National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Encyclopedia
The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) is a research center at the University of California, Santa Barbara
, in Santa Barbara
, California
. Better known by its acronym, NCEAS opened in May 1995, and is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation
, the State of California
, and the University of California, Santa Barbara
.
NCEAS supports cross-disciplinary research that analyzes and synthesizes existing data to address major fundamental issues in ecology
and allied fields, and encourages the application of science to natural resource management
and public policy
decision making. To facilitate synthetic analysis, NCEAS advances new techniques in mathematical and geospatial
modeling, dynamic simulation
, and visualization
of ecological systems through its Ecoinformatics
program. Since its inception, the Center has hosted over 4,000 individuals and supported more than 400 research projects, which have resulted in more than 1800 publications in 250+ different journals. In addition, NCEAS engages graduate students and grade school children through a variety of outreach and education programs.
NCEAS research is funded primarily through a competitive review process. Whether collaborative groups or individuals, scientists submit a proposal with research objectives, and the NCEAS Science Advisory Board determines which merit support.
One notable outreach and education program at NCEAS is Kids Do Ecology, which engages elementary-age children in the science of ecology. The program consists of two parts: a bilingual website http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/ and classroom projects, in which NCEAS scientists work with students in local classrooms to carry out ecological experiments based on the scientific method
.
must consider information from wide stretches of the ocean, and studies of long-lived forest
communities must span decades. Recognizing that research in such areas cannot be accomplished by a single scientist working at one location, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized the need for a center whose mission was to foster synthetic research using existing data. In 1994, the NSF solicited proposals to build such a center, and the University of California, Santa Barbara was awarded $12.5 million to establish and operate the center for five years. Subsequent grants were awarded to UC Santa Barbara to continue NCEAS in 2001 ($16.6 million) and 2006 ($18.5 million).
By 2005, ISI Essential Science Indicators recognized that NCEAS ranked #22 out of 38,000 institutions worldwide publishing in ecology and environmental science, in terms of scientific impact. Based on the experience with NCEAS, NSF launched a wider program of synthesis centers, including the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) and National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
. Similar efforts based on the NCEAS research approach have been undertaken internationally as well, such as the Australian Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) and the Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution
. In all, more than 18 centers have been modeled on the NCEAS approach.
Additional support, in particular funds directed toward the Conservation and Resource Management program, comes from federal and state agencies
, private foundations
, and non-governmental organizations
.
initially served as the NCEAS director, followed by Dr. O.J. Reichman who directed the center from 1997 to 2007. Dr. Murdoch then returned to NCEAS as interim director until the arrival of Dr. Ed McCauley on January 1, 2010.
On May 11, 2011, it was announced that Dr. Ed McCauley has been appointed as Vice President (Research) at the University of Calgary, effective July 1, 2011. His replacement at NCEAS is Dr. Frank Davis. Dr. Davis formerly served as NCEAS' Deputy Director from 1995-1999.
The NCEAS leadership as of 2011 includes:
. The Center offers computing infrastructure, meeting rooms for small groups and two larger rooms which accommodate 18 and 25 people, as well as access to several larger conference facilities. A large lounge and kitchen are available for breaks, informal seminars and gatherings. The Center also includes a variety of offices that house resident and visiting researchers and in-house staff.
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Better known by its acronym, NCEAS opened in May 1995, and is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, the State of California
Government of California
The government of California operates in the context of a democratic republic with three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the Governor of California and the other elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the California State Legislature which...
, and the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
.
NCEAS supports cross-disciplinary research that analyzes and synthesizes existing data to address major fundamental issues in ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and allied fields, and encourages the application of science to natural resource management
Natural resource management
Natural resource management refers to the management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations ....
and public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
decision making. To facilitate synthetic analysis, NCEAS advances new techniques in mathematical and geospatial
Geospatial
Geospatial analysis is an approach to applying statistical analysis and other informational techniques to geographically based data. Such analysis employs spatial software and analytical methods with terrestrial or geographic datasets, including geographic information systems and...
modeling, dynamic simulation
Dynamic simulation
Dynamic simulation is the use of a computer program to model the time varying behavior of a system. The systems are typically described by ordinary differential equations or partial differential equations. As mathematical models incorporate real-world constraints, like gear backlash and rebound...
, and visualization
Scientific visualization
Scientific visualization is an interdisciplinary branch of science according to Friendly "primarily concerned with the visualization of three-dimensional phenomena , where the emphasis is on realistic renderings of volumes, surfaces, illumination sources, and so forth, perhaps...
of ecological systems through its Ecoinformatics
Ecoinformatics
Ecoinformatics, or ecological informatics, is the science of information in Ecology and Environmental science. It integrates environmental and information sciences to define entities and natural processes with language common to both humans and computers...
program. Since its inception, the Center has hosted over 4,000 individuals and supported more than 400 research projects, which have resulted in more than 1800 publications in 250+ different journals. In addition, NCEAS engages graduate students and grade school children through a variety of outreach and education programs.
Mission
NCEAS’ core mission is to foster synthesis and analysis, and promote effective collaboration among researchers to alter how science is conducted. This mission includes 3 goals:- Advance the state of ecological knowledge through the search for general patterns and principles in existing data
- Organize and synthesize ecological information in a manner useful to researchers, resource managers, and policy makers addressing important environmental issues
- Influence the way ecological research is conducted by promoting a culture of synthesis, collaboration and data sharing
Research programs
Research at NCEAS focuses on three key areas: Core Ecology, Ecoinformatics, and Conservation and Resource Management.- Core Ecology - the primary research area funded by NCEAS, which includes a broad range of topics in ecology and allied fields.
- Ecoinformatics – research dedicated to the development and dissemination of technological tools that facilitate analysis and synthesis in ecology.
- Conservation and Resource Management – research focused on areas such as conservation biologyConservation biologyConservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
and the explicit application of science to natural resource management and policy decision making.
Supported research
NCEAS supports four main research activities focused on synthesizing existing data:- Working groups - 4 to 20 cross-disciplinary individuals periodically meet at the Center and work together on a specific collaborative research project.
- Postdoctoral researchers - early-career scientists who reside at NCEAS for 2–3 years to carry out synthetic research.
- Center fellows – researchers on sabbatical from their home institutions who reside at the Center to focus on a research topic within NCEAS' scope.
- Distributed graduate seminars – seminars that enable students and faculty from nationally or globally distributed universities to remotely collaborate on a research project.
NCEAS research is funded primarily through a competitive review process. Whether collaborative groups or individuals, scientists submit a proposal with research objectives, and the NCEAS Science Advisory Board determines which merit support.
Education and outreach
In addition to its research activities, NCEAS carries out a number of outreach initiatives to increase public understanding of science, to foster interest in ecology and technology professions (particularly among groups underrepresented in science) and to engage with the local community. NCEAS also offers education and training programs at all levels of sophistication, from elementary school through undergraduate and graduate studies, to continuing education of professional scientists.One notable outreach and education program at NCEAS is Kids Do Ecology, which engages elementary-age children in the science of ecology. The program consists of two parts: a bilingual website http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/ and classroom projects, in which NCEAS scientists work with students in local classrooms to carry out ecological experiments based on the scientific method
Scientific method
Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of...
.
History and funding
The origin of the center can be traced to the perception among ecologists that important research themes span wide regions and long time periods. For example, research on marine fisheriesFishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
must consider information from wide stretches of the ocean, and studies of long-lived forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
communities must span decades. Recognizing that research in such areas cannot be accomplished by a single scientist working at one location, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized the need for a center whose mission was to foster synthetic research using existing data. In 1994, the NSF solicited proposals to build such a center, and the University of California, Santa Barbara was awarded $12.5 million to establish and operate the center for five years. Subsequent grants were awarded to UC Santa Barbara to continue NCEAS in 2001 ($16.6 million) and 2006 ($18.5 million).
By 2005, ISI Essential Science Indicators recognized that NCEAS ranked #22 out of 38,000 institutions worldwide publishing in ecology and environmental science, in terms of scientific impact. Based on the experience with NCEAS, NSF launched a wider program of synthesis centers, including the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) and National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis
The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis is a research institute focused on the science of mathematics and biology. Known by its acronym NIMBioS , the Institute opened in September 2008, arising from a collaborative agreement between the National Science Foundation, the U.S....
. Similar efforts based on the NCEAS research approach have been undertaken internationally as well, such as the Australian Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) and the Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution
The Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution is a national organization that sponsors scientific programs aimed at synthesizing information on natural systems, developing new theory and providing unbiased scientific assessments on the ecological and evolutionary aspects of public policy...
. In all, more than 18 centers have been modeled on the NCEAS approach.
Additional support, in particular funds directed toward the Conservation and Resource Management program, comes from federal and state agencies
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
, private foundations
Private foundation
A private foundation is a legal entity set up by an individual, a family or a group of individuals, for a purpose such as philanthropy. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private foundation in the U.S. with over $38 billion in assets...
, and non-governmental organizations
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
.
NCEAS Directors
Dr. William MurdochWilliam W. Murdoch
Recipient of the 1990 Robert H. MacArthur Award granted by the Ecological Society of America, William W. Murdoch is a Charles A. Storke II professor of population ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Over the years, his research has focused primarily on the subjects of...
initially served as the NCEAS director, followed by Dr. O.J. Reichman who directed the center from 1997 to 2007. Dr. Murdoch then returned to NCEAS as interim director until the arrival of Dr. Ed McCauley on January 1, 2010.
On May 11, 2011, it was announced that Dr. Ed McCauley has been appointed as Vice President (Research) at the University of Calgary, effective July 1, 2011. His replacement at NCEAS is Dr. Frank Davis. Dr. Davis formerly served as NCEAS' Deputy Director from 1995-1999.
The NCEAS leadership as of 2011 includes:
- Dr. Frank Davis – Director
- Dr. Stephanie Hampton – Deputy Director
- Dr. Mark Schildhauer – Director of Computing
- Dr. Matthew B. Jones – Director of Informatics Research and Development
Resident scientists and NCEAS staff
NCEAS employs 14 full- and part-time staff, as well as graduate and undergraduate interns. There are also 12-18 postdoctoral researchers and 3-6 sabbatical fellows in residence at the Center at any given time.Location and facilities
NCEAS is located in the Balboa Building of Paseo Nuevo in the center of downtown Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. The Center offers computing infrastructure, meeting rooms for small groups and two larger rooms which accommodate 18 and 25 people, as well as access to several larger conference facilities. A large lounge and kitchen are available for breaks, informal seminars and gatherings. The Center also includes a variety of offices that house resident and visiting researchers and in-house staff.