New Canaan Students Complete SoundWaters Research Intensive

NEW CANAAN, CT — Two New Canaan students recently took part in the SoundWaters Research Intensive, where they investigated Long Island Sound through hands-on, inquiry-driven research.

According to a news release provided by SoundWaters and Mercury Marketing Communications, New Canaan students Connor Flood and Jack Cooley gained firsthand experience conducting field-based investigations.

Based at the Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center on Stamford Harbor, SRI allows students to conduct original studies in water quality, animal populations, human impact and climate change, according to the release.

Flood and Cooley were among several students from across the region who took part in SRI this semester. Together, the students conducted field and laboratory research to examine how human impact and environmental changes affect local ecosystems, according to the release.

Flood studied benthic animal populations around Stamford Harbor, while Cooley assessed plankton populations by speciating and measuring copepods, according to the release.

"The SRI program helped me realize how interconnected everything is," Cooley said in a news release. "It was empowering to be able to conduct original research and know that it mattered to the community and the world."

Scholarships for SRI are made possible through support from the Munzer Foundation, 11th Hour Racing and the Pettee Family, according to the release.

"The Research Intensive program provides students the tools to conduct college-level science while deepening their understanding of the Long Island Sound ecosystem," SoundWaters Director of Education Christina Genz said in a news release. "Students leave the program with advanced research skills, greater confidence and a strengthened passion for protecting the environment."