Sneak Preview: A new way to get our science to decision makers

Dear friends of Stanford Earth,

First, welcome to Stanford Earth Insider, our renamed newsletter for the far-flung Stanford Earth community of alumni, as well as those of us who teach and work at the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. This shorter, redesigned communication will come to you four times a year and contains four sections:

• School News includes program and faculty news of interest.
• Engage highlights opportunities to interact with fellow alumni.
• In the News points to the influence of faculty thought leadership in media.
• Earth Matters takes you to our new digital portal that curates the latest faculty research in energy, the environment, and related topics.

Second, that last section, Earth Matters, is especially important. Consider this a sneak preview. I am pleased to announce that we are launching a new Stanford Earth Matters online portal to make the rich array of faculty ideas more accessible to anyone interested in understanding our planet, our resources, and our environment. That includes professionals, policy makers, regulators, corporate and nonprofit leaders, and journalists. And it will be an enjoyable read for researchers and students as well.

Earth Matters will curate our best expert knowledge in clear, understandable language with relevant context. The portal will be mobile friendly and make use of rich media and video. Readers will be able to dig deeper by eight categories:

• Understanding Earth
• Energy
• Natural hazards
• Climate change
• Fresh water resources
• Food security
• Oceans
• Human impact and sustainability

Viewers can see what’s new – or zoom in on their preferred topic.

Once we formally launch in late October, a monthly e-letter will be available to notify readers of the latest available material. Social channels, including Twitter and Facebook, will complement the portal and help drive Earth Matters content for those who wish to receive information that way. I invite you to subscribe here for the monthly e-letter that will alert you to the most recent research. Please share Earth Matters with your network of people who may be interested.

Accelerating Impact

This communication effort is part of our larger plan to accelerate our impact as an academic institution. In the coming years, we will continue to invest in our broad range of excellent research on Earth’s subsurface and surface processes, and at the same time, we will increase our investment in research for solutions around four critical areas: securing our energy future, food and water security, mitigating hazards, and climate change.

Earth Matters is one of our efforts to disseminate our research insights to current and future decision makers; we continue to look for ways that the science we and others produce can be used to support smart decision making.

Another way we can accelerate our impact is by educating the next generation of leaders. Last week, we welcomed 540 new and continuing students from 51 countries around the world, with around a quarter of them undergraduates. We continue to strive to reach more undergraduates, including non-majors. Regardless of the careers they pursue, they need to understand this planet we share!

As I travel during the year, I hope to catch a glimpse of some of you at the alumni receptions we have planned. Meanwhile, watch for the next quarterly issue of Stanford Earth Insider in January; and I hope you will consider signing up for the monthly Earth Matters alert.

Pamela Matson
Chester Naramore Dean, Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences
Richard and Rhoda Goldman Professor of Environmental Studies