National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)
c/o American Institute of Biological Sciences
1444 I St. NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
Contact: Dan Johnson, 202/628-1500 x215
fax: 202/628-1509; djohnson@aibs.org

October 27, 2006

An Invitation to Participate in NEON Design

On 1 November 2006, the NEON Project Office will host a town meeting and live Webcast devoted to the NEON Request for Information (RFI) at the American Society of Association Executives conference center in Washington, DC, from 1pm-4pm EDT.

NEON, Inc. Board Chair Dr. James A. MacMahon and Project Office Administrative Director Dr. Brian Wee will discuss the RFI requirements and respond to questions. The entire session will be recorded and available for playback To join this event in person or online, please visit www.neoninc.org for registration details.

The goal of the Request for Information is to obtain feedback from the environmental science community to further refine the design and specifications of the National Ecological Observatory Network. Respondents to the RFI have an opportunity to identify: * National and multi-regional scale scientific questions that require NEON observational and cyberinfrastructure resources, * questions that may also require continental-scale manipulative experiments, * the locations of core wildland sites and experiments, and * a continental-scale research gradient.

Electronic responses to the RFI are due at the NEON Project Office by January 5, 2007. An NSF-selected scientific and technical committee will review the responses on their scientific merit, logistical issues, and other factors. NEON, Inc. will then consider the recommendations and use them to develop a final integrated, site-specific plan for deploying NEON infrastructure.