Located on the harbor in Cohasset, MA, CSCR offers a wide range of programs to educate and involve students in environmental science research projects on the South Shore.
Take our Survey!
What do YOU consider to be the most important issue(s) facing Cohasset Harbor today? What is the importance of the harbor among the many priorities facing the town of Cohasset? Please help us collect input into these and other questions on issues that were raised in the State Of The Harbor Forum...
Students! Apply to be a CSCR Research Intern! Information and Application now on the site.... starts Spring 2010.
THANK YOU to our panelists and attendees to State of the Harbor 2010. If you missed it, see the video on the site. Very interesting to hear about the history and uses of the harbor and the panelist's assessment of its future. Video: State of the Harbor January 2010
The CSCR Internship program is designed to provide students with year long opportunities to log 100 hours of research experience that involves training, field work, lab work, data analysis, report writing, and public education and outreach. It is designed to meet the needs of students who want to be involved in a research project from start to finish, and who want to be a “published” author of a scientific report.
Interns begin project orientation in mid or late March, build their skills through the spring, apply their research skills during the summer, and work through the fall months to produce and publish a scientific paper “that can meet the rigors of professional peer review.” This paper is then shared with all interested local, state, and federal agencies, as well as published on the CSCR website.
Interns do not pay any tuition fees; in fact, interns with significant experience may be offered a chance to earn a stipend sometime during a four year career with CSCR.
Student interns who maximize these opportunities by exceeding 100 hours throughout the year increase their science education by approximately 2 additional classes.
Potentially, a student who joins our program in the 8th grade has the chance to increase his or her science education by a whopping additional 10 courses.
What do YOU consider to be the most important issue(s) facing Cohasset Harbor today? What is the importance of the harbor among the many priorities facing the town of Cohasset? Please help us collect input into these and other questions on issues that were raised in the State Of The Harbor Forum...
CSCR assembled a panel of local professionals who will answer questions from students and the public on the most important issues affecting Cohasset harbor. The panel included notable community members Laurie Gibbons, David Marks, Paul Figuierido, Chuck Peterson, and Frank Carey who represent unique viewpoints based on their collective working experiences in and around the harbor. It's CSCR's first step toward producing an annual "State of the Harbor Report."
Thanks to those who joined us at this 'standing room only' event in support of citizen, student, and government stewardship of our harbor- a fragile environmental, historical, cultural, and economic resource that requires our collective attention.
Nekton Training
Nekton Workshop... From Massachusetts Bays Newsletter:
With assistance from Massachusetts Bays Program, several of the MA Division of Ecological Restoration's (formerly the Wetlands Restoration Program) priority wetland sites on the South Shore continue to be monitored by students from the Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research. MBP and the North and South River Watershed Association have been providing expertise in benthic macroinvertebrate sampling and identification, and also conducted a nekton identification workshop for the team leaders in July.
The following article appeared in the Cohasset Mariner on July 3, 2009
"Board Members Talk About CSCR"
Every summer dozens of students head down to Cohasset's Center for Student Coastal Research to conduct experiments, gather data, and enjoy themselves in the process. They spend time with friends while getting to know more about the beautiful Cohasset environment. Working with CSCR has become a routine for many young people in the area; the Center now serves as a safe location for students to do valuable research while experiencing the joys of summertime and being outside. And there to support these students every step of the way is a broup of adults that gives up their time to assist in the research, hunt down new lab equipment, acquire necessary funding, and keep CSCR running smoothly. These people are the board members of CSCR.
The following article appeared in the Cohasset Mariner on May 15, 2009
"Understanding Cohasset's Unique Ecosystem"
For many years high levels of bacteria in and around Cohasset Harbor have caused concern among town officials and residents alike. Since 2005 Cohasset's Center for Student Coastal Research (CSCR) has been tracking Enterococcus bacteria levels at local beaches and recreational areas. Last summer, however, was the first time anyone had locally investigated a potential source of these Enterococci. With the support of their advisors, Jack Buckley and Ann Thomae, Cohasset High School seniors Jean Thomae and August Oddleifson solved more of the bacteria mystery than anyone had before them. On May 26, Thomae and Oddleifson will share their findings at the CSCR summer kick-off event. The event will take place at 7 pm at the Lightkeeper's Residence, Government Island, Cohasset.
The following article appeared in the Cohasset Mariner on April 17, 2009
"CSCR Benefits Its Volunteers"
As September 2009 approaches, the seniors at Cohasset High School are making plans. What schools will they attend this fall? What are they going to do there? What other plans do they have for the future? Fortunately, many seniors are aided in these decisions by years of hard work - and play - at Cohasset's own Center for Student Coastal Research (CSCR for short). Not only has CSCR served as a location for many local marine research programs over the years, but now the experiences and skills learned through working at the Center are coming in handy for many Cohasset seniors planning for the upcoming months and beyond.
After more than three decades of service to researchers and staff stationed at the bottom of the world, the dome at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was deconstructed this austral summer.
Forecasters are watching a low pressure area located off the east coast of Madagascar that appears ripe for development in the Southern Indian Ocean. If it becomes a tropical storm, it would be named Hubert.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are components of petroleum products such as gasoline, coal, and oil. They are also produced as by-products of the combustion of fuels including petroleum and fire wood. PAHs can cause cancer and other health effects. Because they are produced during combustion, they are ubiquitous, and their levels are high enough to be a concern in all urban waterways. However, because there are so many potential sources of PAHs in the environment, it is not clear which of these sources are most responsible for the contamination in the water. Knowing what the major sources are would help states formulate more effective strategies to control them.
With assistance from Massachusetts Bays Program, several of the MA Division of Ecological Restoration's (formerly the Wetlands Restoration Program) priority wetland sites on the South Shore continue to be monitored by students from the Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research. MBP and the North and South River Watershed Association have been providing expertise in benthic macroinvertebrate sampling and identification, and also conducted a nekton identification workshop for the team leaders in July. 
