The overall goal of NEON is to address central scientific questions about the interactions of ecosystems, climate, and land use: 1) How will ecosystems and their components respond to changes in natural- and human-induced forcings such as climate, land use, and invasive species across a range of spatial and temporal scales? What is the pace and pattern of the responses? 2) How do the internal responses and feedbacks of biogeochemistry, biodiversity, hydroecology, and biotic structure and function interact with changes in climate, land use, and invasive species? How do these feedbacks vary with ecological context and spatial and temporal scales? NEON will also provide portals to the data for educators and citizens and the strategy and NEON Virtual Field Trip concept will be presented. Co-conveners Dr. David Schimel (NEON CEO) and Dr. Alan Knapp will provide an introduction and overview of the project. Additional presenters will update workshop attendees on eight key elements of NEON: instrumental sensors and measurements; the NEON Fundamental Sentinel Unit; remote sensing; education and outreach; the NEON Land Use Analysis Package; modeling and integration; and collaborators and partners. In addition, National Science Foundation representatives will make presentations on the implications of NEON for NSF support of ecological science. A panel discussion and question and answer session including the speakers and additional experts will follow the presentations.