Brookdale Student Christina Weber Selected as Team Lead for Governor’s STEM Scholars Program

Brookdale Community College student Christina Weber has been selected as a Team Lead for the Governor’s STEM Scholars, a highly competitive statewide program that connects New Jersey’s most promising students with leaders and opportunities across the state’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics industries.

Weber was selected during what program organizers described as the most competitive application cycle to date, with more than 1,200 students applying to participate.

“I knew I was applying alongside not only other undergraduate students from across New Jersey, but also master and doctoral students,” Weber said. “Being selected as a Team Lead from such a competitive group makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.”

Brookdale President David M. Stout, Ph.D., said her combination of academic achievement, scientific experience, and leadership makes her particularly well suited for the role.

“Christina combines scientific curiosity and technical skill with authentic leadership and mentorship,” Stout said. “She communicates complex ideas clearly, works well across diverse groups, and leads by example. I am confident she will be an encouraging and effective mentor for younger students exploring their own interests in STEM.”

As a Team Lead, Weber will mentor a group of younger Scholars as they complete a year-long research or engineering design project focused on a real-world challenge. Projects are rooted in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and require teams to develop solutions that can make an impact in their communities.

Team Leads help guide Scholars through the research process, keeping teams focused on strategies, deadlines, project development, and final deliverables. The experience gives college students an opportunity to strengthen their own leadership and mentoring skills while helping develop the next generation of STEM professionals. Team Leads who successfully complete the program receive a $1,000 stipend.

The Governor’s STEM Scholars, an initiative of the Research & Development Council of New Jersey, brings together talented students from high school through the doctoral level and introduces them to New Jersey’s extensive STEM and innovation ecosystem.

Throughout the program, Scholars participate in four conferences held at colleges and universities across the state, exploring STEM careers and opportunities in government, higher education, and industry. They also meet researchers, executives, elected officials, and other STEM professionals and visit leading research facilities and laboratories.

The program connects students with professionals from organizations and institutions throughout New Jersey’s STEM community. Partnering organizations and sponsors have included Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, PSEG, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

For Weber, the opportunity goes beyond participating in an elite STEM program. As a Team Lead, she will have the chance to help younger students discover where their own interests in science and engineering could lead.

The experience also highlights an opportunity for other Brookdale students. Eligible high school students, including Brookdale dual-enrollment students, can apply to participate as Governor’s STEM Scholars, while Brookdale undergraduates can pursue Team Lead positions and compete alongside college and graduate students from throughout the state.

Since its launch in 2013, the Governor’s STEM Scholars has supported more than 1,000 students from all 21 New Jersey counties. The program is designed to strengthen New Jersey’s STEM talent pipeline by giving students access to mentors, professional networks, hands-on research, internships, and exposure to academic and career pathways.

At the conclusion of the program, Weber and her fellow Scholars will present their research and engineering projects during the Governor’s STEM Scholars Commencement Conference in May 2027, where teams share their work with a panel of STEM industry professionals.