By Madison Russ
If there’s one thing Michelle Stella Riordan doesn’t do, it’s slow down. She even jokes that those close to her say she has two speeds: high speed and asleep.
Whether she’s spearheading local STEM programs and clubs or researching the cosmos, the Egg Harbor Township-based educator is constantly in motion.
“I feel extremely grateful and fortunate to have followed my goals, my dreams, my passion—I am one of those that firmly believes you’re never done learning. So, I will continue learning and sharing,” said Stella Riordan, the STEM director for the Police Activities League of Egg Harbor Township and Atlantic County and a professional photographer of 30 years.
“I will keep going on and on and on until I can’t move anymore,” she laughed.
Stella Riordan, who is also a NASA Solar System Ambassador and NASA Astro Camp partner, fell in love with the night sky at an early age.
As she puts it, the first time she looked through her grandfather’s old telescope at the moon, she was “hooked.”
Today, that passion is the driving force behind inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers and astronomers at the Police Activities League and throughout the local community, particularly middle school students.
“I was a middle school kid who was introduced to science by some amazing teachers, and I thought, that’s where you hook them,” she said. “If you wait until high school, they already have their tendencies on what they like and don’t like. Elementary kids love everything, just about. But middle school is where you really start to inspire them and mentor them.”
While raising her children, Stella Riordan fostered opportunities for exploration through creative projects and experiments. So when her youngest, then in first grade, brought home fliers for the Cub Scouts and a LEGO workshop at the Police Activities League, she encouraged him to try both, eventually becoming involved herself.
“I started using some NASA resources along the way for my Cub Scout den,” she explained, noting she later became an instructor at the Police Activities League.
Still involved with Boy Scout Troop 389 and as the STEM director for the Police Activities League, she continually seeks new ways to inspire students.
“We’re constantly looking for newer stuff to inspire the kids,” she said. “If you give them a safe space to do something and be creative, it builds their confidence, and they can become good problem solvers.”
Around eight years ago, Stella Riordan explained that she started looking into developing the Police Activities League’s astronomy program.
“I found a great course to do at NASA Goddard to certify in NASA Afterschool Universe to bring these programs back to PAL (Police Activities League),” she said, which then became a launchpad for her involvement in other NASA programs.
More recently, she pursued a coveted opportunity to conduct real astronomical research through the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) on active galactic nuclei (AGN), which are highly luminous cores of galaxies that outshine the stars in that galaxy. AGNs are supermassive black holes that interact with nearby matter by pulling it into an accretion disk.
The NITARP program aims to provide educators with an authentic astronomical research experience using data housed at NASA’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at the California Institute of Technology.
As part of NITARP, Stella Riordan joined a year-long research project, collaborating with a research astronomer, other educators and students. Their research culminated in a presentation at the American Astronomical Society winter meeting, where Stella Riordan and her team shared their findings.
Stella Riordan said the experience has given her more confidence to discuss AGNs, including with her students.
“If they’re thinking about it, then we can continue to talk about it; I can answer their questions about the research, the research process and inspire them to continue and, hopefully, stay in a STEM field,” she said. “I’ve been very fortunate that I have met some amazing, amazing kids that are inspired.”
She’s also been able to share this knowledge with other educators interested in astronomy.
“The more I learn, the more I can share—science is for sharing,” she said.
Looking ahead, Stella Riordan is preparing for this year’s STEM Expo at the Police Activities League, an event that has evolved from an open house into a free community day filled with hands-on, interactive STEM activities—yet another initiative shaped by her passion and dedication.
The event, which is hosted during New Jersey STEM month, will be held on March 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“It’s a great day to share the science,” she said.
Madison Russ is an award-winning journalist, copy editor and adjunct professor of communication based in Atlantic County. An Ocean City native, Madison is passionate about telling stories that matter to locals, often spotlighting nonprofits and exploring the area’s vibrant arts scene.
