 Named after the next year of the comet Halley's return, Project 2061's title embodies the symbolism of the long term nature of this reforming effort, ingraining in the populace the patience and persistence that would be necessary to sustain the project over the long haul.Rutherford stepped down as Education Director of the AAAS and Project 2061 in 1998 and retired from the AAAS in 2001.His “retirement” project is a grant-funded environmental science curriculum program, “Resources for Environmental Literacy”.