Scaling UP: Future of Environmental Decisions

Promoting the possibilities that continental scale data can provide to ecological and social sciences.

Current students and recent graduates learned about the role of continental-scale science in helping citizens and decision-makers better understand the interaction of local and regional issues and the complexity of environmental decision-making using a case study of the Chesapeake Bay.

Workshop Dates: Sunday, June 2, 2013 – Friday, June 7, 2013

Location: The Conference Center at the Maritime Institute, Linthicum Heights, MD (near Baltimore).

Objectives:

The FED workshop aimed to introduce undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds to the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) infrastructure, and provide opportunities for students to:

• develop insights into environmental decision-making using environmental and social science data
• gain 21st century skills in working with large scale data, mapping and public communications technologies
• build skills to communicate science to land and resource managers and the general public
• explore potential ecology and environmental science careers

Program Benefits:

Up to 25 awards of travel, lodging, and subsistence support to attend the workshop,

• Work in groups with scientific experts to explore geospatial datasets relevant to the ecological and socioeconomic dimensions of the Chesapeake Bay.
• Learn and develop GIS skills.
• Explore scientific research practices in the Chesapeake Bay, aboard the R/V Rachel Carson.
• Network and meet professionals from environmental career tracks
• Present findings to peers and environmental professionals.

Eligibility

Current and recently graduated undergraduate students as well as current Graduate students (Masters and Ph.D. candidates) from any academic discipline – including social, natural, formal and applied science fields – are invited to participate. Underrepresented minority students are especially encouraged to apply. (Only US Citizen can apply.)

For more information about the application process view the “Application Information” page.

Joint Workshop

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) organized two concurrent workshops to address new scientific questions at the continental scale. One workshop for early career scientists explored key questions and tools in Population and Community Ecology, and the other workshop addressed issues for students on the Future of Environmental Decisions. These Scaling Up workshops helped early career scientists and college students to address new, continental-scale scientific questions in innovative ways. Participants had opportunities to develop research agendas and practical applications of continental-scale data across disciplines, examine broader impacts of their research and academic studies, and form new collaborative research teams.

• Future of Environmental Decisions College Student Workshop II (organized by ESA Education and Diversity Programs Office)
• Early Career Scientists Workshop (organized by ESA Science Office)

The joint workshops took place in June of 2013 with 60 participants.

All information regarding the 2013 Scaling Up: Workshops on Continental-scale Population and Community Ecology and Education is available at https://ecologicalsocietyofamerica.org/scalingup.