Resources for Working Groups
Synthesis Science, Step by Step
Welcome to the NCEAS community! We can't wait for your working group to visit Santa Barbara and conduct exciting synthesis science. This page contains guidance and resources to help you get your newly funded working group from concept to action, from scheduling your first meeting, to setting up support, to communicating your products.
Useful Resources
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Room Availability
The calendar is helpful for scheduling your working group visits! Be sure to check the availability of the Manzanita Room (sits up to 14) and/or Monarch Room (sits up to 20) before polling your team and emailing our events coordinator.
View our Calendar -
Code of Conduct
All visitors to the NCEAS community, including working group participants, are expected to fully comply with the NCEAS code of conduct. Please be sure to share our full code of conduct with all members of your working group prior to the first meeting.
Read our Guidelines -
Reimbursement Policies
Reimbursement forms are emailed to all participants and are available online. Hotels are billed directly to NCEAS, but participants can claim a maximum of $62/day for food expenses. Forms should be submitted by 15 days after the meeting.
View Instructions and Forms -
Proposal Planning
A working group is so much more than a collection of individuals working on a problem. We compiled best practices for team science, from germinating an idea to facilitating meetings. This guidance document is a great place to start!
Read our Guidance -
Collaboration Guidance
Compiled by facilitation expert Carrie Kappel, this document provides guidance for how to maximize the success of your NCEAS working group, from planning goals to ensuring equitable participation to after your final meeting.
Read our Tips -
Acknowledging Support
It's important to acknowledge NCEAS in all publications and products of your working groups. This resource provides ready to go text for each working group type. Be sure to also tell us of any products you produce so we can track our outputs.
Read our Guidance -
Press Releases
Publishing an impactful working group paper? To get the process started of a press release in the UCSB current, just fill our our google form. Responses will go to the UCSB and NCEAS communications team and they will follow up with details.
Fill out Form -
Data Policies
NCEAS is committed to making ecological data widely available to the broader community. We ask working groups to abide by our data and information principles and management strategies, including having all data in repositories.
Read our Policies -
Programming Support
In addition to the technical support during your visit at NCEAS, our scientific computing team is available to discuss and advise on data science and scientific programming tasks, like organizing, assembling, modeling, and preserving data.
More on Programming -
Technical Support
We have computing infrastructure and offer technological assistance, including wireless/wired networking, email, shared file systems, a large library of scientific software, and well-equipped desktop systems throughout our facility.
Visit Tech Support Site -
Online Collaboration
We provide an array of services (servers, email lists, private web areas etc) that promote Team Science and facilitate online collaboration among working group participants, even after they have returned to their respective institutions.
See our Services -
Communications Plans
Our communications team is here to help you plan your working group products, but it's also helpful to start thinking and planning as early as possible. This guidance includes links to plan templates and thoughts on various tactics.
Read our Guidance -
Reporting Products
We require working groups to report to us all of the publications and research products, such as datasets or software, they produce as a result of their NCEAS support. This applies to all NCEAS working groups including ones with partners.
See Reporting Pathways
Our Spaces are Your Spaces
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NCEAS Facilities
NCEAS has two modern conference spaces for synthesis groups: the Monarch and Manzanita rooms. Visitors also have access to other spaces including a shared family room, printer/copier station, optional private meeting rooms, and a terrace that overlooks downtown Santa Barbara.
See our facilities
Favorite Places to Eat
Employee favorites for a cup of coffee near NCEAS:
- Dune Coffee Roasters
1101 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Handlebar Coffee Roasters
128 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Caje
1316 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Employee favorites for breakfast, brunch, or lunch near NCEAS:
- Savoy Cafe
24 W Figueroa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Crushcakes & Cafe
1315 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Renaud's Patisserie & Bistro
1324 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Casa Comal Cocina
505 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Southcoast Deli
10 E Carrillo St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Los Arroyos
14 W Figueroa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Norton’s Deli
18 W Figueroa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Gino’s Pizza
12 W Figueroa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - D’ Angelo Bread
25 W Gutierrez St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
NCEAS employee favorites nearby that can accommodate large groups:
- Benchmark
1201 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - The Brewhouse
229 W Montecito St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Opal
1325 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Shalhoobs (closed on Monday)
220 Gray Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Mizza (closed on Monday)
1112 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Eleven14 (closed on Mon-Tues)
1114 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Fishouse
101 E Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - El Paseo Restaurant (closed on Monday)
813 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - State & Fig (closed on Monday)
1114 State St #18, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Flor de Maiz
29 E Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Craft Ramen
436 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Santo Mezcal
119 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Pascucci
509 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 - Joe’s Cafe
536 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Program Specific Information
At NCEAS, we often house synthesis science under multi-year initiatives. Currently, we have the Morpho Initiative, Gulf Ecosystem Initiative, and Long Term Ecological Research synthesis projects active. Below, you can find more details on each of these initiatives including contact information, data science support, and image assets.
The Long Term Ecological Research Network office hosts annual calls for proposals for synthesis research that capitalize on the experiments, contextual knowledge, data, and creativity of the LTER Network.
Program Contacts:
- Marty Downs, LTER Network Director, downs@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Gabe de la Rosa, LTER Communications Officer, gdelarosa@bren.ucsb.edu
- Cristina Mancilla, LTER Outreach Officer, mancilla@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Nick Lyons, LTER Network Office Data Analyst, lyon@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Angel Chen, LTER Network Office Data Analyst, angelchen@ucsb.edu
Resources:
- LTER Synthesis Resources
Guidance specific to LTER working groups on how to organize a group, discuss authorship, choose data, and more - LTER Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources
LTER's curated set of resources for DEIJ, including action plans for participating LTER sites - LTER Analytical Support Site
LTER working groups receive additional data science and computing support via a small team of analysts - Communications Support for LTER working groups
In addition to NCEAS communications support, LTER working groups have access to the network's channels - LTER Network Logo
The LTER Network logo can be downloaded on the LTER website
The Gulf Ecosystem Initiative with NCEAS and the NOAA RESTORE Science Program will fund 2-3 working groups per year during its five year span. The goal of the Gulf Ecosystem Initiative is to advance the science in the Gulf of Mexico, especially around fisheries, climate change, and natural resource management.
Program Contacts:
- Courtney Scarborough, NCEAS Deputy Director, scarborough@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Heather Lahr, NCEAS Program Manager, hjlahr@ucsb.edu
- Caitlin Young, NOAA RESTORE Science Program Coordinator, caitlin.young@noaa.gov
- Hannah Brown, NOAA Communication and Engagement Specialist, hannah.brown@noaa.gov
- Alexandra Phillips, NCEAS Science Communication and Policy Officer, aphillips@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Camila Poulsen Vargas, NCEAS Data Science Trainer, vargas-poulsen@nceas.ucsb.edu
Resources:
- Science communication trainings
Working groups may schedule virtual science communication trainings between meetings - Data science trainings
Working groups may schedule virtual (between meetings) or in-person (during a meeting at NCEAS) data science training - Gulf ecosystem initiative logo
You can download the Gulf Ecosystem Initiative logo, designed by Alexandra Phillips, as a png
The Morpho Initiative is for applied synthesis science projects that are co-developed with managers, academics, tribal leaders, and other important, trans-disciplinary experts. In addition to its yearly call for proposals, Morpho calls may also have specializations, such as recent opportunities in Wildfire Resilience.
Program Contacts:
- Courtney Scarborough, NCEAS Deputy Director, scarborough@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Heather Lahr, NCEAS Program Manager, hjlahr@ucsb.edu
- Alexandra Phillips, NCEAS Science Communication and Policy Officer, aphillips@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Camila Poulsen Vargas, NCEAS Data Science Trainer, vargas-poulsen@nceas.ucsb.edu
Resources:
- Science communication trainings
Working groups may schedule virtual science communication trainings between meetings - Data science trainings
Working groups may schedule virtual (between meetings) or in-person (during a meeting at NCEAS) data science training - Morpho Initiative Logo
You can download the Gulf Ecosystem Initiative logo, designed by Robyn Thiessen-Bock, as a png
NCEAS sometimes hosts unique, one time synthesis groups around special topics. For example, the recently completed decadal assessment for the California MPA network. These groups are not affiliated with other synthesis initiatives, but still receive center support.
Program Contacts:
- Ben Halpern, NCEAS Director, halpern@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Courtney Scarborough, NCEAS Deputy Director, scarborough@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Alexandra Phillips, NCEAS Science Communication and Policy Officer, aphillips@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Ginger Gillquist, NCEAS Events Coordinator, gillquist@nceas.ucsb.edu
- Thomas Hetmank, NCEAS Computer Support, hetmank@nceas.ucsb.edu
Resources:
- Science communication trainings
Depending on our team's capacity, other NCEAS working groups may be able to schedule communication trainings - Data science trainings
We can accommodate training sessions depending to our team's availability. - NCEAS logo (color, black, or white)
Unique working groups may use the general NCEAS logo for their communications needs