In November 2023, the Planetary Resources and Content Heroes (ReaCH) team facilitated a Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement workshop for and with scientists and educators in Puerto Rico.

During the two-day workshop, planetary scientists and informal educators explored the importance of building equitable partnerships, learned about evidence-based, culturally relevant, authentic approaches to engaging Latinx and Black audiences, and practiced planetary science engagement approaches through a culturally inclusive lens. The workshop was informed by an advisory board of scientists from Puerto Rico; conducted in partnership with EcoExploratorio Museo de Ciencias de Puerto Rico, the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Arecibo, and UPR Humacao Astronomical Observatory; and led by Co-Investigator Rivera-Valentín (from Puerto Rico). At the conclusion, participants practiced the strategies they learned while conducting activities at a free public event at EcoExploratorio. Data from the workshop continues to improve the model being developed by the Planetary ReaCH team.

Several workshop participants provided positive feedback:

“I’ve never been in a space that’s like, so supportive of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Most of the time, it’s like, you have to kind of be the token child and share your experiences, but they’re not really listening to you or working with you. … So I just want to thank you guys because it felt more supportive.”

“We were fortunate to have it, how participants from the local area who has so much of knowledge… I do feel that they did a good job of showing us how to get that cultural connection. And it’s the first space that… has intentionally done that. And I think that when I signed up and it said, we’re going to focus mainly on Latinx and Black communities, I was like, ‘This is perfect. This is who I’m trying to reach, who I’m trying to work with.’”

“I feel like before, when I worked with students, and they were minority students, it was just kind of like me having to figure out based on my own personal experience, how I could engage with them. I do feel that [the workshop] did a good job of showing us how to get that cultural connection. And this is the first space that I feel has intentionally done that… I’m tired of just doing it on my own how to wing it, so it was nice to have a structure.”

The Planetary ReaCH team conducted five workshops across the country in 2023. Six workshops are planned for 2024. Please visit the Planetary ReaCH website for workshop resources and to apply to attend future workshops: www.lpi.usra.edu/planetary-reach

This workshop was conducted in collaboration with the NASA Europa Clipper meeting also held in Puerto Rico; many of the participants were affiliated with this mission. Planning and facilitation of this workshop was greatly enhanced by the support of Corrine Rojas through a NASA Science Mission Directorate Community of Practice for Education (SCoPE) grant. Corrine attended the first Planetary ReaCH workshop and was a critical member of the team in facilitating the workshop in Puerto Rico.

Planetary ReaCH is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC21M0003 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio.