Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries is the Hudson Valley campus of Clarkson University located in Beacon, NY - with administrative headquarters located on Main Street and a state-of-the-art educational facility on Denning's Point, Beacon, NY.

One location of Clarkson University's Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries is Denning's Point in Beacon, New York

As its mission, Clarkson University's Beacon Institute for Rivers & Estuaries ignites citizen science, user-inspired R&D and education through collaboration and creative innovation to inspire 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, including K-12, public and family and professional graduate programs.

Spring 2020 Hours

In keeping with guidance from New York State and federal representatives, Clarkson's Beacon Institute is closing to the public to ensure that our community remains healthy. Our staff are available to answer any questions you may have, so please do not hesitate to reach out to us. 

beaconinstitute@clarkson.edu
845-838-1600

Spring season starts March 7, 2020

Gallery
199 Main St., Beacon
Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
2nd Saturday 4 - 8 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Water Ecology Center
Denning's Point State Park
Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Closed in the winter, opens for special events.

Educational Programs

Beacon Institute offers a variety of educational programs for K-12, public and family and professional studies.

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 siening, 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.

Public and Family

Kids of all ages can enjoy a variety of family friendly programs offered both at Denning's Point and our location on Main St. in Beacon. Our Park Visitor's Center offers public nature and river education; WOW! For Kids provides live animal experiences and hands-on nature education; Walks & Talks offers naturalist trail walks at Denning's Point; the Art Gallery celebrates and showcases environmental artists collaborating with scientists; and Sensor Place creates hands-on, water science learning at Beacon Main St. 

Learn more about our Public and Family Programs

Current Gallery Exhibit: "The River," by Evan Turk

Award-winning artist Evan Turk presents "The River", a series of pastel works drawn from life in the Hudson Valley, often en plein air, over an entire year, through all four seasons, with themes of continuity, impermanence, and change. Evan's work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and NPR.


 

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 citizen science. 

Learn more about our current research projects.

NEW CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN HEALTHY WATER SOLUTIONS
Clarkson was recently designated along with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) to launch New York state's new Center of Excellence (CoE) in Healthy Water Solutions. The two partners plan a collaborative model to deploy experts and students to deliver technology innovations and research-based solutions with local partners taking on complex challenges in their aquatic systems and water infrastructures. Focusing on water and the natural environment, the CoE will work with industry, government and regional university collaborators to develop early-warning systems to monitor, model, predict and avoid threats before they become issues. The center will also work on management practices and ecosystem design to improve the resilience of New York state's water assets. Read more

 

Upcoming Events

Recent News

Clarkson’s Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries to Begin Construction on Beatrice G. Donofrio Environmental Education Complex
Clarkson’s Beacon Institute Receives Grant from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Clarkson University’s Beacon Institute to hold Fall Open House