The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in partnership with Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will play a key role in finding
solutions to what the National Science Foundation (NSF) has
deemed the "most important, demanding and urgent global problems
of our time." The two will team up to participate in NEON
(National Ecological Observatory Network), the nation's first
continental-scale ecological observatory, to answer questions
that deal with the effects of global change: climate change, the
spread of invasive species and changes in biodiversity. "The
major challenges that are facing humanity are ecological," said
Nate Sanders, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary
biology, who is involved in the project. "These challenges
include dealing with global change and providing food for an
ever-increasing population that is being increasingly affected
by climate change. Each of these components will be dealt with
by NEON." Funded by the NSF, NEON is an organization which will
receive $434 million for c