The Montana Natural History Center is planning to host the next Wings Over Water teacher cohort in summer of 2027. The application window is scheduled to open December of 2026. If you would like to receive a personal email invitation inviting you to apply later this year, please fill out this form: 

* Up to $1,000.00 will be reimbursed for travel expenses for teachers accepted into the program. All lodging, other amenities, and food for the duration of the workshop are 100% covered by the workshop host.

• Are you a middle school educator teaching in the United States?
• Do you want to incorporate more STEM in your classroom?
• Excited for hands-on, intimate learning experiences that utilize project-based learning and local case studies to teach?
• Want to bring more environmental education and opportunities for outdoor learning into your practice?
• Excited to implement more place-based Next Generation Standard Science Standards content with your students?
• Are there Osprey where you live? (There should be!)

Then the Wings Over Water workshop is for you! In partnership with the University of Montana, our award-winning Wings Over Water (WOW) Program brings STEM research into middle school classrooms and sparks student interest in biology, physics, chemistry, math, and engineering through the study of Ospreys.

WOW professional development program brings middle school science teachers from across the United States to Missoula, Montana, for a transformative week of immersive, place-based learning. Hosted in partnership between the Montana Natural History Center and the University of Montana, this dynamic experience uses the charismatic Osprey— found on six continents and familiar to many communities in the U.S.— as an anchoring phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) through the lens of local ecosystems, environmental issues, and real-world science.

Throughout the week, teachers work alongside scientists, curriculum specialists, and community leaders to explore real-world environmental issues in Montana’s Clark Fork Watershed river ecosystems and landscapes. Participants investigate the impacts of legacy mining, habitat restoration, water quality, avian research, and connect these topics to NGSS and instructional strategies that promote student curiosity and engagement.

At the heart of WOW is the award-winning STEEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Environment, and Math) curriculum, which offers a powerful framework for inquiry-based, culturally relevant experiential learning. Teachers leave with high-quality, classroom-ready lessons, strategies for localizing content, and the confidence to engage students in meaningful science rooted in their own communities.

To ensure teachers from underserved and economically disadvantaged school communities can participate, the Wings Over Water program is offered at no cost to selected educators. Travel, lodging, meals, and materials are all covered, eliminating barriers to access and supporting a more equitable reach for environmental science education.

Applicants who are accepted into the program will travel to Missoula, Montana, for a week-long workshop in July 2027. Continuing education credits will also be available through the University of Montana, and all participants will receive a comprehensive curriculum guide to take back to their school and implement in their classrooms.

The Wings Over Water Workshop is designed for Middle School STEM educators who teach in the United States. The application period will open in December 2026 – stay tuned.

Learn more about Wings Over Water below!