LTER Planning Project - Meeting of 100

Planning Grant | Meeting of 100

Overview of the LTER Network Planning Process

The first meeting of the LTER Planning Project will be held from Tuesday, November 9-Friday, November 12, 2004, in Cape Canaveral , Florida .

Pam Griego (pgriego@LTERnet.edu; 505/277-2551) will handle arrangements in the Network Office.

The LTER Network received a planning grant to develop a Strategic Planning Process that builds upon recent LTER Coordinating Committee and LTER All Scientist Meeting planning activities (see http://intranet.lternet.edu/archives/documents/other/Planninggrant.pdf).

The primary objective of the overall LTER planning activity is to establish activities that will lead to multi-site, highly collaborative and integrated research initiatives that explicitly include synthesis components and, where appropriate, will be coupled with novel training opportunities in graduate and undergraduate education.

The planning involves establishing a Science Task Force, six working groups and a series of workshops. The LTER Network planning also will develop linkages and collaborative efforts with the other networks, organizations, and societies that share our goals of conducting synthetic, large-scale research to address grand research challenges in ecology.

The outcomes of our activities will be specific sets of ecological research questions and theoretical, experimental designs that can best be addressed by the LTER Network within the four conceptual domains:

  1. alterations in biodiversity,
  2. altered biogeochemical cycles,
  3. ecological effects of climate change and climate variability, and
  4. coupled human-natural systems.

Meeting of 100 Objective

The initial step in the LTER planning process is the Meeting of 100 LTER and non-LTER scientists that will harness the creativity existing within the scientific community. Membership has been determined by the Science Task Force following nominations from the LTER community and other sources including CUAHSI, OBFS, CLEANER, NEON, and other relevant networks.

The primary product of this workshop will be a refined set of Network-level research and synthesis questions built around the Grand Challenge themes that will be translated into specific research projects through further workshop activities. Participants are expected to think broadly, synthetically, and creatively about the role the LTER Network will play in addressing environmental science challenges.

The Science Task Force will use the recommendations from this meeting as input for the next phase of the planning process that will focus the Grand Challenge research questions and establish four Network Science Working Groups (NSWGs). These NSWG's will generate specific research projects and their implementation plans, specific research designs, and an assessment of technology and resources needed to answer these questions.

Lodging Information

The meeting and accommodations will be at the Radisson Resort at the Port located at 8701 Astronaut Blvd , Cape Canaveral , Florida . A block of rooms has been reserved for Meeting Participants. The LTER Network Office will provide a rooming directly to the hotel on October 20, 2004; meeting participants will not be required to contact the hotel. Complete information about the Radisson Resort at the Port can be found at http://www.radisson.com/capecanaveralfl .

The LTER Network Office will pay room charges directly for all participants, except for long-distance telephone charges, liquor, early arrivals, late departures, and other incidentals, which must be paid individually. Due to limited room availability, participants representing LTER sites are asked to share lodging. Please contact Pam Griego (pgriego@LTERnet.edu) to provide your preferences for roommates no later than October 17, 2004 . Selections will be on a first come first service basis

Airline Travel

Please call Rio Grande Travel 1-800-778-6861 or 505/768-7999 as soon as possible and ask for a UNM Representative. You may also contact the following representatives directly for assistance: Rita Ortiz at RitaO@RGTravel.com , Tracey Fria at TraceyF@RGTravel.com or Carol Stevens at Carols@RGTravel.com . Tell the agent that the LTER Network Office at UNM (contact: Pam Griego) is paying for your ticket. If you have any other problems, please e-mail the manager, Doris Phillips at DorisP@RGTravel.com with a copy to pgriego@LTERnet.edu . Once you have made and approved your reservation, Rio Grande will forward the itinerary to the Network Office, which will pay for the ticket.

If you wish to purchase the airline ticket yourself, please e-mail Pam Griego your arrival/departure dates/times, flight number and the amount of the ticket. Reimbursement for the ticket will be made after the meeting. Orlando is the closest local airport.

Ground Transportation

The hotel does NOT provide shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. You may contact any of the listed shuttle services to make the necessary arrangements. Please make all the necessary transportation arrangements in advance. When making reservations you will need to guarantee the shuttle with a major credit card (VISA/MC/Discover)

  • Busy Travel 800/496-7433
  • Art's Shuttle 800/567-5099
  • Cocoa Beach Shuttle 800/633-0427
  • TraveLynx 800/226-5969

AGENDA

Tuesday, November 9

  • Travel Day for participants
  • 6 pm Dinner meeting for Co-Chairs
  • 7 - 9 pm Evening Session for participants
  • Meeting Opening/Mixer (Cash Bar)
  • Introduction of Co-Chairs
  • Introduction of Participants
  • Meeting Strategy
  • Charge to Groups

Wednesday, November 10

  • 7 am Continental Breakfast
  • 8 am Group Work Sessions
  • 10 - 10:30 break
  • 10:30 Group Work Sessions
  • Noon-1:00 Lunch
  • 1:00 - 2:00 Plenary Group Reports
  • 2:00 - 6:00 Mix and match
  • (Groups are reformed so that there are 4 groups, i.e., each group made up of a mix of the 4 Grand Challenge group areas.)
  • 3:00 Refreshments served
  • 6:00 STF and Co-Chairs daily summary meeting
  • 7:00 Dinner on your own

Thursday, November 11

  • 7 am Continental Breakfast
  • 8 am Overview of Day 2 Activities
  • Reform into original Group Work Sessions
  • Reports of previous Mixed Group results within Group
  • 10 - 10:30 break
  • 10:30 Continued Original Group Work Sessions
  • Noon-1:30 Lunch
  • 1:30 pm (Open, Self-Organized Group Activities/Sessions; e.g., these may be combinations of 2 or more of the Challenge areas, new areas)
  • 3:30 - 4:00 Refreshments available
  • 4:00 - 6:00 Original Group Meetings to prepare materials for Plenary meeting Friday morning.
  • 6:00 STF and Co-Chairs daily summary meeting
  • 7:00 Dinner on your own

Friday, November 12

  • 7 am Continental Breakfast
  • 8 am - noon Plenary Working Session (all groups)
  • Final Reports from Work Groups
  • Next Steps
  • 10:00 - 10:30 Refreshments available
  • Noon- 1:30 Lunch on your own
  • "Afternoon" departures from Cape Canaveral for participants not staying for further writing efforts.
  • 1:30 Writing Sessions for STF, Co-Chairs, selected participants