Cooper and Mary Peake awarded science microgrant

Fifth grade students from Cooper Elementary School and Mary S. Peake Elementary School received a rare opportunity this past February and April to learn about experiences of a team of science majors from the College of William & Mary – Virginia Institute of Marine Science as they traveled to the Palmer Station in Antarctica to collect samples of marine life. Maya Thomas, one of the research students joined the students via Zoom and in-person.

Thomas and fellow Ph.D. student Andrew Corso were awarded $1,000 by an outreach grant - the Belonging, Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (BAJEDI). The grant is to engage local schools in the Antarctic science through outreach programs. Thomas and Corso used the funds to provide both Cooper and Mary Peake with materials and related items that can give the students hands-on experiences with zooplankton and other microscopic plants and animals.  

“Ms. Thomas from the Antarctica project delivered some amazing science tools for our students to include an advanced microscope, a cellphone microscope, slides, nets, and additional items for our students to study phytoplankton at Peake and Cooper. We are all beyond excitement to be one of her school partners,” said Dr. Janice Richison, HCS curriculum leader for science.