Columbia Engineering Student Earns STEM Mentor of the Year Honor

Samay Garg, a PhD candidate at Columbia Engineering, has been named the Cognizant STEM Mentor of the Year by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), recognizing his commitment to developing the next generation of STEM leaders.

Garg’s own experiences with scientific outreach during his youth led him to start working with the NYAS’ Afterschool STEM Mentoring Program in 2024. He met weekly with fifth-grade students at P.S./M.S. 37 in the Bronx to teach a curriculum combining science lessons with hands-on experimentation.

“It reminded me that even something that doesn’t seem like much can really have a large impact on the students you’re teaching,” he said. 

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Small moments, big Impact

This spring, Garg and his students explored fundamental physics concepts like gravity and friction by designing and building marble runs. 

“They’re having a lot of fun doing it,” he said. “It’s cool to see them be really excited about learning new concepts in engineering, science and math.” 

Garg understands that the value of mentorship is about more than teaching concepts — it’s about expanding opportunity. 

“I think careers in STEM are more important than they ever have been,” he said. “Equally importantly, we need more diverse and more equitable perspectives in science and engineering.” 

He emphasized the importance of early exposure, particularly for students who may not otherwise see themselves reflected in these fields. 

“It’s important for them to see that they can be engineers and scientists when they grow up and that it’s not as intimidating a career as you might think.”

From sustainable chemistry to STEM classrooms

This same commitment to impact is also reflected in Garg’s research. As a doctoral student in chemical engineering and a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, he worked with Jingguang Chen, Thayer Lindsley Professor of Chemical Engineering, on developing sustainable methods for producing chemicals. 

“We’re looking at how we can combine electrocatalysis with traditional thermal catalysis to sustainably convert more abundant small molecules into high-demand chemical feedstock,” he explained. “We’re studying how we can synthesize them from more abundant precursors to decarbonize the chemical industry.” 

Garg’s focus on clean energy was catalyzed during his undergraduate studies, where he worked in a lab studying water electrolysis and fuel cells.

As he closes this chapter at Columbia this spring, Garg is preparing to join Stanford University as a postdoctoral researcher working on sustainable nitrate reduction at Stanford. 

While his research addresses complex global issues, Garg says his work with students offers a different kind of perspective and reward. He hopes others will follow in teaching the next generation. 

“Seeing them have that joy of learning something new really rekindles your own love for science,” he said.