The City of Newark has a new STEM technology center for students in grades 5-12. WBGO's Ang Santos reports...

The Student’s 2 Science Technology Center is outfitted with commercial grade STEM research instrumentation. S2S President Paul Winslow hopes they’ll serve every age appropriate student in Newark schools.

“We will service every student in the district through the Virtual Laboratory Program from the 5th grade though the 12th grade,” said Winslow. “With as many as eight to ten sessions per year. Every two to three weeks, kids will be doing a hands-on experiment under out direction through the Virtual Laboratory Program.”

The S2S Tech Center is working in partnership with Newark Public Schools to reach more city students. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says it will help them on their path towards acquiring STEM related jobs.

"We are greeting technology, we are greeting the new world with the kind of zeal and excitement that we need to. And the preparedness that we have to, to make sure that we can compete in a society that is centered around technology,” Baraka said.

Robert Gregory, Interim-Superintendent of Newark Public Schools says the STEM center promotes interest in future technology.

“We have incubated a state of the art science lab that will allow our students to be exposed to careers in STEM education, so they will have a seat at the table we call freedom, and are in position to fill jobs that will be available right here in their backyard, across the state, and the nation.”

Senator Cory Booker says the United States is falling behind the rest of the world technologically but says it has the resources to change that trend.

"You need to invest in young people. In a global knowledge-based society, the most valuable natural resource in the new modern era is not oil, gas and coal. The most valuable natural resource we have on the planet Earth within a global knowledge-based society is the genius of our children,” Booker said.

Maurice Minot, a sophomore at Eagle Academy for Young Men in Newark says the tech center presents an eye-opening experience for his fellow students.

“I feel like a lot of kids my age they don’t realize the possibility because they’ve never been in an environment that focuses on it. Normal people my age want to be basketball players, football players, all that type of stuff. But it they’re in an environment like this, I feel like they will be enlightened.”

The S2S Tech Center is expected to reach over 32 thousand students by the beginning of 2019.