RT Park STEM Demand Surges as UVI Moves to Commercialize Research and Launches Free EV Fast Charger

The University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park is seeing sharply increased demand for its youth STEM programming while moving forward with a new effort to help local researchers commercialize their work and generate business opportunities from academic innovation. During a meeting on Thursday, RT Park Executive Director Eric Sonnier told board members that the organization’s after-school STEM program, which concluded its term on April 24, is now offered in 14 public elementary and middle schools across the territory. Enrollment has grown from 95 participants in fiscal year 2025 to 356 in fiscal year 2026, nearly quadrupling in one year. Mr. Sonnier also reported strong demand for RT Park’s upcoming summer youth camps. Registration opened on April 17, and “it’s amazing to be able to say that registration was filled for St. Croix and St. Thomas within three minutes,” he told board members. The rapid registration, he said, shows the program’s popularity but also high...