Workshop: The Role of Undergraduate Institutions in Continental-Scale Science to be held on March 24, 2009 at Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH

Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware OH

Investigators

Abstract

Now, more than ever, ecologists are being called upon to provide data and insight on issues such as climate change, the influence of urban development on ecosystem services, and the effects of invasive species on ecosystem functioning. These issues are difficult to address comprehensively through small-scale, short-term studies at single sites, yet valuable site-level experiments are often conducted by ecologists at undergraduate institutions because they are possible within typical practical and financial constraints. Through long-term, coordinated data collection at a network of sites, these site-level studies could be powerful in supporting recognition and analysis of important regional and national patterns. Scientists with limited research resources may be able to answer broader scientific questions by working together, and through cooperation can enhance their collective contributions to ecological science, education, and environmental policy. A workshop will be held in March 2009 at Ohio Wesleyan University to bring together a group of scientists from undergraduate institutions who are interested in developing collaborative ecological projects at regional and continental scales. Participants will discuss appropriate research problems, scientific details of implementing such projects, policies for project management, and strategies to recruit, support, and retain participants. An objective of the workshop is to form a broad coalition of scientific collaborators who can share expertise and contribute data to a range of ecological experiments, with students as key players in data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Research and education are tightly integrated in the undergraduate environment, and participation in collaborative, large-scale projects is an ideal vehicle for teaching students to think across levels of biological organization, see ecological connections among different geographic regions, and use the latest technology to discern broad patterns. The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will provide a unique opportunity for the undergraduate education community to participate in and teach ecology at large spatial and temporal scales. NEON will enormously expand the potential and the opportunities for continental-scale research, education and training. The NEON data will offer an unprecedented opportunity for students at small undergraduate institutions to work with real data from the forefront of ecological research either as classroom exercises or through independent research projects. The associated cyberinfrastructure will provide the tools that make such large-scale working partnerships not only possible, but practical. The workshop participants will discuss how NEON will enable the research design developed and strategies for undergraduate institutions to actively participate in this transformative project. Participants will explore technological advances associated with NEON, such as cyber tools for data sharing. The workshop will highlight the importance of ecological research at undergraduate institutions, encouraging collaboration as a way to enhance the contributions of such research to our understanding of global ecology, and providing a model for continental-scale research at undergraduate institutions that is timely, relevant, and engages our students in the scientific challenges of the 21st century.