Homework from Alison

(i) your approach to the analysis and synthesis concept,

(ii) why you have taken this approach,

(iii) what you perceive are your strengths and weaknesses–and legacy,

(iv) the role of your Centre in fostering new science and discoveries, and

(v) what you wish to see from the meeting.

NCEAS approach to analysis and synthesis (1995-2012)

• NSF and CA supported, community owned

• Open calls for proposals– Science Advisory Board

review

– Guidance from NCEAS leadership

• Meeting facility and logistical support

• Cyberinfrastructure

Approach: Research Activities

• Working groups

– diverse, 3-16 participants, 4-8 meetings over 1-2 years

• Postdoctoral fellows

– 12-18, 2-3 yrs

• Sabbatical fellows

– 2-6, 3-12 mos

• Distributed graduate seminars

– 6-8 universities 1-2 semesters

• Informatics research and training

• “Hosted by NCEAS” activities

Why this approach?

3. Who does the work

• Over 5,000 participants in

– 250+ working group projects

– 200 “hosted”projects

– 119 Postdoctoral Associates

– 86 Center Fellows (sabbaticals)

• Participants from

– 49 states,

– 67 countries

• 750+ academic institutions

• 600+ non-academic entities (companies, NGOs, agencies)

• Participants belong to > 550scholarly societies

• Not just usual suspects…

80% have 4 or fewer visits

Who does the research?

Figure 5. Percent Women Participating in Working Groups since establishment of NCEAS in 1995. For comparison, among ESA members who answered diversity survey questions for a 2006 report, the average female representation on faculty was 36% (30% women among senior professors, 44% women among junior professors).

Role of your Centre in fostering new science and discoveries?

• Validated the synthesis center concept

• Promoted a culture of broadened collaboration among ecologists and allied disciplines

• Promoted best practices for data sharing and open science (eco-informatics)

• Accelerated progress in emerging research areas (e.g. spatial ecology, disease ecology, ecosystem services)

What you perceive are your strengths and weaknesses–and legacy,

• Strengths– Community engagement– Leadership willing to take risks– Adequate financial resources – Customer service– Technical staff– Facility and location

• Weaknesses– Uneven WG orientation, training and support– Narrow communication and outreach– Lack of long-term business strategy

•Not home•Neutral ground•Concentration of infrastructure•Expectations•Trust•Flexibility•Serendipity•Computer/informatics support

Intense “collegial”interactions, sustained focus

“Emotional energy,” “cultural capital,”“science at the bar”

“Peer review on the fly” rapid conceptual advance

Location – “an unusual place… removes scientists…from their local contexts…strangeness and uncertainty that stimulates originality”

Sociological studies: Hackett et al. 2008

4. Sociology

What you wish to see from the meeting?

• Identify important emerging research areas that could be fostered by one or more centers

• Discuss opportunities for joint training initiatives

• Explore and evaluate alternative institutional vision(s) and strategies for synthesis centers