Next Generation Lunar Scientists and Engineers: Effective Professional Development Experiences for Future Members of Lunar Science and Exploration

The Next Generation Lunar Scientists and Engineers (NGLSE) group is a grass roots effort devoted to growing the community of early career lunar scientists and engineers. Recent lunar missions, along with an increase in funding opportunities for lunar science, have resulted in a substantial increase in the number of early career lunar scientists and engineers in recent years. With plans for future US and international lunar missions, the Moon will continue to be a place of intense scientific study. The lunar community is fortunate to be in a position to develop the next generation of lunar researchers and engineers with the support of the first generation of lunar scientists and engineers, ensuring continuity of lunar knowledge and expertise. Established informally in 2008 by early career scientists and education and public outreach (E/PO) professionals, the NGLSE group has since grown tremendously. With over 190 current members from academia, industry, and NASA, the NGLSE is building a representative cross-section of the lunar science and engineering communities. The group's founders have received funding to formally design and implement experience-building and networking activities for group members, such as professional development workshops and other community-building events. The professional development opportunities provided to the NGLSE group enable the members to become better equipped to contribute to the current and future success of the lunar program. The NGLSE has received NASA funding, as well as support from the NASA Lunar Science Institute, to host workshops and meetings for its members, including providing small travel stipends for student participants, in association with major lunar conferences, such as the NASA Lunar Science Forum (LSF) and the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). The goals of the workshops are to provide attendees with professional development, to familiarize them with best practices for communicating their science to different audiences, to provide an opportunity for them to network with each other, and to provide opportunities for them to meet, collaborate with, and receive training from established members of the lunar science and engineering community. Three NGLSE workshops have been held since 2009 in addition to numerous community-building events. Feedback from workshop participants indicates that they highly value both the professional development aspects of the workshop, such as learning effective science communication techniques, and also the aspect of hearing from and networking with the established generation of lunar scientists and engineers. A recent needs assessment indicated that NGLSE members would like for future workshops to focus on professional development topics like tips for getting hired by academia, the government, or industry, tips for getting research funding, effective proposal writing, and others. We will report on the lessons learned from building and leading the NGLSE group and planning and implementing associated events, such as our professional development workshops.