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2026 Summer Professional Development Institutes
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From Waterwheels to Waterways:
Engineering Design and Environmental Science in the Lowell Mills
A 3-Day Hybrid Professional Development Institute for Grades 6-12 Educators
Virtual Dates: Mondays, July 13th and 20th, 2026 (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM ET)
In-Person Dates: Thursday and Friday, July 16th and 17th, 2026 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET)
Location: 2 half-days online via Zoom (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM ET), and 2 in-person days in Lowell, MA (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET)
Collaborating Partners: Tsongas Industrial History Center; Lowell National Historical Park
Cost: $375 per educator; $325 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators
In this 3-day hybrid institute, participants will explore the Lowell and Merrimack River Watershed through hands-on, inquiry-based learning that connects history, engineering, and environmental science. With guidance from local experts and partners, educators will investigate the industrial legacy of Lowell, examine its environmental recovery, and collaborate to design a working model of the city’s historic mill-and-canal system.
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Awareness Inspires Conservation: From Data to Action
A 4-Day Professional Development Institute for Grades 3-8 Educators
Dates: Monday, July 20th - Thursday, July 23rd, 2026 (8:30 AM -3:30 PM ET)
Location: Cape Cod, MA (Eastham, MA/Chatham, MA)
Collaborating Partners: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy; Center for Coastal Studies
Cost: $475 per educator; $425 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators
This 4-day Summer Institute immerses educators in real-world conservation challenges, from species recovery to human-wildlife interactions, through authentic research, data analysis, and field investigations. In collaboration with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and the Center for Coastal Studies, participants will engage in hands-on activities such as shark dissection, coastal exploration, and data mapping, with an optional fifth day featuring a “Science in the Harbor” tour in Provincetown, MA.
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Resilient Coasts: Using Local Phenomena to Understand Climate Solutions
A 3-Day Professional Development Institute for Grades 6-12 Educators
Dates: Tuesday, July 28th - Thursday, July 30th, 2026 (8:30 AM -3:30 PM ET)
Location: Crane Beach, The Trustees of Reservations (Ipswich, MA)
Collaborating Partner: The Trustees of Reservations
Cost: $375 per educator; $325 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators
This multi-day summer Institute offers educators a place-based professional learning experience in coastal science and conservation at Crane Beach, combining hands-on fieldwork with collaboration alongside scientists. Through authentic data analysis and exploration of restoration projects, participants will gain tools and strategies to connect local environmental change to broader science concepts and classroom inquiry.
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PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit are available for all Institutes.
Additional work required for graduate credit.
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2026 Late Summer Focus Workshop
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The Living Storyline: Ecosystems, Inquiry, & Real-World Science
A 2-Day Focus Workshop for Grades 3-8 Educators
Bring new life to your science curriculum through locally-relevant phenomena! You will explore both coastal and terrestrial ecosystems, including their interactions, biodiversity, and the relationship between change in populations and human impact. (The Lloyd Center’s 82 acres of forest, wetland, salt marsh, and estuary makes for a great location to explore ecosystems!) Participating teachers will explore how to use compelling real-world phenomena to anchor a cohesive storyline unit that builds student understanding over time. You will experience a variety of participatory science projects, including a BioBlitz, and even take canoes out on the Slocums River! Educators will leave with adaptable tools, instructional resources, and confidence to implement storyline teaching and meaningful, nature-based investigations in their own classrooms.
Location: Lloyd Center for the Environment (South Dartmouth, MA)
Dates: Tuesday, August 11th & Wednesday, August 12th, 2026 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET, in person)
Cost: $275 per educator
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 14 PDPs are available without graduate credit. 22.5 PDPs and 1 graduate are available for an additional cost. Additional work is required for graduate credit.
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