GEM Female Spotlight of the Month: Ms. Corbett
Science Department Head, Ms. Nicole Corbett works to keep our waterways clean
Ms. Corbett is the GEM Spotlight for February
Founded during the 2022-2023 school year, the Gender Empowerment Mission (GEM) is a club here at Abington High that works to create safe space for female-identifying student as well as empowering them and spreading positivity throughout the school. GEM has recently begun to honor females at AHS who represent talent, strength and power. Coined “Female Spotlight of the Month”, those who earn this title serve as role models and hold positive influence over the girls and women in our school.
GEM’s first monthly spotlight focuses on science department head Ms. Nicole Corbett. Not only has Ms. Corbett been teaching at Abington High for 8 years, but she is also an active scientist.
Ms. Corbett’s interest in science sparked when she attended Abington High from 2004-2008. Her favorite topic to study and research is water chemistry. Most of the research she’s conducted, such as investigating bodies of water in Abington and reporting on the over polluted Popponesset Bay, were inspired by some of her Science Fair projects. In fact, Ms. Corbett won regional, state, and even international awards at Science Fairs during her time as an AHS student. Ms. Corbett reflects on her interest in science- “I find it funny that my high school science fair work in a sense came back full circle, it was not what I expected.” Ms. Corbett’s family also worked in the field of water treatments, which exposed her to a lot of knowledge outside of the classroom.
Today, Ms. Corbett is still participating in and conducting experiments, and is an environmental activist who works to control and reduce water pollution, mostly on Cape Cod. In 2021, along with a group of friends, she founded the Popponesset Water Stewardship Alliance. This group helps raise awareness regarding the impacts of invasive seaweed, as well as informing people about nutrient enrichment in coastal waters and estuaries. Ms. Corbett has presented at many conferences and has been the subject of many local news features. Her feature in The Mashpee Enterprise, “Working for Clean Water,” highlighted a collaboration with Barnstable Clean Water Coalition during the summer of 2022.
Not only does Ms. Corbett dedicate herself to teaching five days per week, but she also goes above and beyond to care for the planet out of pure interest and passion. Ms. Corbett is an accomplished and determined scientist who serves as a role model for the females in our school community, especially those who have an interest in science.