The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) education mission is to enable society and the scientific community to use ecological information and forecasts to understand and effectively address critical ecological questions and issues. NEON’s education goals include (1) promote and facilitate public understanding of ecological science, (2) provide tools for students, educators, scientists, and decision-makers to use NEON data to make informed decisions about ecological issues, (3) educate the next generation of ecologists to understand complex ecological systems and their associated changes, and apply this integrated knowledge to societal needs, and (4) enhance diversity within the ecological community. The focus of NEON Education is to help people think of science as a way of knowing. The NEON Education plan is organized around ways of engaging people with NEON data products and resources. NEON Education is the interface between scientific data and user communities. In this capacity, NEON Education provides tools and facilitates learning experiences that engage users with different levels of knowledge, experience and skills. These tools and learning experiences are aimed at awareness, mastery and leadership levels. This approach enables users to self-define their interests and abilities regardless of their affiliations (i.e., K-12 teacher, citizen scientist, family).

The NEON platform provides extraordinary opportunities for education. The platform will support a wide range of interactions – such as between educators and scientists, students and researchers, policymakers and researchers, scientists and the general public, and students and other students. Furthermore, the integration of science and education, supported by robust cyberinfrastructure, physical infrastructure, human resources and strong partnerships, will enable facilitation of a range of innovative learning experiences that will engage a diversity of audiences as part of a broad effort to raise ecological literacy in the United States. NEON will serve as a model for transforming science education from passively disseminating information to actively engaging learners in “doing science.” As individuals take more responsibility for their own learning (Falk et al., 2009; Falk & Sheppard, 2006), it is critical that NEON facilitate ample free-choice learning opportunities where individuals can easily access, use and contribute to NEON products to meet their needs and interests. NEON Education, in partnership with stakeholder communities, will employ a variety of approaches and tools to engage individuals in the scientific process, including social media, online learning modules, citizen science projects, workshops, and informal education programs.