Radiant Research Mentors Students In STEM At Low-Income Schools

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A Southern Regional High School student is making scientific research more accessible to students who attend underprivileged high schools.

Eleventh-grader Taner Drexler co-founded Radiant Research, a student-run organization that hosts virtual workshops and career discussions in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields for students at 21 high schools throughout New Jersey that lack these programs.

Radiant Research is striving to connect with more schools, and raise money to help those schools gain access to lab equipment. The student-run group is in the process of becoming an official nonprofit organization.

“There are so many schools that have these really expensive budgets, labs and equipment, and then there’s other schools that don’t have anything,” co-founder Taner Drexler said. “We want to help get them on their feet.”

Drexler developed Radiant Research alongside three other high school students in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic. Before he transferred to Southern Regional, Drexler was a student at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science in Manahawkin, where he met fellow student Grace Pluemacher.

“When I left we were discussing the good aspects of the school and one of those main things was research. How can we spread this awesome thing that this school has to other schools that don't have the opportunity?” Drexler recalled.

With this idea and their enthusiasm, they formed Radiant Research with two other students who attend Delbarton School and Bergen County Academies.

In addition to workshops and career discussions, Radiant Research hosts a virtual research conference each month for high school students to showcase their work.

In past sessions, college professors have hosted talks about their careers and how to conduct research, write methodology and form hypotheses. Most recently, Radiant Research held a talk with professors from Cornell University.

Though the four-person team initially planned to host workshops and symposiums in-person last year, Drexel said their virtual sessions have been just as effective and more accessible to students who would not have the means to travel to in-person events.

Radiant Research also releases a monthly newsletter and a student-published research journal that showcases students' personal research.

“Publishing research is actually really hard. You always have to get a professor and it’s a really complicated process,” Drexler said. “There’s so many kids there who don’t know what research is and we want them to get to know the process and how they can do it."

After Radiant Research spreads their programs to more high schools, they then want to extend their events to middle school students.

Radiant Research's next virtual research conference will be held on March 20th at 11 a.m. through this Zoom link, where students will present projects they have been working on.

“It’s inspiring to see. Kids really want to get involved," Drexler said.

In addition to increasing awareness about careers available in research and STEM fields, another one of Radiant Research's missions is to help underprivileged schools raise money to purchase lab equipment. Radiant Research has organized a GoFundMe for this effort.

At this time, Drexler said the most important thing people can do to help Radiant Research is to follow them on Instagram and spread awareness about their mission.

More information about how to get involved with Radiant Research can be found on their website.

This story is part of Patch's Headlining Hope series, which profiles local nonprofits and charitable organizations in need of volunteers and resources. If you know of a local organization that should be profiled, contact kimberlee.bongard@patch.com.