GSA PRESIDENT’S MEDAL: USING THE EARTH SCIENCES TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY GOALS AND PRIORITIES

In American cities the most vulnerable people are concentrated in specific locations, thus reinforcing their vulnerability. This vulnerability is maintained by myriad structural and historical injustices. We as a community of academics have often paved the way for increased efficiency of the very systems and processes that perpetuate these injustices.

In the current awakening of more responsible earth sciences, many among us want to do better. However, the Academy does not adequately prepare us for this new work. If we are to make a difference, we need a new approach that has at least two thrusts of action. The first thrust includes finding ways to attract people from vulnerable and exploited communities into our work and into our fields. Diversifying our fields will bring new perspectives on the problems that we consider, and new types of research questions that can interrogate the structures that maintain oppression and exploitation. The second thrust includes getting those of us who want to do this critical new work to better engage communities so that we are grounded in listening, learning, and understanding the goals, priorities, and barriers as perceived by vulnerable populations.