Beacon Institute for Rivers & Estuaries

Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries is the Hudson Valley campus of Clarkson University, with administrative headquarters and a state-of-the-art educational facility on Dennings Point, Beacon, NY.

The Institute's mission is to ignite community science, user-inspired R&D and education through collaboration and creative innovation, inspiring sustainable solutions for estuary and freshwater ecosystems throughout the Hudson Valley and across New York State.

True to its mission, the campus serves as both a research institute focused on healthy water solutions and a provider of educational services at all levels, including K-12, public and family and professional graduate programs.

The vision of the Institute is to be a leader in inclusive environmental education, science and research practices in an effort to build a community of scientifically literate stewards.

Clarkson's Beacon Institute embodies a unique educational ecosystem for students of diverse backgrounds. We value experiences that develop the whole person while fostering community engagement, critical thinking, and social and emotional learning.

Learn more about our growing Hudson Valley campus.

Fall 2021 Hours

beaconinstitute@clarkson.edu
845-838-1600

Clarkson's Beacon Institute and Water Ecology Center is open to public visitors, student groups and families by appointment. For school groups, we offer a range of programming. Meet our live animals, explore our ecology exhibits, and more. Outdoor environmental and STEM programs based from our campus in Dennings Point State Park can be arranged. To inquire, email Brigette Walsh at bwalsh@clarkson.edu.

Availability is flexible, 7 days a week, except certain dates and holidays. Depending on timing and group size, a modest per person fee may apply. To inquire, email Brigette Walsh at bwalsh@clarkson.edu.

Live Animal Exhibits: Meet animals of the Hudson watershed and beyond, and learn how fish, turtles, snakes and more survive and thrive throughout the seasons.

Water Ecology Center - Open for select public events
199 Dennings Ave., Beacon, NY
inside Dennings Point State Park

Current exhibit: "Mapping Native New York" by Evan Pritchard.
Author and educator Evan Pritchard presents a series of large wall maps 10+ years in the making, detailing the world of Algonquin Civilizations who were original inhabitants of the Lower Hudson Valley, including Dennings Point.

Featured maps, displayed on 6 foot tall panels, depict the thriving native civilizations who inhabited what is now Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties, and areas from New Jersey to Rhode Island.

Fall Events 2021

Let's Talk Turkey: Sunday, November 21, 10 a.m.

Join Carl Heitmuller, environmental educator at Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, to hear about the wild side of turkeys. Turkeys calls, props and a nature craft will help families understand these odd birds in the spirit of the season. This program is open to all. It is designed for families with children age 4-10.

Register

Educational Programs

K-12

The Hudson STEAM program aims to connect students of all ages to the Hudson River Valley. Through in-class workshops and field trips to Dennings Point State Park, students get the opportunity to learn about the dynamic watershed of the Hudson River. Our state of the art Water Ecology Center and an experienced education staff foster experiential learning at its best. Students participate in activities such as seining, water quality testing, fish identification, and ecosystem explorations right at the Hudson River's shoreline.

River of Words (ROW) brings students together with our team of inspiring instructors, experts in the fields of Art, ELA, and Science. ROW educators connect through place-based artscapes, creative writing, and field science workshops.

TAP (Tributary Assessment Project) is a two day project- and place-based learning module with field and lab day components where students analyze samples, collect data, and publish results.

TEAM Summer Science Weeks are led by scientists and educators in July and August and are open to K-8 students. See what students completed this summer!

Mother Nature & Me is a program for groups of homeschool students in Pre-K through 8th grade. Students participate in exploring Denning’s Point State Park. Each lesson is centered around nature-based, sensory, and hands-on learning.

Public and Family

Kids of all ages can enjoy a variety of family friendly programs offered at our Dennings Point headquarters. Our Park Visitor's Center offers public nature and river education; WOW! For Kids provides live animal collection and hands-on nature education; Walks & Talks offers naturalist trail walks at Dennings Point.

Learn more about our Public and Family Programs

Executive & Professional

Clarkson offers a Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM) program at the Beacon Institute. The hybrid MSEM degree consists of 30 credit hours that can be completed within 24 months. It blends in-person and online classroom learning for a worker-friendly and extraordinarily flexible experience.

Learn more about the MSEM program

Clarkson also offers an Master of Science in Data Analytics program. Online students can build part-time or full-time schedules that work for them. Part-time students generally finish the program in about 2 years.

Learn more about the Data Analytics MS

Healthy Water Research

Research at Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries is at the core of our mission and vision, and is aligned with Clarkson's focus on healthy world solutions that ultimately protect the air, water and habitats. Interdisciplinary faculty teams collaborate across fields to proactively integrate environmental concerns into best management practices. Our research currently focuses on invasive species and hydrology with field study and community science.

Learn more about our current research projects.

NEW CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN HEALTHY WATER SOLUTIONS
Clarkson, in partnership with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, is leading New York state’s new Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions. This collaboration focuses on addressing complex challenges around aquatic systems and water infrastructures and allows experts and students to deliver technology innovations and research-based solutions with local partners. The Center works with industry and government to develop early warning systems to monitor, model, predict and avoid threats to water and the natural environment. The Center also develops management best practices and ecosystem designs to improve the resilience of New York state’s water assets. Read more