Kal Mannis

Kal grew up in south Florida and spent most of his youth between the Florida Keys, Miami, and Ocala. A rural advocate from early on, he has spent the last three decades working in formal and informal education and community research. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Kal and his team implemented a unique program that supported the development of STEM Learning Ecosystems in rural and remote Arizona communities. The study was to see if community-level organizing could impact STEM Identity and workforce opportunities. His work was of interest to a NASA team looking to broaden participation in rural and tribal communities and they have been funding efforts since 2021. In 2022, Kal continues his economic and learning development projects to help established, and new ecosystems throughout Arizona.


Jeannie Colton

With 25 years of experience as an educator and learning experience designer and evaluator, Ms. Colton brings a wealth of experience in understanding how people of all ages learn. She uses this to guide how she designs learning experiences in a variety of environments and content. As a Learning Scientist, she applies her knowledge, skills, and expertise to research, design and evaluate innovative solutions that enhance the outcomes of learners.

Prior to coming to ASU, Ms. Colton was Director of Youth Programs at Arizona Science Center where she led the education team who delivered programming within the center and out in the community.

Pre-Conference Half-Day PM Option: Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 1-4 PM.

(Registration for a half-day session is $75.00. Lunch is not included.)

Title: Eclipse and the Helio Big Year

Description: Join Kal Mannis from the AZ Science Center and Jeannie Colton from ASU's Center for the Innovation in Informal STEM Learning (CIISL) who will showcase, demonstrate, and help with the co-creation of library-centric programs around the Helio (Sun) Big Year. This workshop will be very hands-on with participants watching, learning, and doing NASA-developed youth & adult-oriented activities that spotlight the Eclipses, the Earth/Sun/Moon system, Community Science projects, NASA Helio Big Year, and astronomy programming that supports community engagement. Bring your laptop to view digital resources. Expect to walk away with an eclipse viewing apparatus that you will build.

Arizona Library Association

Building Strong Libraries Together

7760 E State Route 69
Ste C5 #385
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314

(928) 288-2011
admin@azla.org


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