Design for Equity, Community & the Ocean Educator Institute

Applications are closed for 2026.

Dates

Residential institute

• June 21–26, 2026 (Sun.–Fri.)

Local institute

• July 6–10, 2026 (Mon.–Fri.)
• Saturday follow-ups: October 24, 2026; February 6 and May 1, 2027

About the institute

Design an equity-focused, eco-centric maker project for your classroom.

Join us for one of our summer institutes for K-12 educators. Each program will guide you in creating a STEAM project for your learners, while centering the environment, equity, and your community. Choose between a residential institute, ideal for participants who must travel from a distance to Monterey to attend, and a local institute for educators who can attend multiple dates throughout the year. Residential institute participants will be housed at Stevenson School in nearby Pebble Beach. 

Throughout each institute, you’ll roll up your sleeves and get making! You'll experience the design process as you explore a variety of low- and high-tech tools in our state-of-the-art Innovation Lab in the Bechtel Education Center. You’ll also build an understanding of Liberatory Design—a design framework that centers equity—and learn how you can apply it to hands-on projects with your learners. You’ll identify opportunities and challenges of integrating STEAM into your teaching and exchange ideas about integrating the Next Generation Science Standards, maker pedagogy, and future-ready skills.

At the end of the institute, you'll walk away with a plan for integrating what you practiced into your learning space!

Opportunities

• Discover new education program strategies
• Build in the Bechtel Education Center’s Innovation Lab
• Practice Liberatory Design Thinking
• Go behind the scenes at the Aquarium
• Collaborate with colleagues
• Engage in equity-centered practices
• Integrate STEAM into your learning space
• Support Next Generation Science Standards

Fees

• The institute, housing (for residential institute participants), and meals and snacks are provided free of charge
• A stipend is provided upon completion of the program
• CEUs are available through CSU Monterey Bay for an additional fee—verify that your district office accepts CEUs (these are non-academic units)

Eligibility and requirements

We welcome educators of all disciplines who align with the following:

• Full-time classroom or informal K–12 educators
• Can attend all dates
• Commit to implementing a project with your learners and share your efforts with Aquarium staff

Priority will be given to educators of color, educators working in coastal communities of color, and educators with more than 2 years of experience.

How to apply

Applications are closed for 2026.

For more information, please email educator@mbayaq.org.