Kevin Manning
Fellowship Placement: Capitol Hill
Cohort: 2001-2002
Before the Einstein Fellowship, Kevin Manning taught Honors Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Applied Physics, Physical Science, Biology, Coordinated Physical Science, Honors Biology, and Applied Biology/Chemistry. Kevin was an Astronomy Consultant for Project TELOS, leading the effort to access one of the first robotic telescopes at Mount Wilson Observatory in California.
Collaborating with NASA and a local university, Kevin received a two-year $100,000 Apple Partners in Education III Grant with Apple Computer, Inc. for the Galileo Astronomical Project. Kevin won three Grants for Great Ideas with the district's Education Fund to help implement interdisciplinary thematic units and the construction of projects involving several core areas - “Galileo Meets Hale-Bopp,” “Floating on a Cushion of Air: an Air-Bearing Contest,” and “Venus Unveiled: Magellan’s Images Brought Down to Earth as a Classroom Sphere.” In addition, Kevin is a Wright Fellow at the H. Dudley Wright Center for Innovative Science Education.
During his Fellowship, Kevin worked on Capitol Hill with the Committee on Education and the Workforce for the 107th Congress. He worked on several legislative issues: Scientifically Based Education Research, Statistics, Evaluation, and Information Act of 2000 (H.R. 4875); Section-By-Section Analysis for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) reforming to H.R. 3801, the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002; Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA); and Public Law 107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In addition, he created activities as a consultant for NASA’s part in the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. Kevin learned a great deal about the political process, particularly in dealing with issues that hit close to home such as mathematics and science education.
After his Fellowship, he was an Educational Program Administrator for Brookhaven National Laboratory in the Office of Educational Programs. Kevin founded “Look Up to the Stars” (http://www.lookuptothestars.com) with the mission of generating interest and fostering scientific literacy nationwide through the delivery of awe-inspiring educational programs. This is accomplished through visiting libraries and schools, taking people on an unforgettable cosmic journey through the universe during the Star Tour across America. Programs such as his “Astronomy for Everyone: Size & Scale of the Universe,” consistently receive rave reviews and pack lecture halls and auditoriums with record attendance.
