Cheryl L. B. Manning

Combining educational experience, knowledge of the Earth sciences, and interests in social and environmental justice to cultivate diverse communities that value and respect Earth and work together to sustain the intricate relationships that make all life possible. 

Ph.D. Candidate- Northern Illinois University

About Me

I grew up along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front of Montana. The Fold and Thrust Belt and the discovery of Maiasaura inspired my love of geology and this amazing planet Earth.  While I was incredibly curious, I was not a great student. My 5th-grade teacher, Mr. Gene Sentz, recognized my adventurous mind and inspired me to learn more about the world. I was fortunate to work as a wildland firefighter with the US Forest Service. It was a USFS geologist who encouraged me to study geology. As a first-generation college student at Montana State University, I earned both my bachelor and master of science degrees in Earth Science.


My early graduate work focused on the sedimentology of extensional basins in the Basin and Range province of the western U.S. I discovered teaching at the University of Utah where I earned my secondary science education license and teaching minors in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. I taught secondary science and math in Utah and Colorado from 1996 to 2021.


I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Geoscience Education Research at Northern Illinois University with Dr. Nicole D. LaDue.

The land I live and work on is the traditional territory of the 

Kiickaapoi, Peoria, Sauk & Meskwaki, Bodéwadmiakiwen, Myaamia, Waazija, and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ.

Teaching

I've had the opportunity to facilitate in-person and online teacher professional development courses through the Earth Systems Science Education Alliance and Climate Literacy and Educational Awareness Network (CLEAN). 


I have taught a variety of college geology laboratory courses, including the lab sections required for Introductory Earth Science, Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Sedimentology & Stratigraphy, Environmental Science, and Structural Geology. I taught Introductory Planetary Geology and was a co-instructor of Geology Field Camp. 


At the secondary level, I have taught 8th-grade Integrated Science, and numerous high school STEM courses including Algebra, Earth & Space Science, AP Environmental Science, Physics, Honors Chemistry, and Senior STEM Capstone.

Current Research

Geoscience Education Research

Other Activities

In 2009, I was an ARMADA master teacher and worked as a sedimentologist on the Woods Hole R/V Knorr in the equatorial Pacific collecting deep-sea sediments. 


I spent the 2018-19 school year in Washington, D.C. serving the National Science Foundation, Directorate of Geosciences as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow. 

Publications

Manning, C. L. B. (2020), Engaging communities in geoscience with STEM learning ecosystems, Eos, 101, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EO147934.

Robeck, E., Awad, A., Semken, S., Manning, C. L. B., Daniels, M., & Blankenbicker, A. (2020). Earth Science All Around: Using Immersive Virtual Field Trips with Place-Based Instruction in Earth and Space Science Education. The Earth Scientist, 36(1), 15–21.

LaDue, N. D., & Manning, C. B. (2015). Next Generation Science Standards: A call to action for the geoscience community. GSA Today, 25(2), 28-29. https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG233GW.1 

Brown, C. L. (1993). Early tectono-sedimentary history of a Neogene extensional basin in east-central Nevada (Masters Thesis, Montana State University-Bozeman, College of Letters & Science). https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/handle/1/6718