RCN: The Macrosystems Ecology For All (MEFA) Research Coordination Network

RCN：全民宏观系统生态 (MEFA) 研究协调网络

• 批准号: 2213541
• 负责人: Laurel Anderson
• 金额: $ 49.98万
• 依托单位: Ohio Wesleyan University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2027-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2213541&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RCN; Macrosystems; Ecology; MEFA; Research

Environmental challenges facing the world today can be global in scale, like climate change, or regional in scale, like drought. Large-scale environmental conditions interact with local ecosystems: climate change may lead to a drought that dries local vegetation, increasing the risk of wildfire. Human land use patterns may enable fire in one site to spread quickly to other sites, leading to regional fire hazards. This example illustrates how understanding connections among ecological phenomena across scales allows scientists to make predictions about environmental disturbances. Macrosystems ecology is an emerging scientific field that explores links among geophysical, biological, and social-cultural processes at different scales. This work is informed by analysis of increasingly large environmental datasets, like those made available by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). However, not all ecology faculty, particularly those from teaching-oriented institutions, have been trained in macrosystems ecology concepts and techniques, or in working with large sets of environmental data. Indeed, there is a large pool of ecology faculty who could engage with macrosystems ecology but are not doing so. The Macrosystems Ecology For All (MEFA) Research Coordination Network (RCN) will provide a gateway for such faculty to learn more about macrosystems concepts, update their data science skills, design inclusive research projects that resonate with their scientific interests, and foster hands-on research with undergraduates. Collaboration across institutions will be emphasized to build camaraderie for team science, share expertise, and address large-scale ecological questions with efficiency. Having more researchers from diverse personal and institutional backgrounds engaging with macrosystems ecology will bring fresh perspectives and innovation to this important scientific field. Through the faculty training provided by MEFA, more undergraduate students from different communities will be exposed to emerging data science and macrosystems concepts. By providing faculty development in a supportive framework, MEFA will enhance the skills of its faculty participants and enable them to build a diverse and inclusive scientific workforce prepared to engage with the extraordinary environmental challenges of the 21st century.The MEFA RCN will sponsor five in-person meetings and a series of online workshops that provide training in data science techniques, highlight examples of macrosystems research, and support the development of collaborative teams and multi-site projects that engage undergraduates in macrosystems ecology research. MEFA will partner with other networks including NEON, the BEDE (Biological and Environmental Data Education) Network, and Project EDDIE (Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration) in developing these training activities. MEFA will have a strong emphasis on promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), providing training on diversity issues in a collaborative science context, and requiring that all research projects have a DEIJ plan. MEFA will recruit faculty from minority-serving institutions and provide support for faculty from underrepresented groups serving in project leadership roles within the network. MEFA will be governed by a Network Management Team who will facilitate the daily workings of MEFA and a Network Advisory Team who will provide macrosystems ecology expertise, DEIJ advice, and guidance on vision and organizational priorities. Assessment of MEFA’s progress toward its goals will be provided by Measurement Resources Company (MRC), a national measurement and evaluation firm.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

当今世界面临的环境挑战可以是全球性的，例如气候变化，也可以是区域性的，例如干旱。大规模的环境条件与当地生态系统相互作用：气候变化可能导致干旱，导致当地植被干燥，增加了风险。人类土地利用模式可能使一个地点的火灾迅速蔓延到其他地点，从而导致区域火灾危险。这个例子说明了科学家如何通过了解不同尺度的生态现象来预测环境扰动。探索的科学领域这项工作是通过对日益庞大的环境数据集（例如国家生态观测站网络（NEON）提供的数据集）的分析来了解的。然而，并非所有生态学教师，特别是那些。事实上，有大量生态学教师可以从事宏观系统生态学研究，但他们却没有这样做。全民生态学（MEFA）研究协调网络（RCN）将为这些教师提供一个门户，让他们更多地了解宏观系统概念，更新他们的数据科学技能，设计与他们的科学兴趣产生共鸣的包容性研究项目，并促进实践研究将强调跨机构的合作，以建立团队科学的友情，分享专业知识，并有效地解决大规模的生态问题，让更多来自不同个人和机构背景的研究人员参与宏观系统生态学将为这一领域带来新的视角和创新。通过 MEFA 提供的教师培训，更多来自不同社区的本科生将接触到新兴的数据科学和宏观系统概念。通过在支持框架中提供教师发展，MEFA 将提高教师的技能，使他们能够建立一支多元化、包容性的科学队伍，做好应对 21 世纪非凡环境挑战的准备。MEFA RCN 将主办五场面对面会议和一系列在线研讨会，提供数据科学技术培训，重点介绍宏观系统研究的实例，并支持协作发展MEFA 将与包括 NEON、BEDE（生物和环境数据教育）网络和 Project EDDIE（环境数据驱动探究与探索）在内的其他网络合作开发这些培训。 MEFA 将重点强调促进多样性、公平、包容和正义 (DEIJ)，在协作科学背景下提供有关多样性问题的培训，并要求所有研究项目都有 DEIJ 计划。 MEFA 将从少数族裔服务机构中招募教职人员，并为在网络内担任项目领导角色的代表性不足群体的教职人员提供支持，MEFA 将由网络管理团队和网络咨询团队负责管理，该团队将促进 MEFA 的日常运作。国家测量和评估公司Measurement Resources Company (MRC) 将提供宏观系统生态学专业知识、DEIJ 建议以及有关愿景和组织优先事项的指导。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命和目标。通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，该项目被认为值得支持。