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2017 GSA PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
Industries of geoscience graduates’ first jobs by degree field for the past four years possible through the largess of the Bruce
R. and Karen H. Clark Fund, which is
Figure 5. Visualization of the industries in which geoscience graduates obtain their first jobs by directed at improving the level of under-
degree field for the period 2012–2016. Reprinted from AGI report on the “Status of Recent Geosci- standing between GSA members and the
ence Graduates” (Wilson, 2017). Courtesy of Carolyn Wilson (2018). non-scientific community. As part of a
longer-term effort, to which I am strongly
At the same time, the new generation of component of assuring our future vitality committed, Geiger mentored four com-
geoscientists is also casting a wider net is evaluating how we can best engage with munication interns in Seattle. These are
regarding career options. A recent the public and guide geoscience policy. We students who want to be part of the “solu-
American Geosciences Institute report have a lot to build on at GSA given our tion” by creating a more scientifically
(Wilson, 2017) demonstrates the complex- existing activities in this arena. For exam- informed public.
ity of the workforce and diversity of jobs in ple, the Society offers professional devel-
which geoscience graduates are placed—at opment in science communication through On the science policy side, GSA engages
all degree levels (Fig. 5). In this environ- a short course at our annual meeting, through the Geology and Public Policy
ment of expanding geoscience career paths designed on the basis of the American Committee and the Geology and Society
(e.g., science policy, media outreach, public Association for the Advancement of Division. And it maintains a geoscience
affairs strategy firms, not-for-profit orga- Science (AAAS) workshop Communicating policy office in Washington, D.C. Kasey
nizations), incorporating effective science Science: Tools for Scientists and Engineers. White, who directs that office, and our
communication into their training expands We are active in “pushing out”—that is, new Science Policy Fellow, Lindsay Davis,
students’ career options. distributing press releases and facilitating along with the on-the-Hill Congressional
press interactions with our members at our Science Fellow, Melanie Thornton, repre-
2. GSA’s Decadal Strategic Planning meetings as well as throughout the year. sent GSA within the Beltway and work to
for Future Vitality Christa Stratton, the Director for Education, bring science and scientists into the policy
Communication, and Outreach at GSA has process. But, if my experience is any indi-
The second opportunity is provided by proactively developed a member-experts cation, I suspect that many of our members
the Society’s decadal strategic planning directory for media inquiries. Our efforts underappreciate the opportunities that
effort. Through 2018, we will be working in these venues are successful, but it’s a GSA’s policy office provides. For example,
to develop a bold and empowering plan to case of small numbers. This year, we Geoscience Day on the Hill and Climate
guide the Society and to enhance its vital- appointed our first Science Communi Science Day provide opportunities for our
ity. This effort will engage the membership cations Fellow, Beth Geiger, chosen from members to obtain hands-on professional
broadly. We are asking members to envi- an impressive pool of more than 125 sci- policy and communication training and to
sion future needs within the framework of ence journalism applicants. This is made interface one-on-one with members of
this changing societal landscape. A key Congress and their staff. The Earth and
Space Science Caucus sponsored by the
U.S. House of Representatives is testament
to the success of these visits and the power
of individual GSA members to build cham-
pions for the geosciences. This event is a
direct response from Congress to the sci-
entific community’s “ask” delivered at a
previous Geoscience Day.
During the strategic planning process,
we will be looking for additional ways to
better engage the public. As we look
inward within our Society, we will be ask-
ing “How can we better communicate our
professional development opportunities to
the members?” Looking outward, our pub-
lic engagement initiatives can be guided by
the new science of “science communica-
tion” (National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine, 2017). A
whole discipline is addressing the need for
public discourse in the context of the ideo-
logical values that underlie science issues.
Opportunities to leverage existing
resources are plentiful. For example, the
success of the National Association of
Science Writers (https://www.nasw.org),
composed of 2,200 plus freelancers, relies
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