Danielle Harlow and Diana Arya pose with their Strong, Smart, Bold Award and Girls Inc. girls at the Girls Inc. Annual Celebration Luncheon
Girls Inc. of Santa Barbara presented one of its 6th Annual Strong, Smart, and Bold Awards to the Curie-osity Project, based at UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School. Led by Diana J. Arya, an assistant professor in the Department of Education, the Curie-osity Project launched in 2017 as a collaborative literacy and STEM program between Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara and the McEnroe Reading & Language Arts Clinic at the Gevirtz School. The award also honored Danielle Harlow, Associate Professor, and Ph.D. candidate Jasmine McBeath, both in the Department of Education, who work with Arya on the project. The award was presented at Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara’s 16th Annual Celebration Luncheon on September 28th.
The Strong, Smart, and Bold Awards are presented annually to one Girls Inc. local corporate partner and one program partner that each embody the mission, vision, and values of Girls Inc. Honorees demonstrate an ongoing commitment to inspiring girls through their leadership, service, and support, and have a significant impact on the lives of girls, women, and the Santa Barbara community as a whole.
The Curie-osity Project engaged girls in grades 4-6 in research and inquiry-based activities with women scientists and engineers within the Santa Barbra community. 25 girls from the Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara After-school Program visited UCSB labs and research sites to interview women from a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines and learn about their work. The girls were led by UCSB undergraduate students who facilitated the hands-on, minds-on activities at the university, all focused on the ultimate, collaborative goal of publishing a book about the interviewed women that have made significant contributions to their respective fields.