Secretary’s Report

Building Community While Remaining Distant

here’s no doubt that the events of 2020 have been life changing. We’ve had to adapt to new and challenging work and experience, and hopeful that the online format gives those who may not have otherwise attended the opportunity to participate. Nathan Saraceno, 2019–20 AEG Secretary T social conditions. For many, working from home is https://www.aegannualmeeting.org/ becoming “the new normal” whereas the idea of Perhaps now more than ever it is important working from home used to mean something temfor us as AEG members and members of the porary, often less than a day, until you could return greater geoscience community to remain conto your regular setup at the office or in the field. nected and supportive of one-another. There are These challenges have spread beyond the confines many ways in which you can connect to and network of our workplace. You’ve no doubt cancelled personal plans, within AEG, even remotely. I’ve already mentioned several. such as family gatherings and outings with friends. Many of our Another way to connect is through volunteering. Our volunteer vacations and travel plans have been cancelled or postponed. committees and technical working groups have been accom

Our ability to meet face-to-face has been limited due to the plishing significant and meaningful initiatives largely through erisks associated with the ongoing pandemic. mail and phone calls for years. These are fantastic ways for

Despite all of this, we are finding ways to not just cope, but to you to expand your professional network, remain connected thrive. I’d be willing to bet that six months ago, the majority of our with your AEG colleagues, and to help support AEG members members would never have heard the word “Zoom” in the context and the greater geoscience community. https://aeg.memof video conferencing. Many had never used online document berclicks.net/volunteer-main editing and collaboration tools, or attended a webinar from their Another great way to stay connected is old-fashioned, but home. Today I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t used effective: use the phone! Hopefully you’ve collected the phone one, if not all of these tools. In my own experience, my team numbers of a few AEG colleagues in your time as a member. If members and I are making use of these otherwise underutilized not, our member directory is available on the AEG website (be resources to communicate more frequently and effectively, and sure to log in), where you can find contact information for your are becoming a more efficient and cohesive team. Chapter, Region, and Association members and leadership.

Similarly, AEG is adjusting to the challenges of this year Whether using new technology or old, we can all continue and is coming out stronger for it. to build our AEG community and support each other while

In response to in-person meetings being cancelled, AEG remaining physically distant. To that end, I encourage you to

Chapters have begun offering online webinars which have been get the most out of your membership by actively participating incredibly successful! These webinars are being offered free to in one of the many ways available to you; whether by voluneveryone throughout the pandemic, and will remain free for AEG teering at the chapter or association level, or simply following members thereafter. https://aeg.memberclicks.net/webinars us on social media and posting in the Facebook group. We

AEG’s social media platforms have always been a good want to know how you’re doing and how we can help you do source of relevant news. As a way to increase networking better so that we can continue to build a stronger AEG for you. opportunities virtually we’ve recently added an AEG Facebook We’re all in this together. Stay safe, stay healthy. group, which allows members to post directly to the page to share content and participate in discussion. How are you doing these days? Please share with us, and use the #AEGatHome hashtag! https://www.facebook.com/ groups/ -

AEGmembers

While the in-person Annual Meeting in

Portland, Oregon, has been rescheduled for 2023 due to the pandemic, AEG will be moving forward with our first-ever

Virtual Annual Meeting this September.

Many volunteers are helping to develop this program and are taking pointers from other organizations that have already successfully converted their in-person meetings to a virtual format. I am confident this meeting will be a rewarding