JerseySTEM

How do we turn a “food chain” from a line on the page into something middle schoolers can feel and understand? In our JerseySTEM Biology 101 classroom, students start with simple pieces: a patch of grass, a beetle, a bird, a stream. They argue over where to place each one. Draw arrows. Erase them. Put them back. At some point, the question transforms from “who eats what” to “what falls apart if this one disappears.” Then the class steps outside, and those arrows turn into people. One student becomes the sun, others become plants, insects, or predators. A single object passes from hand to hand, and the whole group feels what it means for energy to move through a living system. When someone drops out, the silence that follows says more than any diagram on a textbook page ever could. Our college mentors walk alongside them with quiet hints. “What would happen if the pollinators left?” “Who is still standing when the top predator is gone?” This is the kind of slow, careful science learning our sponsors make possible in New Jersey classrooms that need it most. If you want to help more middle school girls experience biology this way, learn how to get involved at jerseystem.org. #JerseySTEM #STEMeducation #WomenInSTEM #GirlsInSTEM #Biology

Today, we pause to express our gratitude for the incredible community that makes our mission possible. To our volunteers, mentors, program instructors, sponsors, partners, and supporters, thank you for believing in our work and helping us empower the next generation of STEM leaders. Because of your dedication, hundreds of middle-school girls across New Jersey are able to access free STEM learning opportunities and a safe space to grow their confidence and curiosity. Thank you for sharing your time, your skills, and your heart with our students. Together, we’re building opportunities that last far beyond the classroom. 🍁 From all of us at JerseySTEM, we wish you and your loved ones a warm, joyful, and meaningful Thanksgiving. #JerseySTEM #STEMEducation #GirlsInSTEM #Nonprofit #CommunityImpact #Thanksgiving #Gratitude #Volunteers #STEMMentors #STEMCommunity

Thank You, @BenCollins! We extend our heartfelt thanks to Collins Analytics LLC for his generous in-kind donation to JerseySTEM! Through his Google Sheets training resources, Ben has empowered our team to work smarter helping us analyze data, streamline workflows, and enhance collaboration across our volunteer network. At JerseySTEM, data plays a vital role in measuring our impact and driving growth. Thanks to your expertise and educational tools, we’re able to make informed decisions and better serve our mission of bridging the STEM gender gap in New Jersey. Thank you, Ben, for sharing your knowledge and helping us make data-driven impact! #ThankYou #InKindDonation #CommunitySupport #DataDriven #STEMEducation #JerseySTEM #BenCollins

💙 Thank You, Kudoboard! 💙 We’re deeply grateful to Kudoboard for their generous in-kind support to JerseySTEM! Your platform has allowed us to share messages of appreciation, celebrate milestones, and strengthen connections across our volunteer community helping us recognize the incredible people who make our mission possible. At JerseySTEM, we believe that teamwork and gratitude go hand in hand. Thank you, Kudoboard, for helping us create meaningful ways to celebrate and uplift our volunteers! #ThankYou #InKindDonation #CommunitySupport #VolunteerAppreciation #STEMEducation #JerseySTEM #Kudoboard

Questions build the future of STEM. At JerseySTEM, we are just as interested in the questions our students ask as in the projects they complete. When a 12-year-old pauses to think how to solve a problem, she is already practicing the kind of thinking our communities need from future scientists and engineers. In JerseySTEM classrooms, middle school girls learn science and engineering, but they’re also learning to pause and ask: ✅ Who benefits from this technology? ✅ How does this help my community? ✅ What would a better solution look like? Those moments of reflection are small “philosophy labs” inside STEM class. They shape how future scientists, engineers, and leaders think about power, responsibility, and their relationship with one another. More in the comment section. ⬇️ #WorldPhilosophyDay #STEMEducation #GirlsInSTEM #JerseySTEM

🔬 A heartfelt thank-you to Thermo Fisher Scientific for sponsoring JerseySTEM and sharing our mission to inspire the next generation of innovators! Through their dedication to STEM education and community engagement, Thermo Fisher Scientific continues to make science accessible and exciting for students everywhere. From hands-on learning activities to real-world challenges, their commitment helps spark curiosity and confidence in young minds. 🌟💡 Together, we’re empowering girls to explore, experiment, and imagine the future of science and technology. 🚀 #ThankYouThermoFisher #STEMSponsorship #GirlsInSTEM #STEMEducation #InnovationInSTEM #ScienceForAll #EmpoweringGirls #CommunityImpact #FutureInnovators #TechForGood #JerseySTEM #JerseySTEMPartners

🌐 A huge thank-you to Google for being a valued sponsor of JerseySTEM and supporting our mission to empower girls in STEM! With your support, students are discovering how technology can shape the future turning curiosity into creativity and ideas into innovation. ✨🌍 Together, we’re opening doors for girls in underserved communities to explore, imagine, and lead in the world of STEM. 🚀 #ThankYouGoogle #STEMSponsorship #GirlsInSTEM #STEMEducation #InnovationInSTEM #TechForGood #CommunityImpact #FutureInnovators #EmpoweringGirls #STEMForAll #JerseySTEM #JerseySTEMPartners

Can you feel the energy of these students? In our Energy 101 classroom, middle school girls are exploring how power is made, moved, and used, one hands-on experiment at a time. With JerseySTEM volunteers guiding the work and sponsors helping to make these lessons possible, each moment in the lab is a chance to measure, test, tweak, and learn. If you want to help bring this kind of energy to more New Jersey classrooms, visit jerseystem.org to get involved. #Energy101 #GirlsInSTEM #STEMEducation #HandsOnLearning #JerseySTEM"

Visibility in STEM should never be a privilege.🌈 Every year on 18 November, we are reminded of a moment of courage: astronomer and activist Frank Kameny’s fight against being fired because he was gay. Symbolically, this date was chosen to celebrate #PrideInSTEM day and remind us that brilliant ideas and discoveries come from people with many identities, including those who still experience bias in classrooms and laboratories. Decades later, LGBTQIA+ students and professionals still report feeling pressure to hide who they are in science and engineering spaces. In JerseySTEM middle school clubs, college volunteers and mentors work to create learning environments where every girl, including those who are LGBTQIA+, can ask questions freely, see role models who reflect them, and imagine a future in STEM without having to shrink any part of who they are. Alongside this post, we are sharing a recent research brief from The Trevor Project on anti-bullying policies in schools and LGBTQIA+ young people, a study on how clear protections can help make schools safer and more affirming. Inclusion is not an add-on to STEM education. It is the condition that allows talent, curiosity, and leadership to thrive. If you believe every student deserves to feel seen in STEM, we invite you to learn more about our programs and ways to get involved at jerseystem.org. #LGBTQSTEMDay #LGBTQInSTEM #GirlsInSTEM #STEMEducation #Inclusion #JerseySTEM

💼 A heartfelt thank-you to iCIMS for being an in-kind sponsor and supporting JerseySTEM’s mission to empower girls in STEM! Your generosity helps us strengthen the tools and resources that make our programs possible, creating opportunities for students to explore technology, innovation, and leadership.💡💻 Together, we’re building a stronger community where every girl has the chance to learn, grow, and succeed through STEM. 🌟 #ThankYouiCIMS #InKindSponsor #GirlsInSTEM #STEMEducation #InnovationInSTEM #TechForGood #EmpoweringGirls #CommunityImpact #FutureInnovators #STEMForAll #JerseySTEM #JerseySTEMPartners