National Ecological Observatory Network
July 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hello NEON Community,
This week has been a full and inspiring week at the Ecological Society of America 2026 Annual Meeting. NEON has connected with ecologists and community members, both new and familiar, at the NEON booth and during more than 12 NEON-supported activities. A few highlights include NEON staff co-organizing and speaking in a symposium about building an AI-ready ecology and biodiversity data infrastructure for science and action, a panel about career paths at NEON, a special session all about the NEON Biorepository, a NEON data workshop led by a NEON Ambassador, and an opportunity for attendees to meet a NEON Ambassador.
Speaking of Ambassadors, NEON is accepting applications for the next cohort of NEON Ambassadors planned to kick-off in Fall 2026 until August 7. The two-year program provides training, mentorship, and the opportunity to lead a capstone event for early-career professionals interested in augmenting NEON's engagement with wider scientific communities of practice. Learn more about the program and apply on the NEON Ambassador webpage. Follow our blogs this coming "Ambassador Week", as we feature the work of the current cohort of Ambassadors.
I am also excited to share that the next season of the NEON Seminar Series has been announced. Register for free, open seminars about the great work the community is doing with NEON once a month on Tuesday 12-1 pm MT from September 2026 through May 2027. The beginning of the series features talks on spectral landscape ecology, AI solutions for biodiversity, forest responses to extreme heat, and ecological synchrony.
I'll sign off with one more reminder that we recently shifted to required authentication to download NEON data and a CC BY license that better supports citation and tracking. Aligned with the change, make sure your R neonUtilities and Python neonutilities packages are up-to-date and you have created or updated your user profile in preparation for your next download or use of the API. Learn more in the data notification and to cite NEON appropriately, visit our recommended citations webpage.
Kate Thibault, Acting Chief Scientist and Observatory Director
|
|
|
What Can Gut Microbes Tell Us About Animal Evolution?
|
|
Mammals and their gut microbes have evolved in close association, and those relationships can influence health, adaptation, and survival. Understanding how these partnerships are maintained—or disrupted—informs research in ecology, conservation, and precision medicine. Dr. Taichi Suzuki, Assistant Professor and Health through Microbiomes Faculty at Arizona State University, shares the work of his lab on host and gut microbe coevolution, highlighting their recent study that looks at microbiome composition of deer mice using NEON Biorepository small mammal fecal samples and DNA extracts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEON Data in Action
|
| Estimating high-resolution albedo for urban applications |
|
|
|
|
|
| Multi-scale environmental geodiversity: data for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) with an adaptable workflow |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Partitioning evapotranspiration in C3-C4 mixed tallgrass prairies: An inter-comparison of five methods and evaluation of seasonal parameterization |
|
|
|
|
|
| ForestForTrees: An R package to infer forest structure from remote sensing data |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEON Ambassador Application Period
The Call for applications for the 2026-2028 cohort of NEON Ambassadors is open! Join a national cohort of early-career researchers and educators interested in developing leadership and data science skills, expanding professional networks, and helping scientific communities leverage NEON data, samples, and resources. Applications due Aug. 7 (5 pm MDT). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ecological Forecasting Initiative 2026 Conference
In-Person |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Harnessing the Data Revolution Ecosystem Conference
In-Person |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2026 Hacking Limnology Workshop Series: Day 3 NEON Workshop
Virtual |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Science Seminar: Spectral Landscape Ecology as a Tool for Inferring the Spatial Organization of Intraspecific Variation: Insights from NEON Imaging Spectroscopy
Virtual |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEON in the News
|
| New York University, Scope Magazine, Issue 7, 2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Google Research, June 30, 2026 |
|
| Expanding our Heat Resilience Data to 50+ Global Cities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Featured NEON Resources
|
|
|
| Introduction to NEON Fish Capture Data |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Estimating Bird Occupancy and Detection Using NEON Observational Data |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| How to Create and Use a NEON API Token in R and Python |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stay in the Loop
|
| Track weekly Observatory status updates |
|
|
|
|
|
| How are you using NEON in your research? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search for samples on the NEON Biorepository Sample Portal.
|
EXPLORE → |
|
|
|
|
Read about featured topics in the Observatory Blog.
|
READ BLOG → |
|
|
|
|
|
| Were you forwarded this newsletter? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To stay up to date with all things NEON,
follow us on Social Media: |
|
|
|
1685 38th St., Suite 100,
Boulder, CO 80301 |
 |
|
|
|
