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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
National Research Council
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Board on Life Sciences
Committee on the National Ecological Observatory Network

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Congressional Briefing
Friday, September 12, 2003
2321 Rayburn House Office Bldg. -- 2:00 p.m.

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Neon: Addressing the Nation's Environmental Challenges

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is an initiative proposed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to address important ecological questions of regional and national scale confronting the United States. Large-scale ecological research has been impeded by the lack of technology, scientific instruments and facilities needed to collect and synthesize the required complex information.

An ad hoc committee of the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies was recently tasked to evaluate and report on which important issues in ecology need to be addressed on an expanded range of scales (e.g., regional or continental) and whether these issues represent national concerns. The committee was then to examine the concept for NEON and assess whether it is an appropriate and necessary means to address these large-scale questions. A further question involved the impact that NEON may have on the scientific community and on the next generation of scientists.

This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on September 17, 2003 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.