Kean Researcher Expands Access to STEM Education

Kean University Associate Professor Matthew Niepielko, Ph.D., is advancing a model for the integration of education, scientific training and community engagement.

Through New Jersey’s Research Alliance for Inclusive STEM Education (NJ-RAISE) program, an initiative he designed to broaden access to STEM education and research opportunities, Niepielko is creating pathways for students from all backgrounds to gain early, hands-on research experience.

In a recently published paper in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, Niepielko outlines how traditional research labs can be reimagined as training environments where students gain access to long-term practical, career-ready skills early in their academic journeys and advocates for others to implement the RAISE model for research training.

The pathway introduces students to research as early as high school and supports their development through continued training, financial support and mentorship in college. This approach is designed to help more students stay in STEM fields by providing early, sustained access to STEM education.

“The idea is to turn a lab into a technical school that prepares the next generation to become scientists,” Niepielko said.

The work addresses a persistent national challenge in STEM education. While many students enter college intending to major in STEM fields, only about 40% graduate in those disciplines. This is often due to limited access and financial support for hands-on training opportunities rather than a lack of ability or motivation, according to Niepielko.

Niepielko believes that financial support for students to participate in research training is critical to expanding access to STEM education.

Supported by the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award, students receive stipends to train in the Niepielko Lab at Kean and other collaborating labs so that they may focus on career training rather than relying on non-STEM related jobs for income. They gain technical expertise, strengthen their resumes and develop skills essential for careers in science, experiences that can determine whether they stay in STEM fields.

“In sports, sometimes a future Hall of Famer just needs to get into a game to demonstrate their talents,” Niepielko said. “Similarly, future scientists may just need to have an opportunity to pick up a pipette for the first time or take their first image on a microscope to show their gifts or spark their curiosity.”

Kean supports this work through the Research First initiative in the School of Integrative Science and Technology. The program provides undergraduate students with early research experiences within a course structure, allowing for small research-focused class sizes and personalized mentorship while they earn academic credit and research honors.

“Conducting research in the lab was one of the best experiences I’ve had at Kean,” said Melissa Menzel ’25, a master’s student pursuing a molecular biology degree. “It gave me the chance to explore areas I’m genuinely interested in and showed me how impactful it can be to make research accessible to students who might not otherwise have those opportunities.”

Together, these efforts position Kean as a leader in expanding access to hands-on research experiences that help students succeed in STEM fields.

Niepielko hopes the program will serve as a model for institutions seeking to expand similar opportunities within their communities.

“I want other schools to look at Kean and see what we are doing for community engagement and social mobility and build similar opportunities,” Niepielko said. “Kean is setting an example for how to increase access to education and build programs that create real impact.”