2027 Arctic Discovery Educator Fellowship · Utqiaġvik, Alaska
An immersive educator Fellowship at the top of the continent — small cohorts of teachers learning field science where Arctic research, conservation and community knowledge actually happen. Professional learning, not a vacation.
Applying is free, and you are not expected to fund the Fellowship out of pocket.
The Discovery Model
Odyssey Discovery partners with scientists, conservationists, communities, and research organizations to create meaningful field-based learning experiences for educators.
Educators step into active research environments, connect with scientists and knowledge keepers, experience real-world discovery, and bring those stories back to their classrooms.
Featured expedition · Summer 2027
Our flagship 10-day, small-cohort field science expedition on Alaska's North Slope — full itinerary, cohort details, and investment framing.
Current & Future Discoveries
For 2027, Odyssey Discovery is running a single Discovery: the Arctic Discovery Educator Fellowship in Utqiaġvik, Alaska.
Flagship Educator Fellowship · Summer 2027
Utqiaġvik, Alaska
The flagship Odyssey Discovery experience — and the only Discovery running in 2027. Educators journey to the Arctic to connect with researchers studying sea ice, permafrost, climate systems, and the communities whose knowledge shapes our understanding of this remarkable region.
Arctic Discovery is an Odyssey Discovery Educator Fellowship experience.
In development
New regions & research partnerships
Future Odyssey Discovery experiences are being developed with scientists, conservationists, research organizations, and sponsoring partners. Examples may include Great Lakes Discovery, Amazon Discovery, Ocean Discovery, and other science-rich regions.
Each Discovery is offered as an Odyssey Discovery Educator Fellowship experience.
Why these places
Utqiaġvik is the northernmost community in the United States — and one of the most studied places on Earth. Agency, university, and community science all happen here, which is why the Arctic Discovery Fellowship is based there.
We choose Discovery regions where the science is significant, the scientists are willing to teach educators, and the community relationships already exist.
Program Investment
2027 Fellowship fee
$12,975 per educator
To apply
$0 — applying is free
After acceptance
$500 commitment payment, credited toward the fee
Remaining $12,475
Odyssey pursues program-level funding for it
The Fellowship fee reflects field programming, professional learning design, lodging in Utqiaġvik and ground transportation while there — not simply travel costs. Airfare to and from Alaska and most meals are not included, and Odyssey does not guarantee funding for them.
Fellows are not required to personally raise the remaining Fellowship balance. Odyssey Discovery takes the lead on pursuing program-level funding through sponsors, partners, grants and other sources. You may pursue funding yourself if you choose — it can secure your position sooner and cover expenses outside the fee — and Fellowship participants receive Funding Lab access as a resource. Outside funding cannot be guaranteed, which is why the planned 90-day funding protection lets you choose a refund of your $500 or a transfer to another available cohort if funding has not been secured for your position.
How Fellowship funding works
The Fellowship fee is $12,975. A $500 commitment payment reserves your position and is credited toward that fee. From there, Odyssey Discovery leads the work of funding Fellowship positions — not you.
Step 1 — Commit
Make the $500 commitment payment to reserve your Fellowship position.
It demonstrates your commitment to participating and is credited toward the $12,975 Fellowship cost. Applying is free, and nothing is due before you are accepted.
Step 2 — Odyssey pursues funding
Odyssey Discovery takes the lead on pursuing program-level funding through sponsors, partners, grants and other funding sources.
You are not required to personally raise the remaining Fellowship balance. Outside funding decisions rest with independent organizations, so funding cannot be guaranteed.
Step 3 — Optional: pursue your own funding
If you choose, use the Odyssey Funding Lab and our materials to pursue funding through your school, district, grants, foundations, community organizations or local businesses.
This is optional. It can help secure your position sooner, cover expenses outside the Fellowship fee, and let Odyssey's program-level funding support additional educators.
Optional: pursue your own funding
You don't have to fundraise for your Fellowship. But if you'd like to help secure your funding sooner or pursue funding for additional travel expenses, we'll give you tools to help you do it.
Funding you could pursue
Why some Fellows choose to
Odyssey Funding Lab is included — as a resource
Fellowship participants receive access to the Odyssey Funding Lab, which helps educators identify and pursue funding for professional learning, Fellowship participation, airfare and travel, classroom projects and other appropriate educational expenses. It is a resource, not a required fundraising assignment — Odyssey pursues program-level Fellowship funding, and you can optionally use the Funding Lab to pursue additional or independent funding. It does not guarantee funding.
Planned funding protection
90-day funding protection
Approximately 90 days before your cohort begins, Odyssey Discovery determines whether sufficient funding has been secured for your Fellowship position. If it has not, you do not simply lose your $500 because Odyssey was unable to secure program funding.
You choose. Odyssey does not transfer you automatically, does not make you keep waiting, and never requires you to personally produce the remaining funding in order to receive a refund.
Secured funding may include
It does not include
This protection applies specifically when sufficient Fellowship funding has not been secured. It does not automatically apply to Fellow-initiated withdrawal, cancellation, failure to meet participation requirements, or other circumstances governed by the separate Fellowship cancellation terms. Subject to the final approved Fellowship terms.
Airfare and most meals are not included
Airfare to and from Alaska and most meals are not included in the $12,975 Fellowship fee, and Odyssey Discovery does not guarantee funding for them. Fellows may pay these expenses themselves, pursue school or district funding, pursue grants or other funding, or use the Funding Lab to identify potential funding sources.
Not ready for the Arctic, but looking for funding for something else?
Odyssey Funding Lab can also be used independently by educators looking for funding for classroom projects, professional learning, field experiences, programs and other opportunities. Normal Funding Lab membership applies.
Explore Funding Lab →Funding Discovery Experiences
Educator participation may be supported through multiple pathways, including:
School professional development budgets
PD line items and Title funds directed toward transformative science learning.
District partnerships
Multi-year district agreements sending cohorts of educators through Discovery experiences.
STEM & environmental initiatives
State, regional, and federal STEM and environmental learning programs.
Grants & foundations
Foundation and grant funding aligned with science literacy and educator development.
Corporate sponsorships
Corporate partners underwriting cohorts and named Discovery seats.
Partner-supported educator seats
Research organizations and nonprofits sponsoring seats for their regions.
Interested in sponsoring a cohort, funding a seat, or bringing a Discovery experience to your district? Get in touch.
Partner with Odyssey Discovery
For Schools & Districts
Invest in your educators by providing immersive science experiences that strengthen classroom learning and connect students to the real world.
Bring a Discovery Experience to Your Educators →For Sponsors
Support educator access to the places where science happens and help bring authentic scientific discovery back to classrooms across the country.
Sponsor a Discovery Cohort →For Foundations
Expand science literacy and environmental understanding by supporting educators who bring real-world discovery back to their students.
Fund Educator Discovery →Who Discovery experiences are for
Questions
The Arctic Discovery Educator Fellowship runs in multiple Summer 2027 cohort dates in Utqiaġvik, Alaska: June 18–27, July 9–18, July 30–August 8, and August 13–22. Each expedition is 10 days with a maximum of 10 educators, and you list your first-choice dates on the application.
The program investment is $12,975 per educator. It covers expedition programming, professional learning design, curated field experiences, lodging in Utqiaġvik, and ground transportation while there. Airfare to and from Alaska and most meals are not included, and Odyssey does not guarantee funding for them.
After acceptance, a $500 commitment payment reserves your position, demonstrates your commitment to participating, and is credited toward your $12,975 program investment. Each expedition holds only 10 seats and Arctic lodging, transportation, and field coordination are committed months in advance — it confirms your seat is real, tells us to begin pursuing funding for your position, and ensures we don't turn away other educators for a seat that isn't claimed.
No. Odyssey Discovery takes the lead on pursuing program-level funding through sponsors, partners, grants and other sources. Pursuing funding yourself is optional — it can help secure your position sooner and can cover expenses outside the fee such as airfare and meals — and Fellowship participants receive Odyssey Funding Lab access as a resource, not as a required fundraising assignment.
Approximately 90 days before your cohort begins, Odyssey determines whether sufficient funding has been secured for your position — funds received, approved program funding formally allocated to the position, or sufficiently binding documented commitments Odyssey reasonably expects to receive. Prospective sponsors, pending grant applications, verbal possibilities, pipeline value and speculative funding do not count. If sufficient funding has not been secured, you choose: a refund of your $500, or a transfer of your position and your $500 to another available Arctic Discovery cohort. Subject to the final approved Fellowship terms. Fellow-initiated withdrawal and cancellation are governed by the separate Fellowship cancellation terms.
Each Summer 2027 Arctic Discovery expedition is subject to sufficient funded participation and final operational confirmation. Odyssey Discovery makes a final GO/NO-GO determination approximately 90 days before departure — March 20, April 10, May 1 and May 15, 2027 for the four expedition dates. Until GO status is issued the expedition remains subject to final confirmation, so consider that before making non-refundable independent travel purchases. Cohorts that clearly meet the required cohort funding and participation threshold may be confirmed earlier.
No. Educators are not expected to fund participation out of pocket, and are not required to raise the remaining balance themselves. Odyssey pursues program-level funding through sponsors, partners, grants and other sources. Fellows who want to pursue school PD budgets, district funding, grants or foundations may do so optionally, with our materials and Funding Lab access.
Science, STEM, environmental, conservation, outdoor, college, and informal science educators are all a good fit. You don't need Arctic experience — you need curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to learn in the field.
Apply
Applications for the Summer 2027 Arctic Discovery Fellowship are open across multiple expedition dates: June 18–27, July 9–18, July 30–August 8, and August 13–22. Cohorts are limited to 10 educators, and positions are reserved with a $500 commitment payment — credited toward the program fee — after which Odyssey takes the lead on pursuing funding for your position.
The application takes about ten minutes: your teaching context and your first-choice expedition dates. You are not required to raise the remaining Fellowship balance yourself; if you would like to pursue school, district, grant or community funding, we provide the materials and Funding Lab access to help.
Program fee $12,975. Airfare and most meals are not included.
Summer 2027 · Utqiaġvik, Alaska
We respond to every application within two business days.