Wade Institute 2026 Summer Professional Development Institutes – Registration Open Now!

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

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.

Dates: (in-person dates) Week of July 13th, 2026 – specific dates and remote details coming soon!
Location: 1 day online via Zoom, and 2 in-person days in Lowell, MA
(8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET each in-person day)
Cost: $375 per educator; $325 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators
Collaborating Partners: Tsongas Industrial History Center; Lowell National Historical Park
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 21 PDPs available without graduate credit; 45 PDPs available with optional graduate credit. Additional work required for graduate credit.
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Awareness Inspires Conservation: From Data to Action
A 4-Day Professional Development Institute for Grades 3-8 Educators

This four-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.

Dates: Monday, July 20th – Thursday, July 23rd, 2026 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET each day)
Location: Cape Cod, MA (Eastham, MA/Chatham, MA)
Cost: $475 per educator; $425 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators
Collaborating Partners: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy; Center for Coastal Studies
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 28 PDPs available without graduate credit; 52 PDPs available with optional graduate credit. Additional work required for graduate credit.
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Resilient Coasts: Using Local Phenomena to Understand Climate Solutions
A 3-Day Professional Development Institute for Grades 6-12 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.

Dates: Tuesday, July 28th – Thursday, July 30th, 2026 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET each day)
Location: Crane Beach, The Trustees of Reservations (Ipswich, MA)
Cost: $375 per educator; $325 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators
Collaborating Partner: The Trustees of Reservations
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 21 PDPs available without graduate credit; 45 PDPs available with optional graduate credit. Additional work required for graduate credit.
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Educators can learn more about these Institutes and register at www.wadeinstitutema.org! Questions? Contact wadeinstitute@manomet.org.