111 New Jersey Students Graduate from Governor’s STEM Scholars
- Gov STEM Scholars
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Program Surpasses 1,000 Alumni Milestone as State’s Future Innovators Take the Stage On Saturday, May 3, 2025, 111 high school and college students from all 21 counties in New Jersey graduated from the Governor’s STEM Scholars, a year-long program of the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. The program provides students with a 360° view of the state’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) ecosystem through conferences, research, and immersive site visits.
This year’s commencement, held at Kean University, marked a significant milestone—bringing the program’s alumni network to more than 1,000 Scholars since its founding. Each graduate received a diploma signed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and a Joint Legislative Resolution sponsored by Assemblyman Chris Tully (LD-38), Deputy Majority Leader and Chair of the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
Distinguished speakers at the ceremony included Assemblyman Tully and Aaron Price, CEO of TechUnited:NJ.
Graduating Scholars presented year-long, community-based research projects led by undergraduate and graduate team leaders. One standout project—CleanWater NJ: Empowering our Communities with Mobile Actionable Water Quality Insights—was awarded the Excellence in Research Award. The project was led by Joseph David Quinn-Vitable, with team members Warisha Bari, Sophia Halm, Prisha Malik, Maahishee Patel, Rishabh Sankar, and Neeka Vojdani. Projects were evaluated by an esteemed panel of judges including Ian Crowley, Ph.D. of Nokia Bell Labs, Alexandra Sun, Ph.D. of Merck & Co., and Smita Thakker-Varia, Ph.D. of Rutgers University.
“This year’s 111 Scholars represent the best of what New Jersey has to offer—and with this class, we’ve officially crossed the threshold of 1,000 alumni,” said Alise Roderer, Director of the Governor’s STEM Scholars. “From lab tours to research and policy briefings, these students are building lifelong connections to the state’s STEM economy and becoming New Jersey’s next generation of innovators.”
The Governor’s STEM Scholars is a public-private partnership between the Research & Development Council of New Jersey, the Office of the Governor, the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, and New Jersey’s public and private research universities.
Throughout the academic year, Scholars participated in four conferences exploring STEM in government, academia, and industry. These were hosted by Rutgers School of Engineering, Montclair State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Kean University. In addition, students visited Bristol Myers Squibb and engaged in virtual sessions with professionals from Kenvue and Dr. Lauren Seyler, an astrobiology professor at Stockton University.
The program is free for all participants thanks to the support of Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, Merck & Co., Novartis, PSEG Foundation, Spencer Savings Bank, and Stryker.
The 2025 Governor’s STEM Scholars graduates are: