Cooke Grant
The Cooke Grant, introduced in December, 2018, is given by The Friends of the Office of State Archaeology and is intended to encourage students majoring in archaeology at the MA or Ph.D. level to work in Connecticut archaeology. It is offered to undergraduate and graduate students working on Connecticut archaeological projects, and is open to students from schools both within and outside Connecticut.
Past Awardees
2026 – Elizabeth Haley Glaviano
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (FOSA) is pleased to announce the awarding of the June and David Cooke Grant to Elizabeth Glaviano. Liz is a Masters candidate at the University of Connecticut.
Liz has proposed a field-testing program at a multi-component site in South Windsor, CT. Testing will focus on select features identified by GPR Survey. The site holds potentially significant evidence of proto-historic and early contact period occupations
2024 – Cassie Aimetti
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (FOSA) is pleased to announce the awarding of the June and David Cooke Grant to Cassie Aimetti. Cassie is a double-major in Earth Sciences (Geoscience)and Anthropology at the University of Connecticut (UConn). She is currently functioning as an Intern at Heritage Consultants and an undergraduate at UConn.
The focus of her current work is Grannis Island, which is located on the east bank of the Quinnipiac River in New Haven, about 1.5 miles upriver from the mouth of the Quinnipiac River, which empties into New Haven Harbor and ultimately Long Island Sound.
2023 – Brianna Rae Zoto
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (FOSA) is pleased to announce the awarding of the June and David Cooke Grant to Brianna Rae Zoto. Brianna is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Connecticut.
The focus of her work is the Grannis Island, which is located on the east bank of the Quinnipiac River in New Haven about 1.5 miles upriver from the mouth of the Quinnipiac River, from the mouth of the Quinnipiac River, which empties into New Haven Harbor and ultimately Long Island Sound. The main feature at the site is an extensive shell midden which spreads across the majority of the landform.
2022 – Matthew Picarelli-Kombert
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (FOSA) is pleased to announce the awarding of the June and David Cooke Grant to Matthew Picarelli-Kombert. Matthew is a Masters candidate at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
The focus of his work is the 7 shellfish middens found at the Pequot Village. The results of the research Matthew is proposing will provide a clearer understanding of midden use and variability at a Pequot village, how their use has evolved over time, as well as their contents at particular points in time.
2019 – Krista Dotzel
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (FOSA) is pleased to announce the awarding of the June and David Cooke Grant to Krista Dotzel and to Megan Willison. Both women are Ph.D. candidates at the University of Connecticut.
Krista applied for the Cooke Grant to, in her own words, “examine the development of agriculture during the Woodland period in Connecticut.”
The results of the research projects each of these young women are proposing to do will significantly further our understanding of the native peoples in Connecticut.
2019 – Megan Willison
The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (FOSA) is pleased to announce the awarding of the June and David Cooke Grant to Krista Dotzeland to Megan Willison. Both women are Ph.D. candidates at the University of Connecticut.
Megan applied for the Cooke Grant in order to have the funds to pay for radiocarbon dating and the analysis of several botanical samples. Radiocarbon dating is critical in establishing the age of particular feature contexts.
The results of the research projects each of these young women are proposing to do will significantly further our understanding of the native peoples in Connecticut.
For questions about the Cooke Grant, please email fosa.ct@gmail.com