History

ESWN informally took shape in 2002, at the Washington, DC meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Tracey Holloway, Meredith Hastings, and Arlene Fiore had organized a reception to conclude a special session of the meeting, and Becky Alexander, Amanda Staudt, and Allison Steiner were all in attendance. Among the six of us, there were pre-existing friendships and collaborations, but together we formed a cadre of early career scientists with similar interests and goals. We all enjoyed interacting with one another, connecting on specific research topics, as well as broader issues in work, family and life. 

Recognizing the benefits of this informal peer network, we began exchanging emails, slowly adding additional friends and colleagues to the list, who in turn added their friends and colleagues. Now, four and a half years later, we have over 600 women on our email list working in at least 19 different countries. Through our NCAR-sponsored listserv, we establish connections for peer-mentoring and scientific collaboration, share job announcements, discuss professional life, find roommates for meetings, and organize get-togethers at conferences. ESWN serves as a clearinghouse for connecting women across all facets of the earth sciences.