Graduate Student, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD, USA

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes leaders 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 anything else you feel comfortable sharing.

Born in the United States to parents from Sri Lanka, I find myself standing at the confluence of two cultures: I see the world from the perspectives of my immigrant parents, the peers I’ve grown up with here in the U.S., and my relatives who live half a world away. In a very personal sense I am aware of the vastly different life experiences of people around the world. However I also see how interconnected our world is, and that has helped me care deeply about how my actions affect others.

This community-oriented perspective is the foundation of my identity as a scientist, both in how I see my academic work (public health-focused climate science) and my responsibility as a member of the scientific community. I believe this perspective is valuable within AGU, whose mission succeeds when it crosses boundaries in all forms. In fostering an inclusive scientific culture, in addressing scientific/societal challenges, and in conducting geoscientific research, so fundamentally tied as it is to the world we live in, we benefit and grow together by being mindful of our relationships with one another and by moving with reverence for the Earth and all of us who share it.

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

Over the past year I’ve volunteered with my institution’s Ph.D. worker union. I’ve focused on facilitating channels of communication so that members’ ideas are heard and incorporated into the broader organization’s work.
Since undergrad I’ve regularly taught/mentored in various roles (writing mentor, research mentor, teaching assistant, group facilitator). Each time I’ve focused on fostering a collaborative environment where each person feels their self-worth and the value of the perspective they bring to the table.

The student and early career voices on the Council are critical to the future of Earth and space sciences. Describe a time when you used your voice to inspire others to advance a cause, mission, or goal.

Over the past year I’ve found that volunteering with my university’s Ph.D. worker union has been an eye-opening experience in advocacy and community building, and I hope to translate this experience to work on the AGU Council. It’s awfully easy to see any large organization—whether our union or AGU—as a faceless, unapproachable entity (impeding the organization’s intent to represent its members), so my work has focused on being a liaison between those in my department and the university-wide union structure, helping my colleagues (1) understand the organization’s structure and intent and (2) gain a sense of ownership in the organization by realizing their ability to make meaningful contributions.

Fostering two-way lines of communication (between the organization at large and the individuals that constitute it) has been a continuous exercise in trust-building. It has involved many one-on-one conversations, creating spaces where people are comfortable discussing their suggestions and concerns. It’s been gratifying seeing this collective work produce meaningful change, with aspects of our university-wide contract originating from discussions within my department.

From this experience I’ve come to appreciate how even large organizations are fundamentally woven together by the many small, personal interactions among its people. While AGU is quite a different organization on its face than our union (in size, structure, and goals), it is also membership-driven in a comparable way, and I hope the perspective I’ve gained on compassionate collaborative work can also find a home within AGU.

Section affiliations:

Atmospheric Sciences; Education; GeoHealth; Global Environmental Change; Planetary Sciences; Science and Society