CSCR Programs - Center for Student Coastal Research

Middle School, High School, and College Students

CSCR provides middle school and high school students with authentic, real world learning and research experiences that are unique to our region, and sparsely available to students throughout our nation.

College students also have a unique opportunity to work with us as Cohasset Wharf Interns.

Varsity Research

Our Founding Principle

“To teach students how to conduct research that meets the rigors of professional scientific review.” Such was the expression an early influencer of CSCR’s programming used when asked to identify CSCR’s North Star. “Why do the field work with students,” went the argument, “if it’s not going to be true to the way all science is done?” Do it right, share your results, and let the science community review your work. Today, those in education would call it “authentic assessment.” We call it CSCR’s Varsity Research program.

Varsity Research

Why the term, “Varsity Research?” The very same dedication that athletes bring to their sport and their team is required in the real world of science. It’s that simple. Our Varsity Research teams are small, dedicated groups of researchers committed to their team and the purpose of their research. Our Varsity Research students show a commitment to the team by:

Respecting meeting times and peers, and striving to log 50 hrs with their team
Making identifiable contributions to the team’s research goals
Caring for the team’s gear and facility
Taking responsibility for team data and team outputs to be shared with the community
Participating in stakeholder meetings, conferences, or events where team data is publicly shared

Equally important, our Varsity Research students make it fun to be a member of a CSCR team through their collaboration, cooperation, laughter, respect, and friendship.

4 Pathways for Academic Recognition

Team Research Portfolio
GIS Certificate of Proficiency
State of the Harbor public presentation
STREAM to Sanctuary Certificate of Watershed Stewardship

Team Research Portfolio

In 2022, CSCR and 6 area high schools began exploring ways to provide students with school credit for community-based summer research. Many area high schools now offer various pathways for students to earn high school academic recognition (students should check with their school principal for details).

While each are school may have unique requirements, CSCR has built a basic guideline that individual students and student teams can use to assemble a portfolio of learning for sharing with the appropriate high school academic leaders.

Typically, CSCR and partner schools ask students to meet 50 hours of dedicated research time. (Fifty hours is the time equivalent of one class during one term, or one quarter of the year in a typical block schedule.) Click to access the guide.

State of the Harbor

The State of the Harbor is CSCR’s Signature Community Outreach and Education Event — where our students shine and the community learns. Essentially, it’s a public presentation of the team’s version of the research portfolio.

Each spring, student research teams present their findings to the community and stakeholders.

Our 2025 research was presented on April 9, 2026 at Willcutt Commons (Senior Center) in Cohasset.