US-Costa Rica PASI: Expanding the frontier in tropical ecology through embedded sensors; Costa Rica 2010

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This Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes (PASI) award, jointly supported by the NSF and the Department of Energy (DOE), will take place at the Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Organized by Dr. Elizabeth Losos of Duke University, the PASI will address the topic of expanding the frontier in tropical ecology through embedded sensors. The Institute will consist of a two-week session, where experienced researchers, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and young faculty explore the merging of ecological research with engineering and information technologies. Lectures will be divided into three modules, the first a review of how the field of ecology has advanced through the application of sensor technologies; a second module will focus on the technological component, introducing and reviewing all aspects of a sensor network, from the individual elements to the data that they generate. A final module will review case studies in which sensors have been successfully incorporated to answer ecological questions, and will include more practical tutorial and hands-on exercises to cross-train the participants in the actual generation of hypothesis and deployment and operation of short- and long-term sensor setups. The activity will broaden the horizons of tropical ecologists by transforming their methods for conducting research and gathering data. Outcomes of this PASI will include the opportunity to expand the geographical scope of extant networks and maximizing the potential of data sharing and comparative ecology. Lectures and materials developed for the PASI will be disseminated through a public website and an online portal will further foster interactions among participants.