"Integrating microbial biology with the National Ecological Observatory Network" Workshop
IIMB, the Department of Biological Sciences and LSU hosted a workshop from 14-17 February at the Lod Cook Conference Center. The workshop, "Integrating microbial biology with the National Ecological Observatory Network", brought together a group of about 60 prominent microbial ecologists along with NEON scientists to develop a set of recommendations to help NEON establish critical observations about microbes.

NEON (see www.neoninc.org) is an NSF-sponsored facility currently in the last stages of planning before a construction phase that is ultimately intended to establish 20 cores sites plus satellite sites around the U.S. Each of the sites will be heavily instrumented and conduct a wide range of environmental analyses.

Collectively, observations from the NEON platform will provide unprecedented regional- to continental-scale information about a wide range of ecological and biological processes, and their responses to climate change and other anthropogenic changes. Data from the network promises to transform our understanding of ecology at multiple levels, and to provide key information needed for policy-makers and managers.

Microbes play prominent roles in many of the areas for which NEON is intended to provide data, e.g., biodiversity, land use, biogeochemistry, and infectious disease. Results from the workshop will help establish what microbial variables need to be measured and how best to do so.

The workshop was organized by G.M. King, who chaired a committee consisting of: Dr. C. Giardina (U.S. Forest Service, Hilo, HI), Dr. R. Kao (NEON, Inc.), Dr. M. Keller (NEON, Inc.), Dr. L. Kinkel (Univ. Minn), Dr. J. Schimel (UC-Santa Barbara), Dr. K. Scow (UC-Davis), Dr. J. Tiedje (Michigan State), and Dr. E. Triplett (Univ. Fl).