National Ecological Observatory Network

Greetings! 

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. I’d like to highlight a few NEON milestones from 2025. 

We convened leading computer scientists, ecologists, and industry experts at the workshop “Cyberinfrastructure and AI for Ecological Research at NEON and Beyond” to explore how artificial intelligence can transform ecological science. This dialogue underscored NEON’s role as a testbed for cutting-edge approaches, from AI to edge computing. 

We were proud to present the inaugural “Best of NEON Presentation Award” at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting to Corinne Vietorisz, a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University, for her research on how microbes regulate soil nutrients. Her work demonstrates how NEON data can advance scientific understanding of biological diversity and ecosystem processes.   

To further accelerate innovation, NEON launched the Innovation Advisory Committee, an advisory group dedicated to identifying emerging technologies that can enhance Observatory operations and amplify the science NEON enables. This commitment to collaboration was also evident at our first NEON Convergence Summit, which brought together more than 75 researchers, industry professionals, NEON Ambassadors, and staff to chart bold, interdisciplinary paths for advancing continental-scale biology. 

Entering 2026, NEON is uniquely positioned to build upon its strong foundation of high-quality, open ecological data, while serving as a platform for innovation—supporting the development of AI-enabled cyberinfrastructure and fostering applied scientific research. 

I hope you are getting ready for a bright start to the new year! Thank you for being part of the NEON community.

Sincerely,   
Paula Mabee 
Chief Scientist and Observatory Director at NEON, Battelle