New Board Members Start Three-year Term

As reported in the September 2010 edition of the Membership Update, Dr. Katherine McCarter (Executive Director, Ecological Society of America) was elected to the NEON, Inc. Board while Dr. Deborah Goldberg (University of Michigan) was re-elected to a second term.  Drs. McCarter and Goldberg belong to the group of Directors who are elected by Member Institutions.  Another group of Directors, the At-Large Group, are elected by the Directors then in-office.  Dr. Carol Brewer, Tom Jorling, and Dr. Margaret Leinen are At-Large Directors, and were re-elected to serve second terms.

NEON Included in List of Significant Scientific Developments for 2010

In the December 2010 issue of Science under a series of articles that highlighted scientific breakthroughs of the year, NEON was mentioned in the context of "developments that tested the limits of our knowledge and influenced thinking about the global research enterprise" (Science 17 December 2010: Vol. 330 no. 6011 pp. 1610-1611).  Other developments included the release of the Census of Marine Life results, the incorporation of a synthetic genome into a microbe, and the first science flight of NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) (http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.330.6011.1610).

New NEON Airborne Observation Platform Video Released

We are pleased to offer two versions of the NEON Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) overview video on YouTube:  a version that focuses on the design specifications of the instrument package (released October 2010), and a version that emphasizes the AOP in the context of the other NEON observations (released January 2011). 

NEON, Inc. Joins the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners

The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is a broad-based community comprising researchers and associated groups that produce, interpret and develop applications for Earth and environmental science data. NEON, Inc. was approved for ESIP membership at its winter 2011 Meeting in Washington, DC.  NEON aims to be an active participant in the Federation, especially as it relates to approaches for creating, archiving, and supplying data products in a manner consistent with community best-practices.  We recognize the importance of supplying our data products in a manner that is usable on the platforms that will be used to query, ingest, and process earth science / environmental science data.  ESIP also provides NEON focal opportunities to interact with education and public engagement professionals on more effective ways to communicate science.

Support Available for Activities at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis

March 1, 2011 is the deadline for requests for NIMBioS support for Working Groups, Investigative Workshops, Postdoctoral Fellows, Sabbaticals, and Short-term Visitors for activities beginning summer/fall 2011. All areas of research at the interface of biology and mathematics will be considered, but NIMBioS is especially interested in activities expanding beyond the areas of research supported to date.  Potential organizers of activities in areas of molecular biology, cell biology, network biology, immunology and systems biology are particularly encouraged to submit requests for support of Working Groups or Investigative Workshops. NIMBioS, located at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, is an NSF-sponsored initiative to foster interdisciplinary research at the interface between mathematical and biological sciences. The institute's mission is to cultivate cross-disciplinary approaches in mathematical biology and to develop a cadre of researchers who address fundamental and applied biological problems in creative ways. Other NIMBIoS sponsors include DHS and USDA, with additional support from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. More details are posted at http://www.nimbios.org.

Opportunity to Voice Support for Science and Science Education

Student members of the Botanical Society of America developed an open letter to lawmakers to express our hope that policymakers in Washington, DC, will sustain a national commitment to invest in our nation's scientific research, development, and education systems.  To lend your voice to the effort, click here.

Draft Energy Literacy Principles Available for Public Comment

Without a basic understanding of energy, energy sources, generation, use and conservation strategies, Americans cannot make informed decisions on topics ranging from smart energy use at home to consumer choices to national energy policy.  The Department of Energy has made it a priority to identify a set of Energy Literacy principles similar to the other literacy documents (Climate, Atmosphere, Ocean, Earth Science).  A draft set of principles were drafted over the course of two meetings in November and December 2010 are now available for public comment. 

iLEAPS Conference Abstract Submission Now Open

iLEAPS is the land-atmosphere core project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). The scientific goal of iLEAPS is to provide understanding how interacting physical, chemical and biological processes transport and transform energy and matter through the land-atmosphere interface. iLEAPS encourages international and interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly involving scientists from the developing countries.  Abstract submission for the 3rd iLEAPS Science Conference, 18-23 September 2011, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany is now open.