CRITICALLY EXAMINING “AMBASSADORSHIP” AS A METAPHOR AND MODEL FOR DRIVING CULTURAL CHANGE IN THE GEOSCIENCES

It is time to examine the varied roles and impacts of “Ambassadors” and “Ambassador Programs” within the geosciences. While such programs differ in their objectives and activities, they exhibit a common theme: individual students and practitioners in geosciences can significantly influence how the field is perceived and engaged by diverse communities through the personal histories, experiences, and relationships of the participating ambassadors. We need to examine a variety of past and current ambassador programs to (1) illustrate ambassadorship in action; (2) explore how ambassadorship is experienced by the ambassadors, the communities they interact with, and the disciplinary organizations and professional societies that deploy these programs; (3) identify and discuss the key impacts and challenges encountered; and (4) develop dialogue on what is known and what needs to be learned for effective, inclusive, and respectful ambassadorship. The presentations in this session will provide both conceptual and historical context for ambassadorship in geosciences, offering real world perspectives on the efficacy and challenges of ambassadorship. The session will also convene a structured panel discussion to summarize common successes and challenges with the aim to invoke ambassador programs as vehicles for cultural change. The panel will specifically address two critical questions that motivate and bring urgency to this session: (1) How do we understand and mitigate the risks and potential exploitation inherent in ambassadorship? (2) What does it mean to shift from an outreach orientation to an “in-reach” role for ambassadorship, thereby engaging ambassadors not only for recruitment or altering perceptions of the field, but also for exerting a humanizing and dignifying influence on the field’s culture? The goal of this session is to spark and sustain a vibrant debate on the suitability and effectiveness of ambassadorship as a metaphor and model for driving positive cultural change across geosciences.