BRIDGEWATER – A group of students at Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School (SCVTHS) are using their skills and their love of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to make a difference locally and beyond.
Students Jashith Gorrepati of Green Brook and Rohan Patel of Hillsborough co-founded the non-profit organization NexGen STEM in an effort to bring educational opportunities to students around the world, regardless of their socioeconomic background. Their goal is to deliver programs and educational materials that will not only inspire students to want to learn more about STEM, but will also develop skills that enable them to assess and develop solutions to real-world issues that affect their communities.
One of the organization’s recent focuses has been on addressing wildfire prevention. After seeing the wildfires in northern New Jersey on the news last year, and also witnessing some local brushfires first-hand, the organization decided to develop resources for local communities. While the fires in Southern California have brought the topic to the forefront, NexGen STEM had already been planning and implementing a local program for several months.
The first action the group took was to develop fire safety kits that provided informational materials on what to do in case of a wildfire to residents in one of the affected areas of New Jersey. In addition, the kits included N95 masks, first aid supplies, and other materials that would be of use in a fire emergency. Around 50 Students at SCVTHS are part of the NexGen team, and they helped to assemble over 300 kits which were then taken to libraries throughout Passaic County for distribution.
The next phase of their program focuses on education. The group recently held a wildfire safety and prevention expo at Green Brook Middle School. During the event, team members guided students as they used kits developed by NexGen STEM to get hands-on experience discovering how fire works, how fire retardants decrease the spread of fire, and how firebreaks can be an effective method of containing fire. “A lot of students sit in lectures and it's not really interesting,” said Jashith, “but once you have something in your hands and you're actually doing it and you see the outcome, it's a much different experience.”
The third prong in their approach to address wildfires in New Jersey will be to focus on restoration. The group is developing a plan to plant trees in areas ravaged by fire in North and South Jersey in an effort to restore local ecologies and to provide habitat for native species. They hope to coordinate with local agencies to accomplish their goal. In addition, they are investigating measures that can be taken by homeowners to establish beneficial plantings on their property.
Although NexGen STEM has only been established for a short time, the group’s reach has extended far beyond New Jersey. As part of a partnership with WorldVision, they have developed kits that provide materials needed for hands-on STEM education for students in impoverished areas of Appalachia. The NexGen STEM team has also worked with Sayap Africa to deliver kits that will provide students in Senegal with educational materials designed to teach students about electric circuits as well as water filtration. The intent of the kits and the lessons learned through their use is to enable students to find practical applications for the acquired skills in their communities.
If you would like more information on NexGen STEM, please visit their website at www.nexgenstem.org
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