The National Science Foundation has awarded a combined $4.8 million to 19 university-led research groups to conduct scientific research or workshops on Earth’s ecosystems.NSF said Thursday the teams of scientists and engineers will use data collected by the National Ecological Observatory Network.
“These awards will encourage the community to think creatively about how to use the early science capabilities of NEON and leverage NEON data more broadly,” said James Olds, assistant director of NSF’s Biological Sciences Directorate.
Fifteen projects received NSF funds through the agency’s Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research initiative and will focus on studying microbial diversity, the effect of California’s drought on species and continental-scale biodiversity patterns in the U.S.
Four workshops aim to examine the synergy between NEON and the agency’s Long-Term Ecological Research facilities as well as identify methods to integrate ecological datasets with NEON-gathered information.
