AGI Launches 'Geoscience Enterprise Rising' to Strengthen the Science Powering Society, Security, and Prosperity
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) today announced the launch of Geoscience Enterprise Rising, a focused framework for strategic action to ensure that geoscience continues to drive innovation, resilience, and prosperity for generations to come.
Energy. Water. Critical minerals. Hazard resilience. Infrastructure. National security. Economic competitiveness. All depend on geoscience. Yet today, the enterprise that supports these essential systems is at risk.
A convergence of challenges — including workforce shortages, declining student enrollment, aging data infrastructure, and limited integration of geoscience into policy decisions — threatens the geoscience community’s ability to respond to these growing environmental and economic demands. The need for geoscience expertise has never been greater.
“This is a defining moment,” said AGI Executive Director Dr. Jonathan Arthur. “The structural challenges we’re facing require a coordinated, enterprise-level response to reimagine and revitalize the geoscience enterprise for the future. The question is not whether geoscience matters, but whether we will invest in it at the scale required to meet the emerging challenges and opportunities.”
For more than 75 years, AGI has served as a unifying force across the geoscience community, representing over 250,000 geoscientists through its federation of more than 60 professional societies. Now, through Geoscience Enterprise Rising, AGI is mobilizing that collective capacity to ensure the geosciences remain a cornerstone of societal progress.
A Strategic Response to a System Under Strain
Geoscience Enterprise Rising is designed to address systemic gaps while unlocking new opportunities for growth and innovation across the geoscience enterprise.
Geoscience Enterprise Rising focuses on targeted investments in five interconnected areas:
- Workforce & the Profession — Building career pathways and readiness for a skilled, adaptable next-generation workforce.
- Education & Outreach — Increasing Earth science literacy among young people and the public.
- Policy Engagement — Delivering trusted, nonpartisan geoscience expertise to decision makers.
- Research & Innovation — Accelerating discovery and access to current intelligence to advance the geoscience enterprise.
- Strategic Collaboration — Bridging industry, academia, government, and the profession for seamless connections.
At the same time, Geoscience Enterprise Rising will expand and accelerate AGI’s proven programs, including the GeoRef database of nearly 5 million references, the Earth Science Week public awareness campaign reaching millions annually, workforce intelligence reports guiding national talent strategies, and policy support for decisionmakers at all levels.
A Call to Invest in the Future
To realize this vision, AGI aims to raise $2 million over two years to scale impact and reinforce the backbone of the geoscience enterprise. “With the right investment, we can close critical gaps, empower the next generation, and ensure geoscience continues to drive innovation, resilience, and prosperity,” said AGI President Dr. Claudia Mora.
With over $100,000 already raised to support Geoscience Enterprise Rising, the effort is underway. These initial contributions are funding, among other things, AGI’s Student Exit Survey, which will inform a new and broad-sweeping workforce initiative, aligning education, skills development, and professional readiness across the geoscience enterprise.
Every dollar invested contributes to a stronger, more connected geoscience enterprise. AGI’s track record, national network, and operational capacity position the organization to deliver measurable, enterprise-wide impact.
“Across the United States, geoscience programs are shrinking and public confidence in science is under pressure, even as communities face increasing risks from natural hazards, climate impacts, and resource constraints. Without decisive action, these trends will erode our capacity to address society’s most pressing challenges,” added Dr. Mora. “Geoscience Enterprise Rising is designed to reverse that trajectory.”
Rising Together
AGI invites individuals, organizations, and partners to support this transformative effort through one-time gifts, recurring contributions, multi-year pledges, or major investments.
Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law and directly support programs that advance workforce development, education, policy engagement, research coordination, and the data systems that underpin the geoscience enterprise.
To learn more, visit Geoscience Enterprise Rising online today. Invest in the science that powers the world.
About AGI
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), a federation of scientific and professional organizations representing over a quarter-million geoscientists, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving the geoscience community and addressing the geoscience needs of society. AGI headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia.
Contact: Geoff Camphire, AGI Communications gac@americangeosciences.org