NASA offers Mission PI Training Course
NASA Science Mission Directorate to Sponsor NASA Academy of Program, Project, and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) Mission Principal Investigator Training Course
Beginning in 2008, the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) will be sponsoring a series of offerings of a one-week Mission Principal Investigator (PI) Training Course to help mission PIs lead NASA science missions more effectively.
The Mission PI Training Course has been developed and will be delivered by the NASA Academy of Program, Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) under the direction of Dr. Edward Hoffman of the Office of the Chief Engineer. The course will cover material including the responsibilities of the PI, NASA policies and directives, project life cycles and reviews, project management and systems engineering, project assessment and control, NASA-provided services, and project-centered leadership fundamentals. The initial course offering is planned for June 15-20, 2008 at a soon to be announced location convenient to the Washington, DC area. The course will subsequently be offered three or more times per year.
Mission PIs have full responsibility for the scientific integrity and all other aspects of their missions including the execution of the mission investigation within the committed cost and schedule. Due to this level of responsibility, existing mission PIs will have a mandatory requirement to complete the course within three years of the initial course offering date, and PIs of missions subsequently selected to enter Phase B will have a mandatory requirement to complete the course within one year from their selection. The Mission PI Training Course requirement is in addition to, and not a substitute for, the experience requirements for the PIs of all mission proposals submitted in response to SMD Announcements of Opportunity.
Enrollment for the course will be limited to approximately 35 participants per class offering. NASA will cover the cost of the course including all food and lodging, but participants will be responsible for their own transportation to and from the course and for their salary during the weeklong course.
To receive consideration for the initial course offering, please send an email message with your electronic contact coordinates to [email protected] with “Register: Mission PI Training Course” in the title. Aspiring mission PIs should also include a one-page summary of their relevant experience and describe their interest in becoming a mission PI. The email message must be received by January 31, 2008 in order to receive consideration for the initial course offering, and participants for the initial class will be selected from among those responding. Please forward any questions about the course to [email protected] with “Question: Mission PI Training Course” in the title.
