Our Philosophy
Learning by Doing, Early
Early exposure to STEM benefits students across the board: it increases achievement in STEM subjects, strengthens comprehension skills, and most importantly, builds confidence. Research shows that exposure to math and science has a bigger impact on students’ intent to major in a STEM field than does achievement.
Building Community and Mentorship
Our youth-to-youth mentorship is at the core of Curieus, because role models show young people how to live with integrity, tenacity, and empathy. They play an essential part in a student’s positive development.
Let's Bring Diversity into the Equation
Designing a world in which STEM is used for good means designing a field that works for everyone. In a career filled with problem-solving, the diversity of problem-solvers matters more than their individual ability-- it fosters a more creative, motivated, and compassionate generation of scientists.
Our Story
2018
The idea for Curieus originated at Menlo-Atherton High School, a Title 1 school that straddles the most affluent and underserved areas of Silicon Valley. Sitting in her science classroom, an experiment in socioeconomic integration, Rachel saw firsthand how early systemic inequities created a gap in enthusiasm and achievement. In an effort to tackle these disparities, she founded Curieus, bringing free hands-on science programs to low-income and minority youth to equalize access to STEM and spark curiosity in her community.
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2019
Curieus began with a classroom of twenty fourth-graders and five high school volunteer teachers, exploring science together twice a week after school at the Boys and Girls Club in East Menlo Park. After testing and adapting our program approach, the initial team recruited chapter directors and raised our first round of funding to launch Curieus programs at 4 schools across Silicon Valley.
2020
Curieus chapters expanded nationwide, launching 9 more chapters across both coasts and building a network of young scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
As schools around the world shut down due to COVID-19, we developed Curieus in Quarantine: a two-week video curriculum designed to add an hour of free, hands-on science to kids' quarantine routines.
True to our mission, we also launched Curieus Cares, packaging and distributing Curieus experiment kits to low-income families.
Later in the year, we launched our live weekly workshops, bringing science straight to families’ homes. Through partnerships with school districts, community centers, and shelters, we reached 1,500+ students around the world.
2021
This year, we’re dedicated to building our global movement through our chapter programs, with 20 chapters expected to bring hands-on science to communities worldwide by the end of 2021. We’re also launching our virtual speaker series with diverse leaders in STEM to build confidence in our students, and highlight their inspiring stories and experiences for all. Join our movement by starting a chapter, tuning into a workshop, or supporting our students- we'd love to have you!