In 1990, a billion dollar spacecraft intended to orbit Mars failed. NASA had to quickly develop a concept and plan for exploring Mars at a fraction of the cost and Donna Shirley was pressed into service as manager of the new Mars Exploration Program.

Within a short time she assembled a team which developed a concept and got it funded, and then proceeded to carry it out. The program included the Mars Pathfinder and its microrover, Sojourner, that landed on Mars to thunderous acclaim on July 4, 1997.

Generate and execute the best idea

Whether your lab is operating on a budget of $10,000 or 10 million, as a principal investigator, you're responsible for the scientific direction of your research. A significant piece of your work is generating and choosing the best idea for your lab team to execute. Maybe it won't get you to the "Mars" in your field, but you might go to the "stars" or even the Nobel. Who knows? But you will definitely be lifted into orbit for your speciality; the rest is up to you and your crew!

Now is your chance to hear first-hand from Ms. Shirley, retired manager of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, on how she was able to use process and models to generate ideas for research, get those ideas funded, and execute her research successfully. After attending this 90-minute webinar, you'll carry these processes and models back to your own lab to help you experience the same success.

How to brainstorm ideas for your lab

You can use your pioneering spirit and learn the ability to generate novel and useful ideas. Ms. Shirley teaches her strategies, techniques, perspectives, points of view and tricks for harnessing these forces within groups. Take these actionable approaches back to your lab to get more ideas and more discoveries.

Harness the creative process to get more funding support:

• Get funding and buy-in from sponsors and/or marketing your research
• Plan and re-plan on tight budgets and time constraints
• Manage risk - balancing creativity with feasibility
• Build the right idea-generation team, including people from all project phases
• Evaluate progress and take the right steps if progress is not as planned
• Learn models and processes for idea generation

Featured Presenter: Donna Shirley Donna Shirley, President of Managing Creativity, is a well-known manager, educator, speaker, consultant and trainer on the management of creative teams. She retired from NASA as Manager of the Mars Exploration Program, capping a 32-year career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Earlier, she managed the team that built Sojourner, the micro-rover, which was landed on the surface of Mars. Ms. Shirley also served as Assistant Dean and an instructor of Aerospace Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She has an MS in Aerospace Engineering plus over forty years experience in engineering of aerospace and civil systems, including thirty years in management. This On-demand presentation is brought to you as a training tool by the Principal Investigators Association, which is an independent organization. The presentation, tools presented and their contents are not connected with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the National Science Foundation (NSF), nor are they endorsed by these agencies. All views expressed are those personally held by the presenter and are not official government policies or opinions.

Registration Includes:

• Access for one phone line (unlimited listeners)
• Expert answers to your tough questions
• Complimentary attendee package, including the speaker's complete presentation handouts
• Live Q&A session (you may also e-mail your questions in advance)
• No Risk! 100% satisfaction guarantee, or full refund

Have additional questions?

You have the floor with the speaker during an interactive Q&A. Remember, you can submit your questions in advance via email.

If you have questions or would like to speak to our conference specialist, please call Sharonda Thompson at 800-303-0129 ext 506.