in Norway. I moved with my family, I learned a new language, and for the first time I understood how it feels like being a foreigner. Because of this, I think I can share with AGU my perspectives as a southern European scientist living and working in a Nordic country, acquainted with changes and used to step out of his comfort zone, who considers diversity, empathy and dialog as cornerstone values.

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

2019 - now: co-convener of the session “Atmospheric Electricity, Thunderstorms, Lightning and their effects” at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria.

2013 - 2018: co-convener of the session “High energy radiation from thunderstorms and lightning” at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria.

This leadership position is a liaison role; it is one that aims to catalyze community and build AGU as envisioned by the strategic plan. How will you engage with members of your section to advance AGU’s strategic plan? How will you facilitate engagement with other sections and people outside AGU to support our mission?

Bridging the gap between AGU strategic plan and single AGU members is a challenge. The AGU sections, as intermediate level structures between each AGU member and the Council, constitute the elective place where this coupling can take place in practice. AGU already provides tools to the sections to pursue this, namely the sections website, with discussion blogs, regular newsletter, and an effective awards and recognition system. I think that all these serve well the purpose of supporting the value of excellence at the basis of the AGU strategic plan. However, I think that new tools are needed to stimulate the individual engagement further, especially concerning values such as science education, outreach, and collaboration. Regarding this, I have some practical ideas that I would be happy to discuss with the section leadership. Here are some examples.

Many AGU members have teaching duties at different levels. I think that providing and promoting a space on the section website where researchers can share and discuss their use of atmospheric electricity examples in their teaching would be a valuable resource for everyone involved in teaching. A similar approach could be extended to outreach initiatives in the field. This would stimulate engagement by providing immediate value and resources to each section member (one could take inspiration and implement new ideas in their own courses and outreach initiatives). These concepts could be implemented within every interested section, stimulating in this way the collaboration between sections with neighboring or partially overlapping scopes.

Section affiliations:

Atmospheric and Space Electricity; Atmospheric Sciences; Space Physics and Aeronomy