Warren Students Complete Governor's School Assignment

Warren students Bryan Gerber and Charlotte Zuber, who were selected to attend the New Jersey Governor's School in the Sciences, program at Drew University, were among the 85 top science students from high schools in the Garden State to successfully completed the three-week program.

The program, which ran from July 14 to Aug. 3, introduced the state's best and brightest high school students to college-level coursework and research in the sciences, preparing them to excel in the classroom and laboratory.

According to Adam Cassano, associate professor of chemistry at Drew and co-director of NJGSS, teams of students undertook original research projects on topics ranging from the unknown impacts of climate change to the origins of volcanic materials found in ancient pottery.

"The purpose of having students do team projects is to acclimate them to problem-solving using advanced software and equipment, and to get them thinking about how they can contribute to their group's broader research goals," he says. "The students, who we consider to be the 85 best high school scientists in the state, are mentored by Drew's own faculty experts whose content knowledge and teaching excellence is what helps them cross the finish line."

Founded in 1984, NJGSS has served 2,766 of the state's top science students over the last 30 years, and has graduated winners of many prestigious awards, including the Nobel Prize and the MacArthur Genius Grant. The focus of the program is to give high school students an early college experience, preparing them to realize their full potential in both the classroom and laboratory. This year, NJGSS received more than 350 applications from students who were nominated by their high school, with 85 being offered admission.

Funded by a $50,000 grant from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and generous private gifts from individuals and organizations, the cost of attendance is free. Major donors in 2013 included AT&T Foundation, Bayer HealthCare, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Roche, Watson Pharmaceuticals and Wellington Management. Generous gifts were also received from John and Laura Overdeck, The Crimmins Family Charitable Foundation, Ina Zucchi Family Trust, the Busan Institute, and NJGSS alumni and faculty.

In addition to Bryan Gerber and Charlotte, Watchung Hills students Alexander Rucker and Soumya Sodhakar also qualified for the Governor's School program; they attended the Engineering and Technology program.