Shedd Aquarium Opens New Wing Dedicated to Deepening and Expanding Environmental Education

This week, Shedd Aquarium opens a new, 8,000-square-foot launchpad for learning at the center of its historic building. The Morgridge Family Lakeside Learning Studios are home to aquatic investigations and science-based programs for guests of all ages, built on Shedd’s expertise in personal, experiential learning. Inside, students, teachers, teens, families, aquarium guests and community partners gather to turn curiosity into discovery through more dynamic and more accessible learning programs.

Designed with flexibility in mind, the Studios act as part classroom, part gathering space, part laboratory and part art gallery. They reflect the aquarium’s years-long acceleration and expansion in environmental education opportunities through engaging moments like coming eye-to-eye with an armadillo, livestreaming with someone cleaning up a wetland or building a habitat for a turtle. The Studios also represent the most recent chapter in Shedd's ongoing renovations tied to the aquarium’s Centennial Commitment strategic plan.

“The Morgridge Family Lakeside Learning Studios affirm our commitment to environmental education through a beautiful new space that is at the core of our experience,” said Lisa Junkin Lopez, vice president of learning and community at Shedd Aquarium. “With a new home for learning, dozens of new and returning programs and deeper community partnerships, people of all ages are learning, connecting and taking action for the planet together.”

About the Studios

Just up the escalators from the aquarium’s entrance, the Studios are both a figurative and a literal elevation of learning at Shedd, as the classrooms have been raised from the basements of the aquarium and into the sightlines of Lake Michigan. Now steps away from exhibits, the Studios ensure environmental education is a central, visible part of the aquarium experience, inviting millions of guests a year to participate in immersive, hands-on science, animal, and aquatic investigations during their visit.

The Studios also greatly advance Shedd’s capacity to educate the next generation, helping Shedd to reach nearly 300,000 learners annually through facilitated school visits alone. Between registered programs in the Studios and the ongoing suite of programs that the aquarium runs daily in the galleries, every student that visits Shedd now has the chance to engage with a Shedd scientist or learning expert – something known to help strengthen learning outcomes.

The Morgridge Family Lakeside Learning Studios are named after the Morgridge Family Foundation, which made the space a reality thanks to an incredibly generous $10 million donation.

"Shedd Aquarium has an incredible opportunity to make environmental education more accessible, engaging, and meaningful for people of all ages. That kind of vision is exciting, and it's exactly the kind of work worth investing in," said Carrie Morgridge, co-founder and CEO of the Morgridge Family Foundation. "The Morgridge Family Lakeside Learning Studios will be transformational to the millions of learners as they connect with the natural world and see what's possible when we learn and grow together."

In addition to providing free visits for Illinois school groups, Shedd has also committed more than $1 million through its centennial year in 2030 to support a robust bus fund, helping schools overcome transportation barriers when planning a visit or booking a program. Alongside bilingual facilitation, universal design principles and culturally relevant curriculum, these investments help more students participate fully in learning with Shedd.

Rooted in Active, Participatory Experiences

Each day, the Studios flex as a space that serves learners of all ages and types, with learning programs designed to be informative, participatory and multi-sensory. Participants walk away feeling more empowered; with the skills and tools they need to take action for the planet.

For guests, Shedd is launching six innovative new programs that range in length from quick drop-ins to 30-minute facilitated workshops based on what they are looking for during their visit.

This can look like:

• Coming upon an ambassador animal armadillo, sloth or green-winged macaw and observing their behaviors alongside their caretakers
• Taking on an animal identity and playfully immersing themselves in a dark ocean environment – using their sense of hearing to navigate, find food like urchins or oyster toadfish to eat and avoid predators like grey seals.
• Livestreaming with Shedd experts in the field as they work to restore wetland habitats across Illinois, on the banks of the Chicago River or monitor coral reefs in Florida
• Unraveling the history of the Chicago River through a puzzle room experience and imagining new, creative ways to positively benefit the important waterway

For school groups, the Studios will feature 10 new school program types for kindergarten through 8th grade rolling out through the end of 2027, giving teachers more ways to connect a Shedd visit to their students' interests and classroom learning. Created with significant input from the aquarium’s Teacher Council and piloted with Chicago Public Schools students through Communities in Schools – Chicago, the programs have grown from just two types Shedd was able to deliver back in 2019.

The programs are built around inquiry and curiosity for the world around us, using science and investigation to answer those questions. Some program examples include:

• Students getting up close to turtles through a hands-on habitat build to understand their unique needs and adaptations to survive and thrive. (Significantly modified programs will be available for special education classrooms.)
• Young learners using imaginative play to mimic check-ups on animals like penguins or iguanas, exploring how veterinarians take care of animals in aquariums.
• Participants testing water samples to uncover the root causes of harmful algal blooms - spotlighting the causes and effects of ecosystem imbalances.

“At Shedd Aquarium, a moment of welcome and wonder catalyzes experiential learning. Through observing, touching, playing, testing and discovering together, learners build connections with animals, one another and the living world,” said Junkin Lopez. “That sense of curiosity does not end with the visit. It shapes the questions they ask, their view of urban ecosystems, and their sense of agency."

With dedicated learning spaces returned to the aquarium, Shedd will see the return of its popular summer camp programs in 2027. It will also be the site of Shedd’s annual Science Educator Conference, sharing best practices for how educators can introduce conservation and science to learners both in and out of the classroom.

Part of Shedd's Education Ecosystem

While its classrooms were closed, Shedd worked closely with a network of schools and communities, establishing more than 125 partnerships and a deeper understanding of how people connect with nature. Those relationships helped shape the Studios and their new programs, bringing community insight back into the aquarium and creating new opportunities to connect learning across Chicago and the greater Midwest.

Shedd’s programs offer both welcoming starting points and opportunities to go deeper. Through Shedd Academy, for example, students will use the Studios to investigate questions alongside experts to explore conservation topics like coral reef health, why Queen conch are important and what science and community work goes into creating Marine Protected Areas. These experiences connect the aquarium, classrooms and local waterways, helping learners build knowledge and confidence they can carry into their own communities.

Supporting Partners

Alongside the Morgridge Family Foundation, transformational support for the Morgridge Family Lakeside Learning Studios has also been provided by the Admiral Daniel P. Haerther Charitable Trust, Robert R. McCormick Foundation and the Pepper Family Foundation.

Transformational support for Shedd’s Centennial Commitment has been provided by The Harvey L. Miller Family Foundation, the Morgridge Family Foundation, the Mansueto Foundation, Mary and Stephen Byron Smith and Builders Initiative. Lead contributions have also been generously provided by the Cynthia Parker Matthews Family Foundation, The Grainger Foundation, Kenneth C. Griffin, Mike and Lindy Keiser, Anna and Bob Livingston, Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Pepper Family Foundation, The Regenstein Foundation and the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust.

Lead project partners on the aquarium’s Experience Evolution transformation and restoration include Shedd Aquarium's Design and Exhibits team, project manager JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle), architect Valerio Dewalt Train, landscape architecture site design group, ltd., joint venture Chicago-based general contractor partners Pepper/BMI Construction LLC.

For more information about Learn With Shedd, visit: https://www.sheddaquarium.org/learn-with-shedd.

VISUALS: Find high-resolution photos and broadcast quality video here: https://personal.filesanywhere.com/guest/fs?v=8e7168895c6373ac9f6b&C=50.
Photo Credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Names on folders
Video Credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez