The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) recently shared an award opportunity for graduate students. The 2017 AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award recognizes graduate students who have demonstrated initiative and leadership in science policy. The award is open to U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents enrolled in a graduate degree program in the biological sciences, science education, or a closely allied field. More information is available at the link below:

Mark your calendars for October 8-14. 2017. The theme for Earth Science Week 2017 is... *drum roll* Earth and Human Activity. This year's event, the 20th annual Earth Science Week celebration, promotes awareness of what geoscience tells us about human interaction with the planet's natural systems and processes. Learn more at www.earthsciweek.org.

Is your New Year's resolution to read more about science? The January 2017 issue of EARTH Magazine is now available, including two stories that you can read online without a subscription:

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) outreach program, Geoscientists Without Borders® (GWB), is seeking applications from scientists that have an idea for a geoscience project with a humanitarian focus. GWB offers up to $50,000 in funding.

The Geological Society of America (GSA) asked their journal and book editors to pick some of the top articles published in the 2016 year.

The USGS published Professional Paper 1827 - the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Prevailing barrier island behavior in atmospheric, oceanic, and geologic contexts is addressed in the report, noting that the Outer Banks provide an excellent example of the nearly 300 barrier islands that rim the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The report also addresses the ecological, social, and economic impacts of the constantly changing conditions experienced by barrier island terrains.

AGI's Critical Issues Program highlighted a map from District of Columbia's Office of the Chief Technology Officer's (@OCTODC) DC Atlas as its map of the day for December 28, 2016. It has over 340 online layers, which include those with geoscience data. The map is available at: http://bit.ly/1MSYBXy.

Ryan Edwards had completed degrees in geology and civil and environmental engineering, including a Ph.D. from Princeton University. But he still had a few things to learn when he embarked on his recently completed term as AGI’s 2018-2019 William L. Fisher Congressional Geoscience Fellow, he says.

Yesterday, the AGI Workforce Program published Geoscience Currents #115 - "State Geological Survey Publications: Reaching Beyond State Boundaries." Many publications from state geological surveys are featured in the Critical Issues Research Database, which is maintained by AGI's Critical Issues Program.