New AGU Award Recognizes Excellence in Climate Communications

“Climate change is a problem of profound significance and how we deal with it as a society is one of the great challenges of the 21st century,” said Michael J. McPhaden, AGU president. “Research is essential to our understanding of how humans are affecting the Earth’s climate as well as the risks involved and how they can be managed.

This award represents the commitment of both AGU and Nature’s Own to raise the visibility of climate change as a critical issue and to encourage more scientists to communicate broadly that science can contribute to a sustainable future for our planet.”

The prize, which recognizes an AGU member-scientist and which comes with a $25,000 cash award, is being sponsored by Nature’s Own, a Boulder, Colorado-based company which specializes in the sale of minerals, fossils and decorative stone specimens. The annual award will be presented for the first time at AGU’s 2011 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, 5-9 December.

Nature’s Own President and Founder Roy Young, an AGU member, observed, “This award will help increase communication of our scientific understanding of climate change and its consequences, knowledge AGU members already possess. By rewarding those scientists with the best communication skills, we hope to increase respect for science-based values and greater appreciation of the work of scientists in understanding our changing world.”

Nominations must be received in by September 30. For more information on the new award, visit: http://www.agu.org/about/governance/committees_boards/ccprize.shtml.

The American Geophysical Union is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization with more than 60,000 members representing over 148 countries. AGU advances the Earth and space sciences through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs.

Contact: Joan Buhrman, 202-777-7509 (w), 571-213-3812 (c), jbuhrman@agu.org