NEON Employees and ESA Certification
NEON Program Field Science employees who wish to earn certification by ESA may follow these pathways to apply:
- Complete the NEON Program Pre-application Form before applying.
- Applications may be completed and submitted at any time; they are reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Any person who meets all of the requirements for certification may apply at the level they feel they qualify for.
- The minimum academic requirement for certification is undergraduate or graduate coursework (or equivalent) of 30 semester hours of biological science, 9 of which must be in ecology, and at least 12 hours of chemistry, physical sciences, and mathematics.
- Any person who does not meet the required 9 credit hours of coursework in ecology may make up credits by participating in up to 3 of the NEON courses listed in the table below, at a value of 1 credit hour per course.
- If submitting NEON coursework with your application, include a transcript from the NEON Training Center to validate completion of the training.
- Any person who does not meet the prerequisites in ecology or other biological sciences, but who wishes to earn ESA certification due to their past education and application of ecological science, is encouraged to apply and explain in their cover letter how their experience translates to ESA’s requirements.
- When doing so, list all NEON courses completed in the cover letter and in the section of the application that requests course information. Include a transcript from the NEON Training Center with your application.
Reporting NEON Modules for CEU
Beginning in 2021, all newly certified ecologists are required to earn a minimum of 44 continuing education units over 5 years to re-certify or upgrade to a higher level. CEUs must be distributed among five categories, two of which have required minimums. NEON employees are permitted to earn CEU in two of the categories for their work at NEON: Scientific Education and Training (Category I(a)) for completing any of the courses listed in the table. NEON employees who train others in these courses are permitted to count them for CEU as well, in Category II.
The courses listed in the table are pre-approved for continuing education by the ESA Board of Professional Certification. As such, a transcript and course description are not required when reporting these for CEU (but are advised if counting as make-up for missing academic requirements).
| Course Name (course abbreviation) | Description | CEU | ESA CEU Category |
| Periphyton, Phytoplankton, and Benthic Microbe Sampling (ALG) | Methods for field collection and lab processing of aquatic macroalgae, algae, biofilms, and benthic microbes to determine species diversity, taxa richness, biovolume, and biomass. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Sampling (INV) | Methods for collecting aquatic macroinvertebrates to characterize population. Requires habitat assessment for selection of appropriate sampling equipment and use of sterile methods to collect specimens for DNA analysis. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Surface Water Sampling (SWC, GWC AMC, ASI, SDG) | Methods for collecting surface water and groundwater samples for chemical, microbial, and physical parameters. Includes laboratory methods conducted in the field and a lab, such as filtering, subsampling for microbes, gas injections, and titrations to measure alkalinity. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Aquatic Plant, Bryophyte, Lichen, and Macroalgae Sampling (APL) | Methods for in-situ identification of aquatic vegetation and collection and extensive laboratory processing including subsampling and filtering, use of high-precision measuring methods, and mounting of specimens for expert -taxonomic identification. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Stream Morphology (SMR) | Methods for collecting high-resolution survey data of topographical aspects of stream channels and adjacent flood prone area. Requires identification of habitats (for example, riffle vs. run vs. pool) and use of total station, and data processing. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Stream Discharge (DSC) | Collection of stream discharge data using wading survey method and an acoustic Doppler method for integration with stream sensor data to develop stage-discharge rating curves. Requires assessing site conditions to determine appropriate measurement method. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Fish Sampling (FSH) | Collection and processing of fish using electrofishing methods requiring delineation of habitats, handling and species identification of captures, use of anesthetics, and tissue sampling. Monitoring fish health integral to all aspects of sampling. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Reaeration in Streams (REA) | Procedures for measuring gas exchange between the atmosphere and surface water. Required setting up an in-situ experiment of injecting tracers into stream and collection and processing of water and gas samples. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Sediment Sampling for Chemical and Physical Properties (ASC) | Field collection of sediments entailing identifying depositional zones, use of multiple sampling methods, compositing samples, and clean field methods to avoid cross contamination. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Zooplankton Sampling in Lake (ZOO) | Collection of integrated water-column sample and use of sterile methods to collect specimens for DNA analysis | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Ground Beetle Sampling (BET ) | Methods for installing and setting ground beetle traps, collecting captures, and processing to preserve sample integrity. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Carabid Identification and Mounting (BET – ID) | Methods for identifying carabid species and mounting specimens (pinning or pointing). | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Plant Belowground Biomass Sampling (BBC) | Methods for collecting soil using a coring device and laboratory processing to separate roots based on diameter size. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Canopy Foliage Sampling | Methods for collecting sun-lit vegetation for chemical analysis. Requires identification of appropriate species, sample locations, and sampling method. Careful field handling and storage required to preserve sample integrity and prepare samples for scanning for leaf-mass area calculations. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Coarse Downed Wood (CDS) | Methods for identifying, tallying, and sampling downed trees, including classification of biomass based on level of decomposition and laboratory processing of samples to measure bulk density. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Measurement of Herbaceous Biomass | Procedures for delineating and collecting above ground biomass in multiple 2 m X 0.1 m strips from which all plant material is sorted by vegetative type (for example, forbs vs.C3 grasses vs. C4 grasses). Additional laboratory processing includes drying and weighing samples. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Measurement of Lead Area Index (DHP) | Methods for collecting photographs taken in specific orientations, lighting conditions, and locations within a plot and assessing quality to verify images are appropriate for computer analysis of leaf area index. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Litterfall and Fine Woody Debris (LTR) | Methods for collecting and sorting biomass captured in above-ground and ground-level traps. Laboratory processing includes drying, weighing, and grinding of biomass for chemical analysis | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Mosquito Sampling (MOS) | Methods for setting carbon dioxide mosquito traps and collecting and processing captures. Lab procedures include removal of bycatch and careful, rapid transfer of specimens into vials to avoid damaging identifying features and to preserve integrity of blood samples for pathogen analysis. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Plant Phenology (PHE) | Identification of plant development phases (phenophases) of 3 – 30 species (100 specimens) multiple times per week from bud burst to senescence. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Plant Diversity Sampling (DIV) | Methods for identification of plant species and percent cover in multi-scale plots, collection and preparation of voucher specimens for herbarium, and collection of foliar tissue for genetic analysis. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Small Mammal Sampling (MAM) | Procedures for implementing mark-recapture live trapping of small mammals. Entails setting traps, identifying species, assessing reproductive condition, tagging individuals, collecting blood, hair, and feces , and ensuring/monitoring health of individual captures. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Soil Biogeochemical and Microbial Sampling – Field Sampling (SLS – Field) | Field methods for collecting soil samples that entail differentiation of organic and mineral soil horizons, assessing site disturbances/representativeness of location, use of sterile methods, and field subsampling. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Soil Biogeochemical and Microbial Sampling – Lab Processing (SLS-Lab) | Laboratory procedures for measuring soil moisture and soil pH, preparing archival subsamples, and conducting extractions for analysis of nitrogen transformation. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Tick and Tick-Borne Pathogen Sampling (TCK) | Methods for collecting ticks including, selecting appropriate method (flag vs. drag), identifying tick life stage (larval, nymph, adult), and preparing samples for shipment to external lab without compromising blood pathogen integrity. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Measurement of Vegetation Structure (VST) | Methods for using hand-held tools to collect data describing the spatial location, structure, volume, and biomass of woody-stemmed plant communities, including trees, saplings, vines, shrubs. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Aquatic Sensor Preventative Maintenance (AIS) | Methods for servicing and troubleshooting aquatic sensors measuring chemical and physical parameters in surface water and groundwater. Entails sensor cleaning, preparation and use of calibration solutions, and assessment of remote data and well, stream, and lake conditions. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Meteorological Sensor Maintenance (MET) | Methods for servicing and troubleshooting sensors measuring meteorological parameters, such as humidity, radiation, wind, precipitation, and temperature and ensuring all data streams are flowing and recording acceptable data. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Preventative Maintenance Eddy Covariance Sensor System (FLUX) | Methods for servicing and troubleshooting equipment and sensors measuring atmospheric gasses and isotopes, includes running validity checks with standard gasses, calibrations, leak checks, cleaning, and remote monitoring of data. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
| Soil Plot Sensor Preventative Maintenance (TIS SOIL) | Methods for servicing and troubleshooting sensors measuring belowground parameters including carbon dioxide, soil water content, and temperature heat flux. Maintenance of co-located above ground radiation and precipitation sensors also required as is remote monitoring of site-generated data. | 1 | I(a) – trainee II – trainer |
These certification courses are available to Battelle NEON Program employees. The National Ecological Observatory Network is a continental-scale program with 81 ecological data and sample collection sites across the U.S., plus a remote sensing Airborne Observation Platform and numerous educational resources. The data collected at its 47 terrestrial and 37 aquatic field sites from Puerto Rico to Alaska to Hawaii are standardized, open, and free for all to use and conduct research. The Observatory entered full operations in 2019 and is designed to operate for 30 years. NEON is funded by the National Science Foundation and operated by Battelle.