Support of Early‐Career Researchers Supports the Future of ASLO

Editor’s note: this contribution was submitted by the authors on behalf of the Eco-DAS 2018 Group. The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) is a community whose members explore innovative research and education across the full spectrum of aquatic sciences. For Early Career Researchers (ECRs), who comprise approximately half of the ASLO membership, the value, energy, and advantages of ASLO are clearly evident, yet the path to becoming an active member of the community is often unclear. ASLO programs that support ECRs can provide that path and cultivate lifelong membership and engagement in the society. The Ecological Dissertations in the Aquatic Sciences (Eco-DAS) symposium, supported by ASLO and the National Science Foundation (OCE-1356192), is designed to do just that; gathering ECRs from across the world for an intensive week of sharing their science, thinking deeply about new interdisciplinary ideas, and building collaborations to make them a reality (Kelly et al. 2017). Bringing together a diverse group of people often results in new, exciting scientific concepts and productive, new collaborative teams. Eco-DAS has been successful in doing this over the years, with collaborations that have resulted in both peer-reviewed publications and published symposia proceedings (Kelly et al. 2017). Programs such as EcoDAS, which support the development of the professional knowledge and networks of ECRs at a transitional career state, are imperative for our careers as researchers. For ASLO itself, Eco-DAS serves as a foundational network for ALSO’s future scientists. The leadership provided by Dr. Paul Kemp, the lead organizer of Eco-DAS, is key to the success of the symposium. To acknowledge and thank Paul for his investment of time and energy in the success of Eco-DAS, we the participants of Eco-DAS XIII (2018; Fig. 1; http://eco-das.org/ participants2018.htm) have made a financial contribution to ASLO, in support of ASLO activities and initiatives that fund ECRs. We recognize that investing in the future of ASLO is an investment in the future of the aquatic sciences. The ability of our community to continue to address the increasingly complex scientific problems facing aquatic systems is dependent upon cultivating the next generation of skilled researchers with diverse and collaborative professional networks. Therefore, we encourage other ASLO members to consider providing financial support for ECRs as a way to invest directly in the future of our scientific society and scientific progress.