Host strategy
Worked with Science Activation partners to identify host needs and networks capable of extending participation to new audiences.
Case / National activation
A first look at the universe, shared everywhere.
Webb Community Events turned a historic mission milestone into locally led participation, supported by national infrastructure, trusted community hosts, and direct access to scientists and engineers.
- My role
- Strategy contributor & national trainer
- National reach
- 50 states + Puerto Rico
- Community scale
- 600+ launch events
- Expert network
- 186 scientists & engineers
Attention alone does not create participation.
Libraries, museums, parks, classrooms, astronomy clubs, and community groups needed a shared backbone with enough flexibility to serve very different audiences.
The program had to coordinate NASA, mission teams, scientists, engineers, national partner networks, and hundreds of local organizations without flattening local expertise. Community hosts needed confidence to interpret unfamiliar science in live public settings while retaining authority over how participation made sense in their own places.
Translate national coordination into host confidence.
My contribution focused on understanding host needs, building usable supports, and helping community organizations communicate Webb with clarity.
Selection infrastructure
Contributed to host-application design, data collection, and the rubric used to evaluate sites for support.
Communications training
Co-developed and delivered local and social media training so hosts could build attention and trust within their own communities.
Resource ecosystem
Supported a host-ready collection spanning modular English and Spanish decks, low-bandwidth materials, activity guidance, media templates, and expert access.
This was collaborative work led across NASA, STScI, Webb mission partners, and NASA Science Activation. My role was one part of a multi-organization team.
03 / System
Treat host support as a system, not a product.
A deck or toolkit could not carry the initiative alone. Confidence came from infrastructure around the materials.
Recruit
Activate trusted networks and identify hosts positioned to reach new and underserved audiences.
Prepare
Provide orientation, science training, modular presentations, activity guides, media tools, and physical materials.
Connect
Create structured access to scientists and engineers through matching, panels, office hours, and moderated Q&A.
Sustain
Continue communication and support from launch through commissioning, First Images, and anniversary moments.
04 / Evidence
National coordination. Local authenticity.
The numbers show scale. The operating model explains why that scale could still leave room for local ownership.
600+
community events held to celebrate Webb’s launch
50 states + PR
represented in the national activation
186 experts
scientists and engineers participating across North America
250+ hosts
community sites matched directly with experts
Participation at scale, without losing place.
Event hosts rated the initiative highly for inspiring curiosity, conveying the beauty of STEM, and increasing familiarity with Webb.
Ongoing communication
Orientation, updates, and office hours reduced uncertainty during fast-moving mission milestones.
Structured expert access
Panels, matching, and moderated Q&A let public demand meet finite scientist availability sustainably.
Modular translation
Hosts could choose the narrative, activity, format, and level of depth appropriate for their audiences.
Local ownership
Community organizations remained the experts on their own people, places, and participation conditions.
06 / What travels forward
Build the infrastructure early. Translate with discipline. Trust local expertise.
The Webb experience now informs how I approach Roman Community Events: begin partner engagement before the milestone, design expert participation for sustainability, and treat every host-facing resource as one piece of a larger support system.
See how the model evolves with Roman →