About Peter M. Cooke

Peter M. Cooke founded MICA in Chicago, Illinois in 1999 to meet the needs of laboratories and other scientific organizations for customized microscopy consulting and education that addresses specific laboratory concerns.

Over the last 40 years, Peter has earned an international reputation for his pedagogical and microscopy expertise. His students regularly cite his engaging teaching style and keen ability to explain complex ideas at introductory through advanced levels as a key benefit of MICA instruction.

Prior to founding MICA, Peter served on the faculty of the McCrone Research Institute for nearly 15 years, developing and teaching the Institute’s environmental microscopy curriculum. In 2005, Peter was invited to be on the adjunct faculty at the Hooke College of Applied Sciences in Westmont, Illinois, where he was also active in curriculum development. For 16 years, he was the editor of the biannual review on Chemical Microscopy published in American Chemical Society.

As a technical assessor for NVLAP since 1988, Peter has assessed more than 350+ member laboratories and is familiar with all associated QA/QC requirements.

Peter began his career as vice president of a Pennsylvania-based laboratory. He received his bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and completed his master’s coursework in geology at the University of Akron. Throughout his career, he has been a speaker at numerous professional conferences including Inter/MICRO, AIHA, EIA, Goldschmidt, Johnson, PittCon, Microscopy & Microanalysis, ASTM, as well as at regional NVLAP workshops.