Observatory Blog

In the latest issue of American Scientist, NEON Citizen Science Director Sandra Henderson and Chicago Botanic Garden Senior Scientist Kayri Havens describe the evolution of the six-year-old NEON citizen science program Project Budburst and tie it back to its historic roots in the observations recorded by naturalists and amateur scientists of centuries past.

Seeing how much planning and constant attention (sampling) must go in to the construction and operation of a single site, not even a single domain

A team of researchers led by Phil Townsend at the University of Wisconsin recently received NASA funding to prototype a new public repository for

NEON and the Integrated Carbon Observing System (ICOS) Ecosystem Thematic Center (ETC) signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June 2013. This MOU

The NEON Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) team and a crowd of researchers from several different U.S. institutions joined forces in the Sierra

by Derek Smith and Josh RobertiTwo Associate Scientists at NEON reflect upon finding themselves in a seven foot deep hole.Josh: As a meteorology

One year after the devastating High Park Fire, the National Science Foundation has released a video documenting the first round of airborne and ground

NEON and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-May 2013. The MOU is a written agreement to

By Janae Csavina My job as the Quality Assurance/Quality Control Scientist in the Calibration, Validation and Audit Laboratory (CVAL) at the NEON

A couple of weeks ago, my wife took our daughter to the doctor. After he had heard the symptoms my daughter had been experiencing, the doctor

It was January 2013 in Toolik, Alaska, about 160 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and the temperature was minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Jeff Taylor

By David Hoekmandead zones in marine systems far from the original field. Before becoming the insect ecologist at NEON, I worked on a projectMývatn –

Scientists of the future may be able to compare the spread of invasive species in the northeastern U.S. with invasive species proliferation throughout

By Sandra Chung It’s July 2012, and NEON Data Products Scientist Andy Fox is teaching summer school 9,500 feet above sea level. He is explaining data

The New York Times Dot Earth blog featured a "Postcard" from our very own scientists and blog contributors Jeff Taylor and Mike SanClements. As you

Wildfire, floods, drought and insect outbreaks. These and other disturbances all have the potential to affect ecosystem health and function and alter

terrestrial ecologists and the Airborne Observation Platform (AOP). The combined ground- and airborne-based efforts will create one of NEON’s first

One afternoon in March 2012, a casually dressed crowd of more than 60 researchers crammed themselves into the largest room at NEON headquarters in

By Sandra ChungWordles of all tweets to the #ESA2012 hashtag from (left to right) Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the meeting week. Word size

Part II: Sharing the Challenges and Payoffs of Big DataBy Brian Wee, Chief of External AffairsBig Data is not new to the science world. But to extract

In the largest study of its kind, NEON will collaborate with Colorado State University to provide airborne remote sensing data to study devastating

Earlier this month, while most of NEON's science staff was soaking up the science at the Ecological Society of America's Annual Meeting in Portland

Big Data has already altered the way scientists view, study, and analyze the world, and appears poised to change the fields of ecology and

NEON technicians will collect and identify countless insect specimens over the lifetime of the observatory. To put it into perspective, during a short

By M. JohnsonI got a little nervous as I watched the first group of people disembarking the plane and saw one of my AOP team members carrying two

NEON broke ground on its first two sites this week, marking the official start of observatory construction. To commemorate this historic moment, NEON

By Leah WasserA few summers ago, I spent my time in the field hugging trees. While I’ve been called a hippie in the past, this was hardly hippie

NEON's Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) will depart on its inaugural test flights out of the Grand Junction Regional Airport starting this Sunday

By Michael FitzgeraldFor most people, water is just something that comes out of a faucet in their house. We pay little attention to how it gets there

By Dr. Dave SchimelLast month, I participated in the first Principal Investigator meeting of NSF’s new Macrosystems Biology program. The NSF solicits