Welcome to our community! Please share a few words about where you work and what you study. We like knowing who’s part of the community.
Hi all! 
I’m Ingrid Slette (she/her), a postdoc doing synthesis research at the LTER Network Office (LNO). I did much of my PhD research at the Konza Prairie LTER site, studying impacts of extreme drought on belowground plant production and carbon cycling. I’m excited to get to know the broader LTER community by collaborating with synthesis working groups!
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Hi. The LTER Network Office coordinates the member sites and participants in the LTER Network. We operate this forum, the LTER Network website, and newsletters. We support and facilitate synthesis of LTER Network science and data. Since 2016, we’ve been based at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara. Before that, the LTER Network Office was based at the University of New Mexico.
The LNO account posts official updates, opportunities and information. It’s managed by Marty Downs, the Director of the LTER Network Office. Marty also maintains a personal account where she may post more freewheeling opinions and ideas.
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Hi everyone! 
I’m Angel (she/her) and I’m one of the data analysts working to support the LTER synthesis working groups. As an undergrad, I was working at NCEAS’ Arctic Data Center, and it helped me realize my passion for open data and synthesis science. I’m so happy I got the opportunity to continue my journey into the world of open and collaborative science with the LTER Network. I look forward to connecting with everyone at the LTER community 
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Hello!
I’m Gabe (he/him), the Digital Communications Coordinator here at the LTER Network Office. I write about science, run our website, collect and share information across the Network, put out our monthly newsletter, and wear many more hats here at the LTER. I love connecting with folks across the network, hearing their needs, learning about their science, and figuring out how the Network Office can highlight, facilitate, or otherwise help activities across the network. Don’t hesitate to reach out!
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Hi,
I’m Marty Downs. I direct the LTER Network Office and (try to) keep track of what’s going on with all the committees and synthesis working groups. I started my career doing biogeochemistry and plant-soil interactions at Hubbard Brook and Harvard Forest sites and also got to contribute to work at the Arctic and Plum Island sites. After detouring to science communication for a decade or so, I started applying those skills to science facilitation, first at Brown U. for the Environmental Change Initiative and now with the LTER Network, since 2016. I love making science more accessible – whether that means describing it better for non-specialists or keeping the gates open for those who don’t fit the usual “scientist” profile.
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Hello!
I’m Cristina Mancilla (she/her), the Community Engagement Officer at the LTER Network Office. I work with the Public Engagement with Science Working Group and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) to advance strategic community engagement efforts across diverse environmental science and ecology projects and audiences. Previously, I worked in education access to support first-generation college students and have worked with small-scale fishers in Baja California to explore justice-centered frameworks for aquaculture transitions. I am passionate about outdoor access, open science, and I wish to give back to my community by working to make ecology/environment space more inclusive, welcoming, and supportive. I am from Mission, Texas and now based in Santa Barbara, California. I enjoy photographing insects, especially flies disguised as bees. 
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Hi all! I’m Clarisse, the Director of Education and Outreach at the Harvard Forest (HFR) LTER in Massachusetts. I’ve been at HFR for 16 years and LTER is one of my favorite parts of my job! The triennial LTER All Scientists’ Meeting is my favorite conference by far. Over the years I have been an enthusiastic member and/or co-chair of many LTER network committees and working groups including Education, Communications, Diversity, Higher Ed/REU, and Arts in Science. I’ve learned so much from my LTER colleagues and look forward to learning more here! Thanks to the Network Office for setting up this Discourse group!
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Hello everyone! My name is Nameer Baker (he/him) and I am the Science Coordinator at Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) LTER. I’ve been a part of the LTER network for about three years now, and love how we can use the network to find community and collaborators from all around the country that share interests. I am also currently a co-chair of the network-wide DEIJ committee, and broadening participation to the opportunities that one can run into by spending time at an LTER is something that I am very passionate about. Looking forward to getting to meet more folks from the LTER community on here 
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Hi everyone. I’m Rebecca Vega Thurber from MCR. I go by Becky. Love this working group. So important. I’m a half hispanic professor of microbiology. My family is from the Dominican Republic and was once based in Puerto Rico, although I grew up entirely on the ‘main land.’ I care deeply about DEIJ efforts in STEM sciences, particularly in marine sciences which is farther behind than most fields of life science in welcoming, training, and retaining under represented community members. Look forward to our many future discussions and initiatives. -Becky
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Hi all! My name is Vinicius Marcilio-Silva (Vini), I’m a Brazilian immigrant and Postdoc at UMN working on the MSP-LTER. Overall, I’m interested in understanding the causes and consequences of biodiversity in conserved and anthropic systems (foodscapes and urban areas), aiming for sustainability. I have experience in fieldwork, multivariate data analysis, machine learning, and remote sensing applications for ecological research. I’m also passionate about education, mentoring, and helping broaden the participation of underrepresented people in STEM. I’m glad to be part of the LTER community and have the chance to interact with such a variety of scientists from different fields, backgrounds, and regions. As said in previous posts, I’m looking forward to learning more here!
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Hello! I’m the info manager for the MSP LTER, Mary Marek-Spartz 
I love cleaning messy datasets and representing data through maps! I am passionate about free and open source GIS tools and making data applications accessible. I absolutely love weevils - those boots, those snoots - I will stop whatever I am doing if I see one of those little guys.
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Hey everyone! I am Paige Kleindl (she/her), a Ph.D. student at Florida International University and a member of the Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) LTER. I love all things aquatic but especially macrophytes and algae. I am interested in the interactions between these two primary producer groups and how those interactions are impacted by changes in phosphorus and hydrology. I have been a part of the LTER network for four years and have served on the FCE student group E-Board for the past two years. I have learned so much through my collaborations with other FCE LTER members and am looking forward to connecting with others across the LTER network!
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