On November 15th, 2022, the Bronx Science community celebrated the opening of the brand new Stanley Manne ’52 Research Institute, with a ribbon cutting ceremony organized by the Alumni Foundation, Inc. 

The Stanley Manne ’52 Science Institute is a state-of-the-art, two floor, 10,000 square foot building full of cutting-edge research equipment that will help middle school and high school students pursue university level research. The Stanley Manne ’52 Research Institute has three primary laboratories where experiments in a variety of scientific fields will be conducted. These multidisciplinary labs utilize plug and play equipment, which allows furniture to be reconfigured to completely change the function of the room.

The Stanley Manne ’52 Research Institute also houses several special rooms for specific research. Students interested in cell cultures will use the Tissue Culture and Incubation Room on the first floor. Additionally, there is a Confocal Microscopy Room on the second floor that has a Zeiss Laser Scanning Microscope. Due to its advanced optics, the microscope displays objects in three dimensions, as opposed to a regular microscope where only two dimensions can be seen. Also on the second floor, the Stanley Manne ’52 Research Institute has a Controlled Temperature Room that can be set from 4℃ to 37℃ to allow climate controlled experiments to take place.

Consequently, The Stanley Manne ’52 Research Institute celebrated its ribbon cutting ceremony organized by the Alumni Foundation Inc. on November 15th, 2022, to allow benefactors, alumni, and students to see the building, now complete, for the first time. Stanley Manne ’52, who generously donated $22 million dollars to have the institute built, attended the ceremony with his wife, Fern. Manne’s gift is the largest to a New York City public school in history. Manne grew up in the Bronx and after graduating from Bronx Science, earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Manne worked in several engineering positions before becoming an investor. Now, Manne is committed to his many philanthropic endeavors and giving back to the places that helped him succeed, like Bronx Science. 

Notable Bronx Science alumni made speeches, such as State Senator Jamaal Bailey ’00, State Senator John C. Liu ’86 and Assembly member Kenneth Burgos ’12.  Fia Davis, the Superintendent for Districts 8, 10 and 11 in the Bronx,  also spoke at the ceremony. Daniel Weisberg, Deputy Chancellor for the Department of Education, spoke on behalf of the Chancellor about the opportunities that The Stanley Manne ’52 Research Institute will provide to students. Additionally, many current Bronx Science research students observed their school’s history being made, as they interacted with distinguished alumni and listened to the speeches. 

Stanley Manne’s generosity extends not only to Bronx Science’s current 2,949 students, but also to around 4,000 students from neighboring middle schools and high schools who will also utilize the new lab space. Bronx Science has partnered with a nearby Specialized High School, the High School For American Studies, and also with Dewitt Clinton High School, the International School for Liberal Arts, the Marie Curie School for Medicine,, and the High School for Teaching and Professions as well as Middle School M.S. 95. Gicel Adon, the Principal of the International School for Liberal Arts, told the Bronx Science Alumni Foundation, “Our students will greatly benefit from the lab, and these are the kinds of resources we need to accelerate authentic learning and advance equity.” 

The opportunities that the Manne Institute will bring to students at Bronx Science and surrounding schools in the years to come are unparalleled. 

“Our students will greatly benefit from the lab, and these are the kinds of resources we need to accelerate authentic learning and advance equity,” Gicel Adon, the Principal of the International School for Liberal Arts, told the Bronx Science Alumni Foundation.

“Our students will greatly benefit from the lab, and these are the kinds of resources we need to accelerate authentic learning and advance equity,” Gicel Adon, the Principal of the International School for Liberal Arts, told the Bronx Science Alumni Foundation.