EARTH SCIENCE WEEK: REACHING 50 MILLION AND COUNTING

Earth Science Week, celebrated during the second full week of October, was established by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) in 1998. This premier outreach program has grown over the years to reach more than 50 million people annually through educational materials, events, school activities, media coverage, and the Web. Sixteen years since its inception, Earth Science Week remains the only major continuous national and international outreach campaign dedicated exclusively to promoting public awareness of the vital importance of the geosciences and stewardship of the planet. The success of the program is due to many factors: Strong partnerships with federal agencies, the private sector, AGI member societies and other scientific and educational organizations; dependable and sufficient funding; creative use of the media and social networking; dedicated staff; relevant themes; external evaluation data; excellent materials and the ongoing support of AGI. The theme for Earth Science Week 2013 is Mapping Our World.