PARENT SESSION
Special Session 10: Building an ecological observatory network for regional- to continental-scale research—NEON, the National Ecological Observatory Network
Organized by: J Goldman and B Hayden
Wednesday, August 10, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Exhibit Hall 210a-e, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Integrating education with NEON science.

Brewer, Carol^*,,

ABSTRACT- The National Environmental Observatory Network (NEON) will change the kinds of scientific questions asked by environmental scientists. If the exciting new avenues of NEON research are to be realized, three questions must be addressed by educators and scientists. What do we want future users of NEON to know and be able to do? How can we successfully translate new knowledge generated through NEON for the benefit of the general public? And how will we know if these educational approaches have been successful? A consortium of ecological educators charted a vision for NEON education that addresses these questions and will transform how we teach and learn about the environment. NEON educational programs will be integrated with and driven by the science program, and coordinated through the NEON Center for Ecological Lifelong Learning (CELL). Through CELL, NEON will offer opportunities for 1) students to do science by participating in NEON data collection at local sites and to integrate their data across sites at a continental scale; 2) the public to participate in citizen science projects; 3) scientists to acquire data that cannot be gathered in any other way; and 4) educational researchers to explore how people learn, access, and apply environmental information. Common threads running through the NEON education agenda include educational research, the formation of learning communities to collaborate on science and education research and programs, new types of partnerships between educational institutions and the private sector, and the integration of education with the NEON cyberinfrastructure (e.g., for visualization, web portals, assessment). Importantly, the education plan provides recommendations for the most effective ways of translating NEON science in a way that captures the imagination and attention of the general public, including teachers and their apprentices, students, legislators and policy makers, and citizens from all walks of life.

Key words: NEON, education