RAHWAY, NJ — The You Be The Solution New Jersey Regional Challenge 2025, formerly the You Be the Chemist Competition – organized by the Urban League of Union County and BASF – will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Rahway Recreation Center, 275 E. Milton Ave., Rahway. This year’s regional competition is presented in partnership with KOBO with ReWORLD Waste.
Designed to inspire curiosity and innovation, the event challenges middle school students to demonstrate their chemistry knowledge through an engaging, hands-on, team-based STEM competition. The You Be The Solution Challenge is the flagship program of the Chemical Educational Foundation and offers a dynamic learning experience that builds critical thinking, communication, entrepreneurship and problem-solving skills – tools essential for academic achievement and future careers.
Teams of three to four students in grades five to eight compete by answering timed, science-based questions during the Regional Challenge. In addition, teams participate in a Video Challenge, where they develop and present a start-up company concept aimed at addressing sustainability issues and creating community-based solutions.
Participants include:
- Student Teams – Collaborate on both the Regional Challenge and Video Challenge components;
- Educator: teachers, parents and mentors – Serve as Team Coordinators, guiding students and managing team logistics; and
- Volunteers – Act as Challenge Organizers who host and manage the event, and Video Evaluators who review and score team submissions.
The New Jersey Regional Challenge continues to serve as a powerful platform for empowering young minds, encouraging innovation, and connecting science education to real-world solutions.
“This is our third year hosting the Science Competition and each year it gets better! We’re excited to welcome new schools and to continue expanding the event with hands-on experiments that expose students to different areas of science. We believe in making science fun and uplifting STEM so young people can see themselves in these fields,” said Crystal Orr, CEO and president of the Urban League of Union County.
Students and guests must register at www.uloucnj.org.
For all media inquiries, contact Syreta J. Oglesby at syretajoglesby@gmail.com or 201-658-3711.
