ecoCode: Biodiversity + Code

The colonial legacy of ecology limits and biases the range of ideas and approaches to combat grand environmental challenges.

Data science is an approach that can simultaneously resolve grand environmental challenges and democratize science. However, we are witnessing a widening gap between people who do and who do not have access to data science training and career opportunities. 

Mission: Democratize Data Science

ecoCode, a data science think tank, designs open educational resources to foster practical engagement with data science. By tailoring these resources to the needs of Ecological Society of America SEEDS chapters aimed at building diversity in the discipline, ecoCode provides a supportive venue for students to come together and build community while mastering desirable skills. In addition, these resources are easily implementable and customizable so as to meet the needs of other ecology and environment student groups across the United States.

ecoCode provides a framework for: 

  1. Monthly chapter training modules 

  2. Curated datasets (NEON, LTER, etc.) and data wrangling examples to prepare students for research opportunities, graduate school, and other career opportunities

  3. Data science careers showcase

We are preparing to officially launch soon and are looking for the movers and the shakers to help us gain momentum. Contact us!

Vision

We envision a world where data can be used by everyone to understand fundamental ecological principles and interactions among humans, other living organisms, and the environment. At ecoCode, we strive to

  1. increase participation of and leadership by persons historically excluded from science and ecology;

  2. curate relevant data;

  3. develop open educational and training resources for careers in ecology and environmental science; and

  4. create leadership and entrepreneurship opportunities to empower students to turn ideas into reality.