Alexandria, VA – As a part of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 2012 Global Diaspora Forum, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), other top scientific organizations, and the U.S. Department of State have signed a mutual memorandum of understanding establishing the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Expert Partnership.
The STI Expert Partnership seeks to promote economic prosperity, democratic governance, and social development through increased scientific and technological diplomacy worldwide. With the support of U.S. embassies and international networks, the Partnership will exponentially expand the reach of U.S. scientific experts traveling abroad through identification of new and existing diplomacy opportunities worldwide. The initiative aims to highlight the global challenges facing the international scientific community, and hopes to collaboratively solve these critical issues moving forward.
Cooperating partners for the STI Expert Partnership include the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Society of Microbiology (ASM), the American Institute of Physics (AIP), the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), the Association of American Engineering Societies (AAES), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the National Academy of Sciences, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Department of State.
"The American Geosciences Institute is thrilled to be a member of this distinguished group," said Dr. P. Patrick Leahy, Executive Director for the American Geosciences Institute. "With our diverse member societies and access to over 250,000 geoscientists, AGI is uniquely positioned to help tackle the global challenges facing the geoscience community. We look forward to engaging with new and foreign publics and strengthening the foundation for expanded international geoscientific cooperation."
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.