Celebrating NCEAS' 30th Anniversary!

Dear Friends,

I’m delighted to share this impact report with you, which highlights NCEAS’ contributions to ecology and environmental science in celebration of our 30th anniversary. Beginning as a bold idea funded by the National Science Foundation in 1995, NCEAS has grown to be a trusted and catalytic partner for scientific discovery and effective environmental problem solving.

The changes in science and society since NCEAS opened its doors 30 years ago are remarkable. In 1995, email was relatively new, the internet was in its infancy, and scientists tended to be siloed, resisting sharing ideas and data. NCEAS played a key role in transforming the culture and practice of environmental science to be more open, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and synthetic. We’ve hosted hundreds of working groups, supported nearly 200 hundred postdoctoral research fellows, provided thousands of researchers with training in environmental data science, and built the data management and computer infrastructure needed to accelerate ecological research. I am deeply grateful to all the researchers, partners, and supporters who have made all this possible.

As we turn the corner on the first quarter of the 21st century, a new seismic shift is happening in the world of environmental science. The rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence (AI) is opening unparalleled opportunities for insight and discovery, but also risks that the tools will be poorly used or misused.

This year, NCEAS is launching a new initiative–AI for the Planet–that will leverage our 30 years of experience to support environmental applications and skill building with AI. NCEAS is committed to transforming how researchers harness the power of AI for environmental good.

To advance this vision, we are embarking on a focused effort to raise $10 million in support of NCEAS for this initiative. In partnership with environmental scientists, practitioners, and thought leaders, we will advance an agenda focused on a climate safe future, sustainable food systems, healthy oceans, and thriving biodiversity. We hope you will join us as we unlock new sustainability solutions and equip environmental leaders to accelerate discoveries that help the planet and people thrive.

I express my sincere thanks to all of you who support NCEAS–through research, data science learning programs, and generous philanthropic support. I joined NCEAS as a postdoc in 2003, and I’ve seen the center grow and change over the years. I am continually awed by the creativity of our community, the dedication of our researchers, and the positive contributions NCEAS is making toward a healthier and more sustainable world. The diversity of our community and our wide range of projects–from curbing plastic pollution to enhancing wildfire resilience–is what makes NCEAS so vibrant and impactful. I am honored to have spent so much of my career at this special place, and I look forward to seeing what we do together to help both people and the planet thrive.

Sincerely,

Ben Halpern
Executive Director, NCEAS