What’s this Blog about?

There are lots of astronomy blogs out there in the world, and lots of management blogs, but few (I haven’t found any, actually) astronomy management blogs. So, I decided to create one. Why? Well, I’ve been involved in managing astronomy projects for over 20 years and like most people, have my own share of endless thoughts on what works and what doesn’t work in managing astronomy projects. However, I know I don’t have all the answers and I think a place to sound out my thoughts and hopefully get some feedback from others in the astronomy and general management communities would be a great way to continue exploring issues and solutions.

Often as astronomers, engineers, and other technical types, we tend to think our scientific and technical experience and objectivity means we don’t need to worry about management. If my experience to date has taught me anything it’s that like any field, successful management is key to an astronomy project’s success and that good astronomy managers are much more rare than are good astronomy researchers. I hope to to have a small impact in correcting that situation here.

Who am I? Scot Kleinman – currently the Instrument Program Scientist at Gemini Observatory where I’ve been since mid-2007. Prior to coming to Gemini, I was the Instrument Division Chief at the Subaru Telescope, Site Science Manager/Deputy Head of Survey Coordination for the original Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Associate Director for the Whole Earth Telescope, and an Assistant Research Professor at Big Bear Solar Observatory. I’ve observed at most major observatories around the world and I tend to keep my eyes open and look for how things are done at each place and why. I went into astronomy for the research, and I still make time to stay involved scientifically and publish a paper now and then, but I found myself slowly but surely becoming involved in managing bigger and bigger projects – to the point where I started to consider whether or not I wanted to supplement my education with some formal business or project management training. I may still do that (and I do participate in classes and seminars, when the opportunities arise), but I thought I’d try a blog first- to see if it’s possible to tap into some un-met need out there and share my ideas with and learn from others in similar situations.

That’s enough for now. Thanks for visiting and hope we can all contribute to some good discussions!

Scot’s forays into management started at an early age – at age 16, he became the Associate Manager of his neighborhood Baskin Robbins ice cream parlor with duties including making the work schedules, ordering supplies, and most importantly, deciding which 31 flavors would be stocked each month. Unlike most of his fellow employees, he never tired of eating ice cream.