The University of Wisconsin-Madison is awarded a grant to develop a research coordination network for lake ecology. The project leverages advances in sensor network technology and Internet connectivity by forming a global community of limnologists and informatics experts to explore the role of lakes in global environmental processes. The project has three aims. First, it will advance the modeling of key lake processes by exploiting data from a global network of instrumented lakes. Second, it will integrate aquatic science with advances in sensor technology and information management. Finally, it will engage a global community of diverse scientists by recruiting researchers from international sites, scientists early in their careers, and under-represented groups.
The project builds upon a small, but growing network of lake sensing sites coupled with Internet connectivity and grid services initiated by the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network. The project will catalyze new research in aquatic ecology through improved models and questions designed to extract maximum information from sensor data. Through its broad representation in the aquatic and information technology disciplines, and its strong emphasis on recruiting graduate students and under-represented scientists, this project will advance community network development and help unite scientists whose goals are to realize the promise of new science from sensor networks.
The GLEON Research Coordination Network conducts innovative science by sharing and interpreting high-resolution sensor data to understand predict and communicate the role and response of lakes in a changing global environment. GLEON envisions: (1) A worldwide network of instrumented buoys on lakes, placing critical lake information at the fingertips of researchers, managers, and the general public Membership in GLEON has grown in individual membership, site membership, and in network affiliations. GLEON continually strives for diversity in its membership. Geographic diversity has grown to 44 countries, female membership has expanded to 41%, and students and postdocs now make up 37%. GLEON has been connecting with younger scientists and has created a collaborative milieu in engaging researchers across different levels of experience. The more than 400 members of GLEON are the backbone of the organization. (2) A research environment that fosters collaboration across disciplines and political borders GLEON engages and empowers members to establish an organization with strong and lasting commitments. GLEON works hard to break-down barriers that can result from differing career stages, genders, experience, and even communications styles. Careful attention to facilitation at meetings, multiple modes of communication, transparency, and a culture of egalitarianism fosters participation by all. GLEON provides multiple leadership opportunities that empowers the membership. Two standing committees, the Steering Committee and the Collaborative Climate Committee, as well as a number of ad hoc committees are representative of the diversity of GLEON’s membership. Members also lead by facilitating working groups, leading data analyses and manuscripts, running workshops, and organizing special sessions at national science meetings. Students have many additional opportunities through the GLEON Student Association (GSA). The GSA sponsors workshops and training programs and publishes a newsletter. GLEON members devote precious time – a week at the all-hands meeting, a week at the steering committee meeting, several days at working group meetings, a week at training workshops, plus countless hours in service to committees and to science. Thus, some members who are not PIs devote 2-3 weeks of face time each year to GLEON. At a time when a myriad of obligations demand the attention of scientists, this is generous devotion. (3) An international community of scientists, educators, policy makers, and citizens invested in the future of fresh waters GLEON has grown internationally, both in terms of its membership and in its connectivity with other networks and its influence on the vision of environmental science. In addition to published scholarly and data products, GLEON has established working relationships with other science networks to serve a variety of needs, ranging from data analysis to education and outreach, as well as helping to guide the vision of the broader ecological community. Partnerships include: HTCondor, PRAGMA, CUAHSI and DataOne, European COST initiative, NetLake, as well as the UK GloboLakes initiative, SAFER, the US and international LTERs, the USGS, NEON, and CZOs. ______________________ GLEON has demonstrated that a grass-roots science network can work well, especially when approached as a learning organization. Learning organizations run experiments on the organization, have built-in mechanisms to assess performance and provide feedback, and evolve to the needs of its members and the changing science landscape. GLEON serves as a model for other grass-roots networks in the scientific community, and actively promotes distributed science networks through many forms of service to the community. Tremendous resources exist in the distributed global science network, and engaging and empowering people in the network is the basis for harnessing these resources. GLEON has shown that an effective network leverages existing capacity of its member sites, provides a community and environment for growth and added productivity, and in turn feeds back to the capacity and success of sites and members. GLEON recognizes that resources come in many forms, including intellectual, data, models, as well as time and effort. Providing credit to members for their contributions of these many resources strengthens the commitments of all who are involved, and ultimately leads to a robust and sustainable organization. Part of GLEON’s vision is an international community of scientists, educators, policy makers, and citizens invested in the future of fresh waters. GLEON has made progress, but much work remains. Collaborations with the Lake Sunapee Protective Agency (LSPA) exemplify the interactions GLEON plans to have with citizens around the globe. LSPA invested substantially in the G13 meeting (New Hampshire), and spent time working with GLEON students on communicating the concerns of the citizens, as well as listening to students about their research. GLEON will expand and enhance these interactions, not only with LSPA, but with other lake associations. Indeed, each GLEON meeting has had special events for connecting with hosting communities, such as visiting and meeting with local management agencies, media, educators and public school administrators. Establishing meaningful relationships with the broader community will improve the chances that lake water quality in the future only improves.
