UAlbany, Girls Inc. Highlight STEM Through Eureka! Program
ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 12, 2025) — For nearly 90 years, Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region has strived to prepare girls for lifelong success. Starting as the Schenectady Girls Club in 1937, the program now serves girls throughout Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties with numerous after-school and summer programs that are designed to inspire and to motivate.
This includes the annual Eureka! Program at UAlbany, a free, five-year college readiness summer camp that provides girls with an introduction to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Throughout July, girls were given the chance to take part in scientific research in a number of cutting-edge labs, tour the University’s innovative New York State Mesonet and help launch a weather balloon.
As the girls grow with the program each year, more senior students can undertake an internship in a variety of fields, including business, medicine or the environment. Some of the internship opportunities included AI firm Kitware Inc., Cornell Cooperative Extension and UAlbany’s uBioLab.
Under the direction of associate professors of Physics Alexander Khmaladze and Jonathan Petruccelli, along with Instructional Support Technician Anna V. Sharikova, eight Eureka! students spent the summer learning about Raman spectroscopy, three-dimensional digital imaging and biological tissue imaging.
“It was great to see the girls engaged and learning about physics and the opportunities in STEM that await them,” said Petruccelli. “I would also like to thank our graduate students, Shane Carney, Alireza Sheikhsofla, Samaneh Ghazanfarpour and Monireh Pourrahimi, who played a key role in helping to make this experience a memorable one for Girls Inc. and UAlbany.”
The program is hosted each year by UAlbany’s College of Arts and Sciences.
In addition to STEM education, Eureka! provides programming aimed at personal development, athletics, mentorship and career exploration. Now in its 13th year at UAlbany, the camp serves an important role in the “cradle to career” education pipeline in New York State.
“Every year I'm even more amazed by the opportunities that our internship partners give to our girls. They are learning invaluable, transferable skills starting at this young age that will help them throughout their adult lives,” said Girls Inc. Empowerment Director and Eureka! Manager Kelly Mucci, a UAlbany alum who has served as a mentor to hundreds of girls who have taken part in the program. “I'm grateful for the experiences UAlbany gives our 8th and 9th graders as they are learning so many new components of STEM. I'm also thankful to our funders so this whole experience is free to our families. I love seeing the growth and the confidence the girls build over their five years in the program.”
“We are always pleased to partner with Girls Inc. and help provide various venues and experiences for these aspiring scholars,” said UAlbany College of Arts and Sciences Dean Jeanette Altarriba. “The College is honored to be part of a program that integrates experiential learning activities with classroom instruction that prepares these students for their future careers.”
“Empowering girls is essential! It is meaningful to purposefully position this partnership so that it continues to flourish,” said Arts and Sciences Assistant Dean for Public Engagement Deb Privott, who leads the Eureka! program for UAlbany. “We extend thanks to all who have contributed in any way to this extraordinary endeavor. It takes a whole village, and we are tremendously grateful for the integrality that is the epitome of excellence in public engagement at the University at Albany.”
The program is sponsored by the Albany Med Health System, Applied Materials, Broadview Federal Credit Union, Fenimore Asset Management, Grasshopper Heating & Cooling, Highmark, KeyBank, M&T Bank, MVP Health Care and National Grid.
To learn more about the Girls Inc. Eureka! Program at UAlbany or about public engagement at the College of Arts and Sciences, fill out the CAS Public Engagement Contact Form.