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Learn about AGU

Learn about who we are, what we do, our leadership and governance as well as our community.

Who We Are

AGU is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences.

Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.

AGU was established in 1919 by the National Research Council and operated as an unincorporated affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences for more than 50 years. We were independently incorporated in 1972.

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Our definition, vision and strategic goals

A thriving, sustainable and equitable future supported by scientific discovery, innovation and action.
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Annual reports

Our annual reports outline our achievements over past calendar years.
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Strategic plan

Learn about our strategic roadmap to help us achieve our mission, vision and goals.
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Our mission and values

To support and inspire a global community of individuals and organizations interested in advancing discovery in Earth and space sciences and its benefit for humanity and the environment.

Discover your career at AGU

We’re at the center of exciting scientific advancements and are looking for curious, resourceful and collaborative individuals to join our growing team.
Work with us

Our programs and initiatives

AGU is an innovator among scientific organizations. We pioneer new approaches to growing the exchange of scientific knowledge through publishing and meetings. We encourage and facilitate new and transdisciplinary fields of study, transforming our programs and operations as we anticipate the changing needs of our worldwide community. We promote excellence in scientific research by setting and promoting standards and best practices, strengthening the integrity of published and presented research and leveraging our science to help society worldwide.

Learn more about the exciting new ways in which we’re working every day to support and extend the reach and impact of Earth and space sciences:

Research

Through our publications we are accelerating the exchange of knowledge and facilitating new connections among researchers through our commitment to opening up access to scientific research. Scientists will be able to discover and build upon diverse and relevant scientific research, and the media, public and decision makers will be able to learn about relevant science more often and quickly.
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion

We are committed not only to advancing the Earth and space science workforce but also to creating ethical, inclusive and diverse work environments. Having more diverse voices at the table leads to new perspectives and unique ways of thinking which in turn leads to better science and novel solutions. To achieve this, we are developing strategies, programs, studies, partnerships, and policies to cultivate and sustain a diverse, inclusive and dynamic Earth and space science talent pool. This includes establishing codes of conduct to address harassment and promoting ethical leadership practices through our ethics programs. We’re also working with historically under-served communities to ensure that science is equitable in both its participation and application through our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Our workforce programs help scientists, and aspiring scientists, learn and advance in their Earth and space science careers. Through programs that improve the workplace and support the workforce, we not only strengthen the global Earth and space science community but also its impact on society.

talent pool diversity and ethics

Meetings

We are experimenting with new formats and experiences for scientific meetings that foster learning and interactions. In physical and virtual venues, we’re committed to making AGU meetings available to broader participation by scientists worldwide, while streamlining and making our meetings experiences more productive conducive to major questions and solving societal problems through Earth and space science.
Meetings

Science and Society

Earth and space science have an impact on everyday life and contributes to solving the pressing challenges facing society today. Together, we can use science to ensure that feasible, evidence-based solutions are developed to improve the lives of people and the welfare of communities around the world. Through our programs like the Thriving Earth Exchange and Sharing Science, and our authoritative, visible voice in science policy and science communications, we can increase the public’s appreciation and understanding of science. By working to evolve our science culture to embrace communications and engagement in all its forms, we enhance the well-being of communities and preserve the health of our planet.
science and society

Data leadership

Through our data initiatives, we are leading the Earth and space science community in embracing data practices and policies that will accelerate the speed and transparency of science. We are working with researchers, publishers, and data repositories to develop and formally commit to best practices in open and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data on a large scale. By making scientific data open and accessible, the pace, integrity, quality and value of science will grow.

people using terrestrial laser scanning, or TLS, to gather detailed topographic data in the Trinity Peridotite of northern California

Leadership and governance

AGU is governed by bylaws and a governance structure, and led by volunteer member leaders, all of which play a vital role in strengthening AGU for the future. Together, they work together to advance our mission and vision.

Our primary leaders are the president, who chairs the Board of Directors; the president-elect, who chairs the Council; and the executive director/CEO, who leads our staff. All three participate in Board and Council meetings to ensure consistency, continuity, and communication.

our leadership

Council

Council

The Council is responsible for the organization's scientific affairs.
Committees

Committees

Volunteer committees work with AGU's Board, Council and staff to advance the organization's mission, vision, key programs and activities.
Sections

Sections

Sections foster scientific discussion, collaboration, and engagement by connecting scientists within and across scientific disciplines.
Board of directors

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall health of the organization and handles its business affairs.
Dive deeper into how we work

Dive deeper into how we work

For more information on how the organization operates learn about our bylaws, information on our volunteer leadership, and our conflict of interest policy that ensures our leaders meet the ethical standards we have set forth. Read our past annual reports and more about structure and roles.

How we operate

OUR COMMUNITY

AGU is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences. One of our greatest strengths is the ability to facilitate networking and collaborations between our members, allowing you to meet with colleagues, and participate in vigorous discussion around issues in Earth and space science.

AGU Connect is our open networking and collaboration platform to help you exchange knowledge and build new connections with researchers across diverse fields. Join conversations that interest you, browse events and announcements, or discover colleagues with shared interests.

AGU Connect

Have dynamic discussions with your peers about important issues in Earth and space science.
Join connect
Get social with AGU: Facebook
AGU – AGU’s main Facebook page with updates and content across the Earth and space sciences.
AGU Climate – Find content associated climate-related research, AGU articles, and more across AGU’s journals.
AGU Earth – Discover content from AGU journals and meetings covering all areas of solid Earth, Earth’s surface, and tectonics.
AGU GeoHealth – Read the latest from AGU’s journal GeoHealth and other articles related to the intersection between human and environmental health and the Earth sciences.
AGU Oceans – Follow us for articles and publications related to the marine sciences.
AGU Space – Discover the latest about space physics, including aeronomy, magnetospheric physics, planetary atmospheres, ionospheres and magnetospheres, solar and interplanetary physics, and more.
AGU Water – Follow us if you’re interested in hydrology, water resources, and the social sciences of water.
JGR: Planets – Check out news and articles spanning the broad field of planetary science, including but not limited to planetary geology, geophysics, geochemistry, atmospheres, dynamics, and exoplanets.
Get social with AGU: Twitter, Instagram, and more!
@theAGU – Follow the official Twitter account for AGU.
@AGU_Eos – Follow AGU’s Eos, the leading source for trustworthy news and perspectives about the Earth and space sciences and their impact.
@AGUSciPolicy – Stay informed on the latest Earth and space science policy news with live-tweets from events and actions on Capitol Hill and across federal agencies.
@AGU_SciComm – Follow the Sharing Science program on Twitter for all things science communications.
@ThrivingEarth – Follow AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange for the latest in community science.
Instagram – Get inspired by amazing Earth and space science news and photos from the field. Be a guest ‘grammer and takeover our account to share your science.
Tumblr – Submit images from your time in the field to Postcards from the Field and follow AGU on tumblr.
AGU LinkedIn company page – Follow AGU on LinkedIn for career advice and the latest news.
AGU LinkedIn group – Connect with others within the Earth and space science community in our LinkedIn group.
WeChat – Download this PDF to access our QR code and join the AGU conversation on WeChat.
YouTubeCheck out research videos, interviews with scientists, meetings content, and more.