Transcript Ecological Visions Report

Ecological Visions Report
Vision 2: Areas B and C
Incentives for anticipatory and innovative research;
promoting standardized data exchange
Keith Heim, Sahima Rasul, Annie Searfoss, Andrea Rumford
Prepared for BIO 344 - Ecology at Wilkes University
1 October 2004
In this presentation we will
discuss Vision 2
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Vision 2: Area B
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Create new incentives to recognize ecology
research
Encourage anticipatory and innovative
research
Vision 2: Area C
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Establish the standardization of data
collection, data documentation, and data
sharing
Area B in detail…
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Create new incentives to recognize
ecological research
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People should be rewarded for outstanding
ecological contributions
Technology
 Synthesis
 Informatics
 Quantitative approaches
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Area B in detail…(cont’d)
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In order to answer the difficult problems
facing ecology, experts need to:
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P. 2
Coordinate their efforts in creative ways
Make their voices heard to funding agencies
In order to achieve these tasks they will
need some incentives
Area B in detail…(cont’d)
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P. 3
Encourage anticipatory and innovative
research
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Provide training to young scientists
Continue educational programs for ecologists
in order to keep up with new technology
Recommended Actions for Area B
Action 2: Seek a Nobel or
Equivalent Prize in Ecology
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Create a prestigious award to recognize
individual contributions in the field
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Develop a committee of respected
scientists and influential ecological leaders
from outside the discipline
Action 3: Establish an annual
award for the best new
instrument or new technology
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New instruments and technology serve as
being:
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Essential
Profitable
A good way to increase ecological
understanding
Action 4: Establish an
international contest among
collaborative groups to solve an
annual ecological challenge.
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Gather a group of graduate students
Pose an ecological challenge
Have them find solutions to the challenge
Post their solutions
Give an award for the best solution
Action 5: Create a prestigious
journal on methods development.
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Recognize and encourage research
Showcasing important new methods
Provides high profile outlet for ecological
findings
Note: A new section can also be added to an
existing journal
Area C in detail…
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Promote the standardization of data
collection, data documentation, and data
sharing
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To this date, there is still haphazard and
inaccessible forms of research, which places a
burden on the progress within ecological
research
Organized data is in formats that are no longer
useful or credibly identifiable
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Most importantly, this information is simply not
accessible
Area C in detail…(cont’d)
P. 2
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Currently, technological researchers are
forming templates in which ecologists can
take their data and format it into documents
that will allow easier access.
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Ecology as a whole would benefit from:
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The development of technological means
Cultural inducements
Training opportunities to effectively represent
ecological knowledge.
Area C in detail…(cont’d)
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P. 3
To implement the idea, proposals have been
given to increase:
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Effort in technology development
Training in ecoinformatics
Training in Ecological CyberInfrastructure
(ECI)
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All data should be digitally inputted early into the research
Generate metadata (information about the data itself)
Easily accessible to all parts of the world
ECI should be efficient, flexible, and consistent in describing
and reporting ecological information.
Area C in detail…(cont’d)
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P. 4
These advances will allow:
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Rapid downloads of datasets, promoting more
analysis of ecological knowledge
Faster growth of ecological understanding
A decreased amount of time required looking
for supportive information on topics of
research
The prevented onset of other ecologists
copying your idea
Inspiration for more thorough research on the
topic
Recommended Actions for Area C
Action 6: Develop a data registry
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The registry would allow simple input of
data into a basic format
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This will generate a catalog, organizing these
datasets
It would help identify the author and/or
researcher involved with the dataset
Action 7: Make raw data and
metadata easily and freely
available.
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Share for the analysis and modeling of ecological
data
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Identifies what research is currently being
explored
Action 8: Convince funding
agencies and federal agencies to
require and support open access to
data.
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Free access for the public
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Broadens public awareness and knowledge
Action 9: Encourage training in
ecoinformatics both during
graduate school and in ongoing
programs.
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Workshops
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Meetings
Why should the American public
care?
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Ecology has many practical applications in
the environment
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Air pollution
Water pollution
Degraded land
Waste management
Loss of biological diversity
Invasive and pest species
Global climate change
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Imagine the field of ecology without
contributions from:
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Cowles – nature is dynamic
Shelford – law of tolerances
Elton – niche as community function
Haeckel – coined the term “ecology”
What does this have to do with
Northeastern Pennsylvania?
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Mines have created environmental problems
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Presence of iron sulfide in the water
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Culm banks diminish greenery and prevent
herbaceous growth
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Use of wetlands to clean up water
Culm won’t hold water
Culm conducts heat
Prevents growth
Land needs to be graded and fertilized
Most people are unaware these problems exist
How is this relevant to Wilkes
University?
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Students are becoming
more aware of ecological
problems, findings, and
research due to the
wonderful faculty at
Wilkes University
People outside of the
field of biology still need
to become
knowledgeable about the
incentives and
opportunities the field of
ecology has to offer
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Create incentives for students at Wilkes
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Teach students how to use ecoinformatics
and data sharing
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Get students involved in Eco Challenge
References
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Klemow, Kenneth. Class Lecture. Sept.
2004.
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Klemow, Kenneth. Personal Website. 30
Sept 2004.
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Palmer, M., Bernhardt, E., et al.
www.esa.org/ecovisions. 15 Sept 2004.