Earth Science Week

(www.earthsciweek.org) emerged a decade ago to point up the importance of Earth science. Today the celebration, hosted by the American Geological Institute (www.agiweb.org), annually reaches millions of people across the United States and around the world. Information, activities and resources promote awareness about Earth science and stewardship of the planet.

In 2007, Earth Science Week, taking place October 14-20, coincides with numerous related efforts, including the start of International Year of Planet Earth, International Polar Year, International Heliophysical Year, and International Electronic Geophysical Year. These efforts emphasize the spirit of global cooperation (www.earthsciweek.org/themebasedresources) that permeates the geoscience community.

Earth Science Week, which is celebrated in the second full week of each calendar year, is undertaking a major initiative to promote awareness of the status of Earth science education. AGI is launching a Web site called ‘The Pulse of Earth Science’ (www.agiweb.org/geoeducation) to track the status of elementary-, middle-, and high school-level Earth science education in every state of the United States. The site also will feature a guide to empower educators, geoscience professionals, and concerned citizens to advocate for high-quality Earth science education in their schools.

In addition, Earth Science Week is promoting the debut of AGI’s four-part television miniseries, Faces of Earth. The series, which explores the natural history of the planet, aired on The Science Channel from July through September 2007. This educational resource is now available as a two-disk DVD set from AGI Publications (www.agiweb.org/pubs). To learn more, visit Faces of Earth online (www.facesofearth.tv).

Supporters of the International Year of Planet Earth understand that it has perhaps never been more important for young people to master the core knowledge and skills of Earth science. At a time when climate change, energy consumption and natural hazards rank among the public’s top concerns, all the world’s citizens must have a basic understanding of Earth science. Thank you for taking an active part in Earth Science Week!