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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">As many of you have already heard, NSF has chosen the new LTER National Communications Office to be operated by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California at Santa Barbara, with Frank Davis as the principal investigator: <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=135850&org=NSF&from=news">http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=135850&org=NSF&from=news</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">First, congratulations to the team at NCEAS! The new office will take advantage of NCEAS’s expertise in supporting multisite collaboration and synthetic research, graduate training and environmental science communication. Over the past 20 years, NCEAS has had a transformative effect on the way that ecological information is organized, synthesized and applied. It is very exciting to now apply their experience and expertise to the LTER network.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Second, a huge thanks and acknowledgement to Bob Waide and the staff at the current LTER Network Office for their decades of effective and dedicated leadership and devotion to the network. Their skilled stewardship has built LTER into one of the most visible and effective scientific networks in the world and has been responsible for much of our success in science, education, outreach and the development of the culture of multi-disciplinary research.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">There will be a working group session about the new office at the LTER All Scientists Meeting on Monday, August 31 from 6:45 to 8:00 PM in the Ruesch Auditorium at the YMCA of the Rockies. </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">---------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Peter M. Groffman</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">2801 Sharon Turnpike</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Millbrook, NY 12545 USA</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Phone: (845) 677-7600, ext. 128</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">FAX: (845) 677-5976</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">E-mail: <a href="mailto:groffmanp@caryinstitute.org">groffmanp@caryinstitute.org</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">---------------------------------------------------------</span></p></div></body></html>