Theme 15: Geochemistry and Society – Focused Sessions and Debates

15a: Ring of Fire - Geochemistry and GeoHazards

Convenors: Marie Edmonds & Ken Rubin

Seventy-five percent of Earth’s volcanoes—more than 450—are located along or within the Ring of Fire. Ninety percent of Earth’s earthquakes and associated tsunamis occur along its path. This year Hawaii is marking the second anniversary of one of the largest and most destructive volcanic eruptions in its history (and the costliest in USA history) and Australia has been ravaged by the worst wildfires in decades. How do these events and other GeoHazards impact ecosystems, environments, and human health? Can geoscientists reduce associated risks? Are there ways to forecast, warn, prepare and adapt to these and other geohazards? A panel of experts and high-profile scientists will discuss these and similar questions in this session. Presentation in this session is by invitation only.

Program

in Plenary Hall


in Plenary Hall

Speakers and panellists

---

15b: Future of Land and Sea in the Face of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss

Convenors: Gabriel Filippelli & Liping Zhou

The last IPCC report showed that impacts to the world’s ocean and land from climate are significant and growing in multiple respects. What are some solutions to combat how climate change is impacting these environments? These include solutions ranging from ocean- and land-based renewable energy, changes in land-management and agricultural practices, conservation of ecosystems, sea-level change awareness and mitigation, assisted evolution, the sustainable extraction and use of metal resources and carbon storage. Geochemists will be central to these efforts, but solutions will be interdisciplinary, require public and stakeholder engagement and create their own ethical challenges. The session will be dedicated to exploring the challenges and opportunities in the face of climate and ecological change, as well as how such efforts are developed in partnership. Presentation in this sessions is by invitation only.

Program

in Plenary Hall


in Plenary Hall

Speakers and panellists

---

15c: Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences – Pitfalls, Unconscious Bias and Practical Solutions

Convenors: Adina Paytan & Maria Dittrich

Increased diversity has clear benefits for scientific advances (Medin and Lee 2012). However, the geosciences have the lowest racial diversity of all STEM fields at all levels of higher education (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2015) and there has been little to no improvement over the past four decades (Bernard and Cooperdock, 2018). Why does our field lack diversity? What strategies can we undertake to change this? How do we create a more inclusive and equitable environment? Are there successful strategies and funding opportunities to address the problem? In this session we will hear about success stories and learn about practical tools to make the geosciences more diverse, equitable and inclusive. Presentation in this sessions is by invitation only. The panel for this session will also include, Michael Brandon Jones (NSF), Claudia Jesus-Rydin, (Research Programme Officer ERCEA), Rocio Caballero-Gill (George Mason University), Rachel Bernard (Amherst College) and Rie Hori (Ehime University).

Program

in Plenary Hall


in Plenary Hall

Speakers and panellists

---

15d: Origin of Life on Earth and Beyond

Convenors: Sara Russell & A.D. Anbar

In a letter dated 1871, Darwin wrote "But if (& oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sorts of ammonia & phosphoric salts,—light, heat, electricity & carbon present, that a protein compound was chemically formed ready to undergo still more complex changes..." It was a sketchy idea at that time. But it would become the basis of the first hypothesis for how life began. Today we are still debating under what conditions life formed on Earth and how we might be able to detect life elsewhere in the Universe and how that helps us understand our own place in the universe and time. Chemists, biologists and earth and planetary scientists will share the current advances in the field and the plans for future research. Presentation in this sessions is by invitation only.

Program

in Plenary Hall


in Plenary Hall

Speakers and panellists

---

15e: Teaching and Communicating Science in the Age of Social Media

Convenors: Barbara Dutrow & Tom Parkhill

The Internet and social media have created new opportunities for communicating science including communicating in more interactive ways and sharing data in real time. Many research organizations support live stream video/audio feeds of field research, allowing researchers to engage the public with our science in real time. Although most scholars recognize the value of using these tools, many are concerned about the potential risks (reputation impacts, negative interactions, need to simplify concepts, disinformation, etc.). In this session, scientists who are avid users of these technologies will share their experience using social media for communicating science and for increasing public engagement and will discuss the associated challenges. Consider this a crash course on how to start, and all the do’s and don’ts. Presentation in this sessions is by invitation only. Additionally the panel will include Kim Cobb (ADVANCE Professor & Georgia Power Faculty Scholar. School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences).

Program

in Plenary Hall


in Plenary Hall

Speakers and panellists

---