A decadelong work in progress, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) would set up 20 field stations to bring big science to ecologists. Biogeochemist David Schimel, who has worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, is taking over as the new chief officer of the project.
Q: What's your vision for NEON?
NEON is going to provide the first integrated view of ecological processes at the continental scale. It will address some fundamental questions in ecology but also some practical questions about how biological invasions and diseases respond to climate and land-use changes.
Q: The project could cost up to $200 million. Is it worth that much?
The pitch is this: Society depends on natural systems in terms of food and fiber. We're vulnerable to wildfire and the spread of infectious diseases. What NEON will do is provide the observational basis for forecasting the effect of ecological processes on the human enterprise.
Q: It sounds like a risky career move for you. Why did you make it?
I'm interested in NEON because it's the culmination of the kind of science I've been working on since I was a graduate student. It will transform ecology, intellectually and logistically. And as a scientist, I've always been fascinated by new ways of looking at the world.
CREDIT: SUSAN BONFIELD/EFTA
