“Launching a Career in Outer Space Projects.”

On May 23, 2024, the Project Management Institute – Orange County (PMI-OC) chapter Industry Affinity group hosted a session with speaker Matthew Paterson on the topic: “Launching a Career in Outer Space Projects.”

Matthew Paterson is a data scientist and the founder of http://SpaceLab.space, where a team of space enthusiasts are discovering planets around nearby stars using Convolutional Neural Networks trained on data from NASA’s TESS, Kepler, and K2 space telescopes.

During the session, Matthew shared insights from his volunteer team experience with SpaceLab, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to providing real, cross-functional project experience to early career tech professionals through outer space projects. He discussed how leaders effectively inspired and organized tasks, despite not offering payment to the participants. Additionally, he shed light on how time commitments were managed, how each team segment was empowered, and how new leaders emerged. Matthew also discussed potential improvements to address shortcomings and emphasized the necessity of formal leadership skills and project management actions for large undertakings.

The speaker discussed three main topics:

1. How to lead with a grand vision of success – Leadership through Big Hairy Audacious Goals.

   Here, he emphasized the importance of creating awareness about the nonprofit’s mission to convey its significance and necessity. Regular meetings and constant availability for the team were key in keeping volunteers updated and motivated. Clear repetition of the non-profit’s mission was crucial to ensuring volunteers took the project seriously.

2. The importance of creating achievable deliverables in line with the team’s skill level 

During the session the speaker elaborated on importance of leadership in the organization and importance of job satisfaction among volunteers in his non profit. He shared his journey of setting up a startup that transitioned into a nonprofit organization.

3. How to navigate the pitfalls of optimism by celebrating wins and managing shortcomings gracefully.

   The speaker provided examples of how he focused on being a good leader, celebrating his volunteers’ achievements, and effectively controlling shortcomings within the organization.

The session concluded with the emphasis on the critical role of good leadership within nonprofit organizations and the importance of aligning volunteers with the organization’s mission.