STEMpact NJ

What is STEMpact NJ?

STEMpact NJ is a nonprofit organization that aims to spread the creative and innovative thinking and aspects around STEM to the next generation of thinkers by taking a different approach to STEM education. Their approach, while indirectly and directly teaches kids different topics surrounding the STEM fields, gives kids the opportunity for directly hands-on experience into STEM that goes around the simple confines of teaching with activities and skips right to the part where projects are involved. In order to accomplish this engagement the quickest way possible, STEMpact NJ goes around a classroom-like exposure but instead provides STEM project kits to students. These kits give kids a way to experience STEM by working hands-on and collaboratively throughout a number of topics in the field. For example, the hydraulic machine allows students to physically create and build a model hydraulic press and visualize the mechanics surrounding the technology. Another engaging kit that the organization distributes and donates to children is a Rube Goldberg Machine design kit that allows for the expression of creativity and learning as it encourages the student’s ability and propensity to design intricate tracks as well as learn and observe the mechanisms of physics. With the kits as well, STEMpact NJ and its team host in person events that distribute the kits to kids but also gives them a space where they can find others to meet and work together on the four-person projects, as the kits were designed. With the events as well, the team at STEMpact NJ is also about to provide guidance on the construction and deployment of the gadgets made. 

While the focus of the organization’s goals are the in-person and distribution events, STEMpact NJ also works and manages the fund raising, ordering, delivering, and logistics of the distribution and spread of their resources. In their first round of fundraising and supplying, the organization raised a total close to $1500 dollars, part of which also came out of donations from the cofounders themself, and purchased over one hundred $10 STEM project kits. The organization also funded and handled their delivery and distribution event in their local community of Edison, NJ. For their local area, the access to the kits was limited and even more so limited by the costs of the items and the limited funds of schools in the area. Furthermore, the organization’s local area saw no other organization with a focus on STEM and interactive as the team envisioned and instead of letting the gap grow, STEMpact NJ brought the missing elements back to their community and extended it for more young minds to enjoy and explore. 

Meet the Team behind STEMpact NJ

Gurkeerat is one of the four co-founders of STEMpact NJ. While Gurkeerat was fortunate enough to have the STEM engagement and resources to explore more into the field, he realized that many others in his local community lacked the same access as he did. Some of Gurkeerat’s treasured memories of his experience in STEM come from his experiences exploring his father’s workplace and attending company events catered towards young students where they were given activities to stimulate and model programs and designs the company worked on. This experience however was only possible, as he knew, because of his father’s experience and not everyone had the same guidance as he did. However, his experiences are ones that he grew to hope that others could enjoy, and had hoped that others could enjoy with him. His dreams culminated in his initiative STEMpact NJ. While exploring the options and how to spread STEM, education and engagement, Gurkeerat hoped that he could show others the enjoyment, excitement and synergistic elements of the field. While he considered hosting in-person class-like workshop activities, Gurkeerat believed that there was a more engaging and dispersible option that fostered all the elements of learning and collaborating in STEM. What Gurkeerat decided on was the STEM project kits, a memory from his past in the childrens’ workshops at his father’s company. Gurkeerat not only chose STEM kits because of those experiences as a child, but also because of his experiences and observations in his activities, namely Model UN and Youth and Government. Through the two experiences, Gurkeerat has seen the creative nature of collaborative efforts and the strive towards benefiting the modern world. For him, the drafting of bills and legislation on current issues and the process of proposing and presenting showed promise into the power of finding a love and passion for what people do. STEMpact NJ serves as a model of his hopes as although it may not be governance and writing, it still follows his passion for the STEM fields and his love for experimenting and creating. 

Kabeer Mago is another co-founder of STEMpact NJ. His passion for STEM was developed from an extremely young age as he is reminiscent of the chemistry experiments, like the baking soda volcano, and of technology and assembly as he would disassemble and reassemble his toy cars. As I grew older, his curiosity and eagerness to learn more in the STEM field was limitless and his interest in science matured into a complex passion for the medical field. While he still pursues his newfound passion for medicine, STEMpact NJ was a way Kabeer could inspire and encourage as many children as possible to pursue their own curiosity and love for science with hands-on projects, just as I did.

Tim Kou is another cofounder of STEMpact NJ. He cites his passion for STEM in his early childhood as well. As a younger kid, he was always fascinated with creating projects such as coding various Scratch games or engineering wooden assemblies in his garage. However, Tim knows there is more he can do with his passion and it has manifested as his commitment to enable all types of people to reach their fullest capabilities. The two combined interests of his led him to pursue software engineering and continues to be a driving passion as he grows through high school and into college. STEMpact NJ was the perfect solution to expose as many children as possible, no matter their circumstances, to the wondrous and unlimited world that STEM has to offer and chase his passions.

Mihir Joseph is another cofounder of STEMpact NJ. He also finds his passion for STEM rooting from his childhood as he remembers playing with trains and Lego moving the assembly and hands-on working sensation. As he grew, so did his interest in the STEM field, but also an interest and desire to help others. In the future, Mihir aspires to become a biomedical engineer and use the STEM concepts to build devices to help people who are unwell. Through STEMpact, he saw a perfect reflection of the next generation's boundless potential and opened up a world of limitless opportunities in the wondrous realm of STEM and an opportunity for him to share his love for hands-on building and engagement with anyone he could help. 

Future Outlook and Student Involvement

The team envisions STEMpact NJ to go beyond his high school career and become an organization he devotes part of his time to operating even after college. With a successful first round of distributions, the team has focused on other organization enhancements including an improved outreach and fundraising options, increased public engagement through social media, a website, and other online presences. Through these goals especially, they have overseen the management for the organization’s web page design, expansion into fundraising applications such as GoFundMe, and talked to community members and other organizations about donations and support. The team also envisions a stronger role for their peers to participate in his organization and its goals particularly through volunteer work at distribution sites, roles in the organization, but also help with community outreaching events to raise more attention and funding for their cause. Gurkeerat, Kabeer, Tim, and Mihir encourage other students to learn more about their mission and seek them out for advice and any opportunities he has in his organization for other high school students!