Submit your session proposal for the ESIP January 2027 Meeting. Submissions are open through November 19.
Welcome to Spark@AGU
Quick. Bold. Creative. Leave the jargon in the poster hall. Speak for exactly five minutes and 20 slides.
Organized in partnership by ESIP and NASA’s Earth Science Division, Spark@AGU (formerly Ignite@AGU) enables scientists to showcase their professional and personal interests through fast, creative talks
Coming to AGU26!
Spark is returning this December to the 2026 AGU Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA! This year’s event is cosponsored by Esri.
When: Wednesday, Dec 9 from 6:30-8:30pm
Where: East Brother Beer Co. Rec Room
It’s the best stage all week! Spark talks are only five minutes long and use exactly 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. The aim is to inspire, share, and make connections.
2026 Speaker Lineup
Feel Free to Move about the Solar System – Edgar Bering
Spatiotemporal Phenomena: Object of Intensive Study but Limited Standardization – Dave Blodgett
The Memory Keepers of Science – Kaylin Bugbee
One Name, Different Stories: Rethinking How We Define Climate Phenomena – Gabrielle Brown
Breathless in El Alto: Community Air Monitoring at 4,150 Meters – Jeloska Isabel Chavez Paredez
Fighting Yesterday’s Fertilizer: The Long Memory of the Great Lakes Watershed – Jaya Hafner
A Curated Collection of Poems: Data! Data! Data! – Carla McAuliffe
Layers, Lies, and Lunch Breaks: Spatial Thinking for the Future Workforce – Nick Okafor
A Love Story of the Elements in Earth’s Core – Jack Sheehan
How to Read Water (and Why it Rhymes) – Jeremy Snyder | Berkeley Lab
- Spark@AGU Format
- Tips for Success
- Timeline & What to Expect
20 slides. Five minutes.
Every Spark@AGU talk is exactly five minutes long. No more, no less. Why? Because the slide deck is made of 20 auto-advancing slides.
Our organizing team works with speakers to develop a cohesive talk that pairs visual slides and easy-to-grasp language. The topic is up to you. The strict format pushes creative thinking and strong storytelling.
Looking for past examples? Search YouTube for “Ignite@AGU” to find playlists from the past 10+ years!
What Makes a Sparkling Talk?
- Images say a lot: Select one big image per slide
- Few words: Stick to single words, phrases, or maybe a bold sentence
- Repeat: Need more time? Want to make a point? Simply repeat the same slide and count repeats towards your total 20 (2x = 30 sec, 4x = 1 min, etc.)
- Tell a story: Think of your talk as a story with 18-20 lines.
- Get creative: Take risks, be funny, share something alarming. Be human!
- Titles: Write a bold, pithy title.
Psst! These tips work for ALL presentations, not just for Spark@AGU.
What's the timeline?
- Apply: September / October
- Get Notified & Train: November
- Present: December
Spark@AGU is a competitive process and we usually accept 10-12 speakers each fall to present at the AGU Annual Meeting in December.
Throughout the fall, we offer science communication training so your talk can shine! That means all speakers are expected to join one virtual practice session and work through edits with the organizing team. All speakers must attend an in-person tech rehearsal before the live event.