Planetary Resources and Content Heroes (ReaCH)

Planetary Resources and Content Heroes (ReaCH)

The Planetary Resources and Content Heroes (ReaCH) team seeks to enhance the ability of the planetary science and astrobiology (PS/AB) community, aka “Content Heroes,” to engage Black and Latinx youth and their families. The ReaCH team has initiated a series of workshops titled Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement at multiple locations across the country. In addition to planetary scientists and astrobiologists, NASA Science Activation teams and informal educators who serve diverse communities are invited to participate in these workshops. The design of these workshops is informed by needs assessments of the PS/AB community and informal educators, research literature, lived experiences of ReaCH team members and workshop participants, and iterative, formative evaluation of workshops.

At the start of a workshop, participants are intentionally paired to begin building relationships and collaborations between scientists and informal educators. Throughout the workshop, participants 1) share and discuss evidence-based and lived-experience-based practices for engaging with Black and Latinx communities and 2) discuss and practice strategies for promoting equity and inclusivity in public engagement settings. Following each workshop, a public engagement event is held in partnership with, and at, a local organization serving Black and/or Latinx youth. These events give participants the opportunity to utilize engagement practices discussed in the workshop. Stipends are available for those able to accept them.

Workshop Info   Get Email Updates   ReaCH Resources  
Map of PEW Locales for Pilots Communities

Possible locations for Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement workshops (red dots). Locations are near concentrations of planetary research facilities (gray dots) and/or Latinx/Black communities (blue triangles/green squares). Black/Latinx community locales shown here have the highest populations based on 2010 census data. Yellow dots mark the locations of 2022 pilot workshops.

  Latinx Communities
  Black Communities
  Planetary Research Center
  Workshop Pilot Locations (2022)
  Potential Workshop Location (2023–2025)

The Planetary ReaCH Team

Andy Shaner
Andy Shaner

Principal Investigator
USRA/Lunar and Planetary Institute

(He/Him/His)

Margaret Baguio
Margaret Baguio

Co-Investigator
University of Texas – Austin

(She/Her/Hers)

Yolanda Ballard
Yolanda Ballard

USRA/Lunar and Planetary Institute

(She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Sanlyn Buxner
Dr. Sanlyn Buxner

Planetary Science Institute

(She/Her/Hers)

Kevi Duty
Kevi Duty

Co-Investigator
Texas Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs

Dr. Frank Harris, III
Dr. Frank Harris, III

DEIA Consultant
San Diego State University

Jeanette King
Jeanette King

External Evaluator
McREL International

(She/Her/Hers)

Dylan Kriescher
Dylan Kriescher

External Evaluator
McREL International

(He/They)

Joelle LeMer
Joelle LeMer

Northern Arizona University

(She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Kennda Lynch
Dr. Kennda Lynch

Co-Investigator
USRA/Lunar and Planetary Institute

(She/Her/Hers)

Celena Miller
Celena Miller

University of Texas – Austin

(She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Alexandra Matiella Novak
Dr. Alexandra Matiella Novak

Co-Investigator
Applied Physics Laboratory

Dr. Aimee Merkel
Dr. Aimee Merkel

Co-Investigator
Laboratory for Atmospheric & Space Physics

Dr. Edgard Rivera-Valentín
Dr. Edgard Rivera-Valentín

Co-Investigator
Applied Physics Laboratory

(They/Them/Theirs)

Lori Rubino-Hare
Lori Rubino-Hare

Co-Investigator
Northern Arizona University

(She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Kathleen Schenkel
Dr. Kathleen Schenkel

DEIA Consultant
San Diego State University

Dr. Nick Schneider
Dr. Nick Schneider

Co-Investigator
Laboratory for Atmospheric & Space Physics

(He/Him/His)

Susan Shebby
Susan Shebby

External Evaluator
McREL International

(She/Her/Hers)

Christine Shupla
Christine Shupla

Co-Investigator
USRA/Lunar and Planetary Institute

(She/Her/Hers)

Collaborations and Support

  • ASTRO CAMP Community Partners Program
  • InSight mission to Mars
  • Juno mission to Jupiter
  • Lucy mission to Trojan Asteroids
  • MAVEN mission to Mars
  • NASA Eyes on the Solar System
  • NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Solar System Exploration Division
  • NASA Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science Division
  • NASA Solar System Ambassadors
  • NASA Solar System Treks
  • NASA Space Place
  • NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institutes (SSERVI)
  • National Institute of Aerospace: eClips
  • Outer Planets Assessment Group
  • Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science (PLANETS)
  • Small Bodies Assessment Group

The Planetary Resources and Content Heroes (ReaCH) project is based upon work supported by the NASA Science Activation (SciAct) program under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC21M0003. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

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