Firings and a Resignation Roil NEON Ecological Observatory

The chief scientist at the NSF initiative quits after two leaders were let go without her input.

Written byShawna Williams

| 2 min read

an illustration of how the NEON project will work, with multiple monitoring stations, satellites, and planes gathering data

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Update (January 18): Science Insider reports that Battelle has reinstated its scientific advisory panel after criticism of its disbandment.

Sharon Collinge has resigned midway through what was to be her two-year term as the chief scientist and principal investigator at the National Ecological Observatory Network, Science Insider reports. NEON is an initiative by the National Science Foundation that aims to collect ecological data at 81 sites across the United States beginning this year; according to Science Insider, it has a construction budget of $469 million.

“I have not been granted the authority to be successful,” Collinge wrote in her resignation letter on January 8. She will return to the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she is a professor of environmental studies. Soil scientist Eugene Kelly of Colorado State University will replace her on an interim basis.

The resignation stems from the firing of two employees of the contractor for the ...

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Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
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Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.
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