The NEON strategy for education: Integration and innovation

Background/Question/Methods

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) education mission is to enable society and the scientific community to use ecological information and forecasts to understand and effectively address critical ecological questions and issues. NEON's education goals include (1) promote and facilitate public understanding of ecological science, (2) provide tools for students, educators, scientists, and decision-makers to use NEON data to make informed decisions about ecological issues, (3) educate the next generation of ecologists to understand complex ecological systems and their associated changes, and apply this integrated knowledge to societal needs, and (4) enhance diversity within the ecological community. To meet these goals, NEON will develop educational products and programs that target general public, K-12, undergraduate, graduate, professional scientist, and decision-maker audiences. The foundation for NEON education will be NEON data products and associated scientific concepts. NEON education products will be based on successful national models, partnerships with leading science and science education organizations, and comprehensive cyberinfrastructure. Results/Conclusions Web-based tools will engage diverse audiences in data analysis, data visualization, and inquiry-based exercises. Scientists and educators affiliated with NEON core sites will offer professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers, engage students in NEON data collection and analysis, and work with community organizations to promote data-based tools as resources for environmental decision-makers. Scientists working on NEON-related research will mentor graduate students and NEON-sponsored postdoctoral researchers as well as work with NEON staff to provide workshops, training sessions, and courses on topics such as climate variability and phenology, effects of exurban development on biodiversity, working with LiDAR data to determine vegetation structure, and other topics that make use of NEON data. The general public will be invited to contribute to NEON data collection efforts through Citizen Science opportunities and tools for comparing local data to regional and continental data patterns. Assessment will be ongoing and include both internal evaluation of program/product development processes for regular improvements and external evaluation of specific programs/products to measure successes. Educational research will be supported by assessment data and the NEON User Database.