On Monday morning, NASA conducted a reduction in force (RIF) for its Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS), Office of the Chief Scientist, and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility branch of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. Scientists at these offices provided strategic insights and analysis on NASA’s partnerships and missions, ensured its science goals align with the administration’s science objectives, and ensured that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to space exploration.
culture & policy
Posted inNews
Crowds Stand Up for Science Across the United States
Funding freezes, firings, and censorship have sent shockwaves through the science community since January. Scientists and supporters are standing up in defense.
Posted inResearch & Developments
NOAA Layoffs Include Two Hurricane Hunter Flight Directors
On 27 February, the Trump administration fired hundreds of employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Among those fired were two flight directors for NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters, a loss that threatens to worsen the quality of hurricane forecasts ahead of Atlantic hurricane season.
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Trump Boasts About Dismantling Environmental and Science Policy
President Trump’s address to Congress touted takedowns of Biden’s initiatives and encouraged fossil fuel expansion but did not acknowledge recent cuts to the federal workforce.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Federal Agency Availability Suffers in the Wake of Firings
Over the past couple of weeks, thousands of public servants working at federal agencies—NOAA, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Forest Services were terminated by the Trump Administration. Many were scientists: hydrologists, geologists, data scientists, modelers, and oceanographers. But many others were science communicators, responsible for sharing the work of their agencies with the American people.
Posted inResearch & Developments
404: Air Quality Data from U.S. Embassies Removed
On 4 March, AirNow, the home of the U.S. Air Quality Index, shut down its webpage that reported data from air quality monitors at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. Eos learned of the removal of these data from Dan Westervelt, a climate change and pollution scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York.
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Ancient Greeks and Romans Laced the Aegean with Lead
Lead pollution in and around the Aegean Sea dates back to the Bronze Age and shows a strong spike associated with Roman expansion.
Posted inOpinions
Expedition 403: Sailing the Last Expedition of the JOIDES Resolution
Early-career geoscientists share melancholy memories about hard science and intangible networks of collaboration.
Posted inNews
Where the Wetlands Are
Researchers have crafted the most comprehensive map yet of Europe’s wetlands.
