National Science Foundation Director, Dr. France Córdova visits NEON
February 26, 2015
Dr. France A. Córdova visited NEON headquarters last Thursday for the first time since assuming her position as Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in March 2014. NSF Assistant Directors Drs. James Olds (Biological Sciences) and Roger Wakimoto (Geosciences) accompanied her on the visit, underscoring the long-standing collaborative relationship between the two NSF directorates. Also present were National Science Board member Dr. Carl Lineberger (University of Colorado Boulder) and NSF Chief Operating Officer Dr. Richard Buckius.
Dr. Córdova heard short presentations by science and education staff members and toured NEON’s on-site facilities. Presentations focused on NEON’s field sampling and sensor data collection methods, its data products and web portal, and how researchers will be able to use NEON data. After the presentations, Dr. Córdova toured NEON’s engineering, calibration/validation, and remote sensing labs and talked with Education staff about their efforts to engage different audiences in scientific outreach. The day ended with a meeting between Dr. Córdova and NEON’s leadership team.
In addition to NEON, NSF representatives visited other NSF funded organizations like the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and UNAVCO.