This award will develop an effective strategy for the involvement of minority serving institutions in the design, construction, and implementation of the National Ecological Observatory Network. Scientists and engineers at minority serving institutions are making significant contributions to the fields of ecology, technology, and computer science. However the effective engagement of these individuals in national research efforts like NEON has greatly lagged the participation of representatives from other universities and colleges. A new strategy to engage these individuals and institutions is proposed that will effectively enhance the communication among these institutions and the larger research community. Through university points of contacts, mentors, and faculty outreach, the Science and Engineering Alliance will facilitate the participation and communication. The process will include: 1. Identifying HBCUs to participate in a pilot project to identify and maintain an effective presence of biological science faculty at HBCUs with research directly or closely align to the NEON project. 2. Scaling the SEA science collaboration model to the larger HBCU community. 3. Conducting focused workshops on broadening the participation of HBCUs in the NEON project. 4. Establish on the SEA website web pages detailing this activity and provide links to ongoing NEON activities.
