Learn About Wildlife with a REAL Scientist
Hi! I’m Dr. Stephanie Manka and my passion is getting people connected to nature, especially kids. When kids form emotional connections to nature, they are more likely to become environmental stewards, develop a strong sense of place, and develop care and concern for the beings around them. They also receive immense mental, physical, and emotional health benefits. In short, being out in nature allows us to become our best and most connected versions to ourselves.Â
Therefore, in early 2025, I am launching a super easy and fun monthly membership to get parents and their kids outside, connecting to nature, and each other. The emphasis is going to be on spending purposeful time outside to foster curiosity and learn about nature.Â
How I imagine it working is that each month there will be a theme (e.g. birds, pollinators, tracks, etc.) and each week I’ll offer you a short science-based video (5 min or less) and activity to get you and your child outside, getting curious, and making observations about the natural world. There will be a Facebook group for us to share and connect.
My goal is to make this SUPER easy and affordable for you ($10/month?). Right now, I am looking for founders to help me get this started, test this out, and offer me feedback. It’s open to all ages!
If this sounds like something you would be interested in sign up below and I’ll add you to the list for more information. I expect to start in January. Who’s in?
About Me:
Hi, I’m Dr. Stephanie Manka and I’ve been working in the field of wildlife biology since 2003. I have a lot of experience!
- BA in 2003, 3 internships, Ph.D. in 2012, 6 years of postdocs working in cool places like Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the School for Wildlife Management in Kenya
- 20+ peer-reviewed scientific publications in top journals like Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Bioscience, and Methods in Ecology and Evolution Â
- Publications in animal behavior, mammal communities, predator-prey relationships, non-invasive genetics, satellite telemetry, social science, and citizen science Â
- Study species and systems across four continents
- Work experience in the government, zoos, museums, academia, and alongside nonprofits
- Researcher on large, collaborative open access projects like eMammal and Wildlife Insights
Not Your Typical Scientist!
I pride myself on breaking stereotypes about what scientists, especially wildlife biologists, look like. I have A LOT of experience working with kids and the public:
- 2 years working directly with kids in classrooms alongside K-12 teachers, creating lesson plans on my research
-  ~8 years creating lesson plans for K-12 classrooms based on my own camera trap research. Kids set camera traps, collected and uploaded data, and investigated data in 4 different countries!
- TEDx speaker
- 100+ public talks for audiences of all ages at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and Disney’s Animal Kingdom
