 Each year, NEON hires temporary field technicians to perform sampling and lab work. These NEON techs work at 81 field sites across the contiguous U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, working in some of the country's most pristine and wild areas. These positions are ideal for students and scientists who want to explore seasonal field work and gain vital experience collecting data for a continental-scale ecology program. Field technician duties can be a combination of three different collection categories, flora, fauna, and aquatics. As a flora technician, you'll collect data on terrestrial plants to record information on plant diversity and phenology, vegetation structure, and more during the growing season at all NEON terrestrial field sites. Fauna technicians sample and observe small mammals, mosquitoes, ticks, and beetles using a robust sampling design to capture the long-term dynamics of key organismal taxa, like the movement of invasive species and pathogens. Aquatic technicians collect data on surface water chemistry, microbes, algae, fish, aquatic plants, and more to measure the health of freshwater ecosystems across the network. These field technician positions also work in the laboratory performing identification, sorting, and processing of collected samples. There are also opportunities to work with their associated instrumentation. Not to mention, you'll be trained in NEON's highly standardized and high-quality sampling protocols, a skill set sought by many ecologists. No matter which path you choose, NEON field tech positions are a great way to explore hands-on ecological science and network with other scientists. You'll work with a skilled team and learn basic field methods for collecting ecological data. You'll hike through diverse landscapes and get immersed in nature, and at the end of the day, you'll be responsible for having collected and processed data that will be used by researchers, policymakers, and educators to better understand how ecosystems function and change over time. Learn more and apply today at neonscience.org.