By Glenn Rolfe

SEAFORD — A spring tradition took place Saturday, showcasing educational excellence that “stems” from a successful program born nearly five decades ago.

Students in Minority Engineering Regional Incentive Training put their knowledge and creativity together in a team-based competition at the Western Sussex Boys & Girls Club.

Before a panel of judges, the groups presented their projects, activities and solutions tied to the 2022 theme, “Water Quality in Delaware.”

“This is one of our staples, the spring competition,” said John Hollis, who founded the MERIT program in 1974.

Its mission is to involve minority students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Since its inception, MERIT students have earned more than 500 degrees from colleges and universities.

“And 97% of those students have earned bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degrees,” Mr. Hollis added.

Three teams were part of Saturday’s contest, which included water samples from the Delaware River and Trap Pond and research visits to the Nanticoke River in Seaford.

Judges included representatives from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Delmarva Power, as well as Scott Davidson, who has been part of MERIT for 45 years.

MERIT features students from throughout Sussex County who attend sessions every other Saturday from September through June. And there is now a summer MERIT program.

It all began in 1974, during the nylon boom in Seaford, when engineers from DuPont approached Mr. Hollis about starting a science club.

“The science club became affiliated through DuPont with the NACME, the National (Action) Council for Minorities in Engineering. It was that way for a couple years. Then, in the late 1970s, … there was a great deal of confusion (because) a prominent grocery store at that time was ACME. A lot of people were confusing the two,” said Mr. Hollis. “So the MERIT students came up with the logo and a new name.”

About 20 years ago, Delmarva Power assumed the reins from DuPont.

“Forty-eight years later, we’re still cooking,” Mr. Hollis said.