New Jersey North Ecosystem [New Jersey]
Bergen County, NJ
![New Jersey North Ecosystem [New Jersey] logo New Jersey North Ecosystem [New Jersey] logo](https://stemecosystems.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Ecosystem_NJNEST_Secondary_Color.png)
About
Who We Are
NJ-NEST — New Jersey North EcosySTEM, led by Bergen Community College, is dedicated to building a community of partners and collaborators to promote educational initiatives and opportunities to students pursuing STEM degrees. Through building and maintaining relationships with K-12 districts, government agencies, higher education institutions, as well as public and private sector organizations, NJ-NEST promotes a collaborative approach to building STEM-focused pathways from K-12 to higher education and the industry.
By recognizing its role in preparing tomorrow’s workforce and aligning it with the industry and career outlooks, the Ecosystem values the synergy and continuum of the core partnerships and welcomes opportunities for new developments. Driven by the forward-looking nature of the STEM-related fields, New Jersey North EcosySTEM seeks innovative approaches in creating curricular and extra-curricular learning experiences for students of all ages.
Mission
By recognizing its role in preparing tomorrow’s workforce and aligning it with the industry and career outlooks, the ecosystem values the synergy and continuum of the core partnerships and welcomes opportunities for the new developments. Driven by the forward-looking nature of the STEM-related fields, NJ-NEST seeks innovative approaches in creating curricular and extra-curricular learning experiences for students of all ages.
Vision
In collaborating with educational and professional organizations, NJ-NEST will continue growing the STEM ecosystem through innovation, partnerships, and dedication to student success.
Goals
- Grow BCC’s cybersecurity program
- Create a pathway for integrating Research & Development
- Establish Innovation Center
Key Programs
IBM Academic Initiative program
Bergen Community College (BCC) introduces and educates students in the Enterprise Computing technology by partnering with the industry leaders from IBM, Viacom Infinity, UPS, and other companies. On numerous occasions, corporate partners visited Bergen campus and participated in conferences, led panel discussions, presented Keynote speeches, and collaborated in round-table discussions. A few semesters ago, an industry expert from a long-standing partner, Viacom Infinity, joined BCC faculty to share his technical knowledge and expertise with students by teaching college-level courses and providing them with marketable skills.
STEM C^2 Research Summit
To inspire and promote learning through extra-curricular initiatives, BCC conducts a yearly STEM C2 Research Summit, hosting 200+ participants from tri-state area high schools, colleges, government agencies, and the industry. Students showcase their research during the poster competition and get inspired about STEM from attending the breakout sessions and listening to the speakers. Every summer, BCC students complete a 12-week research program utilizing physical and virtual resources of the state-of-the-art STEM Research Center, recently awarded a New Good Neighbor Award by the NJ Business & Industry Association. Every year BCC students get accepted into the NJ STEM Student Scholars program and participate in national and regional conferences.
Additional Info
New Jersey North Ecosystem is part of New Jersey STEM Ecosystems statewide initiative. Replicating the National STEM Learning Ecosystems model, the NJSPN has fostered the creation of eight STEM Learning Ecosystems to advance collaboration across educators, business, government and community-based organizations in order to form more integrated cradle-to-career pipelines.
Representing all 21 New Jersey counties, the Ecosystems are opportunities to address unique regional challenges, while also providing a space to pilot, scale and replicate work that expands a statewide vision of STEM.
Contact
Emily Vandalovsky
Dean, Division of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Bergen Community College
evandalovsky@bergen.edu