Excellence in Science Leadership: A workshop on strategies for unlocking individual potential
Next Workshop: August 18-20, 2025 (entirely virtual)
Our workshop is designed for people in leadership roles in space science, and our definition of leader is broad. Past attendees represented all career stages from graduate student to senior scientist, in positions including instrument PI, university faculty, spacecraft engineer, outreach professional and program officer. Participants hailed from industry, non-profits, colleges, small businesses, and governance institutions.
Both the content of the workshop and the strategies for facilitation are models of best-practice for leaders in how to engage with their teams – their rising stars – to guide them towards individual and group success. We have substantially retooled our offering to empower leaders to meet the challenges of the present moment, and beyond. Topics include the basics of team building, science ethics, and feedback mechanisms; developing a personal support structure and finding resources to remain engaged and effective; and innovative strategies to find new funding, connections, and opportunities. Previous workshop participants are welcome to indicate their interest to attend so that they can access our new materials and so that we can strengthen our growing community with ongoing activities well after the workshop.
The format of this workshop is different from that of others you may have taken. We will meet online for four hours each day (11 am – 1 pm and 2-4 pm Eastern) for 3 days and strongly encourage everyone to attend all sessions. Every session is interactive! In one session we will construct a visionary collage; in another we will discuss our ideals for planetary exploration. Many sessions will include breakout rooms. We will start and end everyday with a poll and a word cloud and use interactive surveys to examine who we are and who we interact with. A sample schedule will be added soon. Since the facilitators are volunteering their time, we will be sharing places for attendees to donate to the facilitators.
Workshop facilitators:
Dr. Julie A. Rathbun (she/her/hers) is a senior research associate at Cornell University. She spent 17 years as a professor of Physics at a small liberal arts college and is a member of the Europa Clipper E-THEMIS team. Her research focuses on thermal surfaces of outer solar system satellites, particularly Io. Dr. Rathbun has been involved in studying the planetary science workforce including the makeup of planetary spacecraft science teams and spearheading the 2020 Planetary Science Workforce Survey.
Dr. JA Grier (ee/em/eir) is a Senior Scientist and Education/Communications Specialist at the Planetary Science Institute, Arizona, working virtually from Maryland, USA. Dr. Grier has 30 years of experience in education/outreach programs, as well as in conducting research into the surfaces of The Moon, Mars, and asteroids. Dr. Grier has addressed the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs on the subject of ethics in space science. Ee has taught science and education classes at the University of Arizona, Anne Arundel Community College, Johns Hopkins University, and several online learning venues.
Feedback from participants of previous workshops
In our anonymous post-meeting poll, 93% of participants strongly agreed that the hosts created an environment where they felt valued. 100% of participants found the workshop valuable and would recommend it to others.
How to Attend
The workshop will be open to ~25 attendees. Attendance in this workshop is now closed. We will announce our next workshop soon.
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Leadership image: telescope pngtree.com free clipart, Moon and Stars Art public domain/CC0, Comet Das Wunderzeichenbuch public domain, vintage compass vector public domain.