Chatham Students Complete Governor's STEM Scholars Program

CHATHAM, NJ — Two Chatham residents and high schoolers recently graduated from the prestigious Governor's STEM Scholars program.

Trevor Sherman and Alex Weng, seniors at Chatham High School, were two of 126 New Jersey high school and college students to complete the year-long program, which provides a 360-degree view of New Jersey's STEM economy through conferences, lab tours, master classes and research.

"At these conferences, they have several sets of panelists from various STEM fields speak; there are short classes taught by college professors on a variety of STEM subjects; and there are portions of the conference dedicated to networking and career development," Sherman said.

As part of the program, students participate in a research project led by two undergraduate or graduate students. Weng and Sherman worked in the same research group, assessing the impact of microplastics on organic matter decomposition.

On Saturday, April 29, they presented their research to the judges and were awarded diplomas from the program as well as certificates from the state of New Jersey at the end of the conference.

"I've appreciated the opportunity to meet and conduct research with other ambitious students from around the state. This program has taught me so much about the STEM community in New Jersey and the careers it offers," Weng said.

The program is a public-private partnership between the New Jersey Research & Development Council, the Governor's Office, the New Jersey Department of Education, the Secretary of Higher Education and public and private research firms.

It gives high-achieving high school, college, and graduate students an in-depth look at the state's STEM economy. The Scholars are a diverse and representative group of student leaders from across New Jersey who excel in STEM and want to pursue STEM-related majors and careers.

"I enjoyed being part of the Governor's STEM Scholars program, which allowed me to not only meet other ambitious and talented STEM students from all across the state but also meet with STEM professionals from academia, industry, and government," Sherman said.

As graduates of the program, Sherman and Weng now have access to the Governor's STEM Scholars alumni network of over 700 students, which will enable them to stay connected to STEM jobs and opportunities within the state.

Applications for the 2023–2024 Governor's STEM Scholars program are still open through June 9, 2023. For more information, visit www.govstemscholars.com/apply.