EMERGING JERSEY CITY Science Fiction?

In March, the Jersey City Council voted to approve the land transfer of about 17 acres necessary for Liberty Science Center’s planned SciTech Scity, a mini-city that LSC boasts is “unique in the world.” The $280 million project will house a K-12 school dedicated to STEM; the world’s first business “optimizer” for 100 science, technology, and engineering startups; a small conference center; and Scholars Village with short-term accommodations for visiting scientists and entrepreneurs, and longer-term residences for STEM college students and people working at SciTech Scity.
“We want Jersey City to become one of the East Coast’s premier innovation and STEM education hubs,” said Paul Hoffman, President and CEO of Liberty Science Center. “SciTech Scity may be the region’s answer to Silicon Valley.”
Liberty Science Center trustee Minal Patel, a Jersey City native, said that SciTech Scity could make Jersey City a destination for science and technology innovators. “The original Silicon Valley was not in California,” she pointed out. “It was in Menlo Park, New Jersey.”
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop supports the project.
“With an increasingly competitive global market, we must equip our children with the best education and skills possible, with a focus on STEM education,” Fulop said. “SciTech Scity will do just that by educating future generations in innovative ways to leverage data and technology, while also making Jersey City a science research destination and employment hub.”
City Council member Jermaine Robinson represents Ward F, where Liberty Science Center is located. He said, “My vision is for the children of Ward F to become astronauts, brain surgeons, and engineers.”—JCM