LTER National Coordination Office: Facilitating Collaboration, Accelerating Synthesis

长期的研究对发展基本的生态认识起着关键作用。28个长期生态研究(LTER)站点分布在全国各地和热带太平洋的栖息地。每个地点的研究提供了重要的系统特有知识，而跨地点的整合促进了生态系统功能的广泛模式和一般生态理论的发现。该项目扩展了长期生态研究(LTER)站点网络中的协调、沟通、培训和综合研究活动，这些站点最初是作为LTER国家通信办公室而启动的。该办公室促进LTER站点之间在多个层面上的联系，包括假设开发、实验设计、测量方案、数据管理、协作、通信培训、各级教育和外联。该办公室支持长期稳定研究网络内的共同治理和协作关系以及与伙伴网络的密切联系，这对扩大长期稳定研究的范围和影响是有价值的。LTER网站培训了全国很大一部分跨学科团队科学的生态学家，其中一个重要的活动子集侧重于开发和分享纳入和评估的最佳实践。LTER网络办公室维持和改进了目前LNCO的大部分活动，但根据最初4年运作中吸取的经验教训进行了一些重组和重新排序。该办公室通过与NCEAS、国家生态分析和合成中心建立联系，并在适当的时候支持合成研究和委员会活动的虚拟会议，保持了成本效益。为了让长期研究社区参与进来，该团队继续开发LTER网络网站、时事通讯和社交媒体平台。促进协作的新工具包括重新设计的中央人员数据库、协作平台和长期人力资源产品累积目录。该项目的一个核心方面是支持通过严格的小组程序选出的多个综合工作组，并适当纳入陆地、沿海和海洋科学家和观点。向工作组提供开放数据实践和团队科学方面的培训和支持。与国际LTER网络(ILTER)、临界区天文台(CZO)和国家生态观测网络(NEON)等合作伙伴网络的合作也是该办公室的高度优先事项。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Long-term research plays a key role in the development of fundamental ecological understanding. Twenty-eight Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites are distributed in habitats across the nation and in the tropical Pacific. Research at each site provides important system-specific knowledge whereas integrating across sites fosters the discovery of wide-spread patterns of ecosystem functioning and general ecological theory. This project expands on the coordination, communication, training, and synthetic research activities across the network of Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites that were initiated while first supported as the LTER National Communications Office. The Office facilitates connections among LTER sites across multiple dimensions, including hypothesis development, experimental design, measurement protocols, data management, collaboration, communications training, education at all levels, and outreach. The office supports shared governance and collaborative relationships within the LTER network and strong ties with partner networks that are valuable for expanding the reach and implications of LTER research. LTER sites train a large fraction of the nation's ecologists in interdisciplinary team science and an important subset of activities focuses on developing and sharing best practices for inclusion and assessment.The LTER Network Office maintains and improves upon most of the activities of the current LNCO, but with some re-organization and re-prioritization based on lessons learned during the first 4 years of operation. The office remains cost-efficient through affiliation with NCEAS, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, and by supporting virtual meetings for synthesis research and committee activities whenever appropriate. To engage the long-term research community, the team continues to develop the LTER network website, newsletters, and social media platforms. New tools to facilitate collaboration include a redesigned centralized personnel database, collaboration platform, and cumulative catalogue of LTER products. A central facet of the project is support for multiple synthesis working groups selected by a rigorous panel process and appropriately inclusive of terrestrial, coastal and marine scientists and perspectives. Working groups are provided training and support in open data practices and team science. Engaging partner networks such as the International LTER network (ILTER), Critical Zone Observatories (CZO), and the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is also a high priority for the office.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.