The PISCES Project has been an effective partnership program since its inception in 1998 with seed money coming from private donations. The program was established as a collaborative initiative as a result of the shared vision to enhance science learning in elementary schools.

Beginning in September 1999, the PISCES Project received funding to support Fellows and project administration under NSF DUE-9979741 (9/1/99-8/31/02; $1,511,422) and then renewed under DUE-0139378 (9/1/02-8/31/05; $1,581,000) with Dr. Walter C. Oechel as PI.

The PISCES Project is a district-based, community-supported elementary science project, which has been effective in improving the amount and quality of science education in San Diego County, the North Slope of Alaska, and La Paz, Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico. "Science Corps" Fellows, consisting of graduate and upper division undergraduate science majors, are partnered with elementary school teachers to teach hands-on, inquiry-based science lessons.

To date, more than 200 different teachers in over 40 schools have partnered with a Science Corps member in the three locations. In San Diego County alone, Fellows have served in approximately 158 classrooms three days per week for up to three 8-week cycles. This classroom intervention, along with additional professional development (PD) institutes, have resulted in more than 10,980 hours of support and PD with over 40 different hands-on science kits and a resources library of over 500 books and videos.