Education
Adults
Meet others who share your passion for the natural world.
Enjoy an evening social with your friends during a Right Bite dinner. Roll up your pant legs for a sunrise excursion on a local waterway. Discover how your daily living can positively impact the natural world. Even dedicate yourself to learning something new.
Together, we can make a difference.
Festive Fixes
Preserve your family holiday traditions while being green and thrifty! Join a panel of environmentalists as they share their “festive fixes” with tips on gift giving, reducing energy use and incorporating the environment into your holiday plans. Enjoy hot chocolate, cookies, and your favorite Oceanarium animals.
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Price: $25 a person ($17 Shedd members)
To register, call 312-692-3206 or e-mail adults@sheddaquarium.org.
Aquatic Profiles: Shedd’s New Oceanarium
Each of us can uniquely and positively impact the natural world. Create your individual profile in Shedd’s newly renovated Oceanarium with exhibit tours, behind-the-scenes exploration and interactive experiences.
Sustaining Healthy Populations
Discover how Shedd sustains its population of whales, dolphins, penguins, sea lions and sea otters and how your decisions can help sustain healthy populations in the wild.
Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to noon
Price: $25 a person ($15 Shedd members)
To register, call 312-692-3206 or e-mail adults@sheddaquarium.org.
Changing Ecosystems
Explore how Shedd’s Oceanarium exhibit re-creates the Pacific Northwest ecosystem and how we can positively impact the environment’s changing ecosystems.
Registration is closed. Join our e-mail list for news about upcoming programs.
Right Bite Dinner Series
Indulge in a sustainable seafood dinner while enjoying news and views of Shedd and lively discussions about the natural world. Each restaurant will feature an environmentally friendly menu of appetizers, entrées, wine and desserts created exclusively for this event.
Dinner begins at 6 p.m. Seating is limited, and advance registration is required.
Price: $75 a person per dinner ($65 for members)
Registration is closed. Join our e-mail list for news about upcoming programs.
Climate Control: A Shedd Eco-Social
Local waters, global connections! Enjoy a social evening promoting environmentally conscious action and its impact on the natural world and wildlife. Discuss your role in global climate control during an inspirational chat with Larry J. Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, as he draws from his just-released book, Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth. Complement this global perspective with information on the City of Chicago’s climate action plan. Then enjoy up-close encounters with animals from local and global environments. Explore Shedd’s Waters of the World exhibits, sample sustainable seafood hors d’oeuvres and wine, and celebrate the positive impacts human behaviors can have on climate change.
Registration is closed. Join our e-mail list for news about upcoming programs.
Underwater Photography
In partnership with Scuba Emporium
Gain skills in capturing your underwater experiences while preserving the health of aquatic ecosystems. You’ll earn PADI underwater photography certification and test your new skills with a dive among the animals in the Caribbean Reef exhibit. Review your photos with some of Shedd’s experienced volunteer divers and swap underwater photography stories. Extend the experience with pre-course PADI materials and post-course Project Aware resources. Participants must be scuba certified. Personal camera equipment is recommended. Scuba gear and cameras are available for rent.
Registration is closed. Join our e-mail list for news about upcoming programs.
Professional Training Seminars
Learn from our experts in the fields of animal training and environmental quality. With more than 32,500 animals – including fishes, invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals, Shedd Aquarium offers an extraordinary working environment for these one-of-a-kind professional development opportunities.
Seminar on Environmental Quality with Allen LaPointe
This intensive five-day seminar offers environmental-quality professionals direct access to Shedd Aquarium’s state-of-the-art water-quality analysis laboratory, life-support systems and environmental-quality experts. Each day of the seminar is filled with engaging in-class presentations and hands-on experiments in the lab. The seminar also includes tours of our life-support infrastructure for exhibits and rare access to back-of-house operations.
Animal Training Seminar with Ken Ramirez
Experience Shedd’s award-winning animal training techniques and learn how to adapt them to any species, from marine mammals and a host of terrestrial exotic species to pet dogs and cats. This five-day seminar offers zoo and aquarium professionals in-depth animal training at Shedd Aquarium, with exclusive access to Shedd's diverse animal collection.
Registration is closed. Join our e-mail list for news about upcoming programs.
Green Signature Cruise
9-day/8-night excursion to the Bahamas aboard Shedd’s research boat
Immerse yourself in the natural environments of the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas and leave your green signature with unique citizen-science activities. During daily snorkeling and island excursions you will survey reef fish and invertebrate populations, conduct rock iguana research, help restore beaches and more. Have fun with friends while you experience and protect fragile island environments.
Registration is closed. Join our e-mail list to hear about upcoming programs.
Hike and Help Camp Sagawau
Discover a freshwater canyon right outside Chicago! Spend the morning hiking through the canyon, an area that was once a coral reef. After we break for lunch, help restore this delicate natural resource by participating in a green work project, such as removing invasive plant species or planting native ones!
Registration is closed. Join our e-mail list to hear about upcoming programs.
Canoe the Chicago River
Enjoy nature and discover the diversity of our local wildlife from a canoe on the Chicago River. Be the first to spot a beaver, fox, or kingfisher and you could win one of our environmentally friendly prizes!
Registration is closed. Join our e-mail list to hear about upcoming programs.
Photos and Videos
Check out photos and video of Shedd's amazing animals on our Flickr group pool and YouTube page. Share with others and add your own!
