Jaden Barney

Class of 2017
Hometown: Venetia, PA

Jaden Barney, of Venetia, PA, will graduate in December 2017 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. As part of the Levine Scholars Program, Jaden interned at Project Scientist, a local non-profit seeking to increase girls’ interest in STEM fields. Through her non-profit internship, Jaden connected with UNC Charlotte sociology professor Dr. Elizabeth Stearns, with whom she collaborated on starting an IRB-approved research project in conjunction with Project Scientist, UNC Charlotte, and Harvard Pear Institute in order to study Project Scientist’s methods in exciting girls about STEM. Jaden was also involved in mechanical engineering research, working with Dr. Stuart Smith on precision metrology systems and received a Goldwater Honorable Mention in 2016 for her undergraduate research. Jaden has interned twice with Apple in Cupertino, CA – summer 2015 with the Apple TV Systems Quality Assurance team and spring/summer 2016 with iPhone, Apple Watch Product Design team. She returned in to Cupertino in summer 2017 for a second product design internship. Jaden also spent a portion of summer 2016 studying abroad in India through Operation Groundswell. While there, she studied gender and religion and learned from local activists and non-profit organizations. On campus, Jaden works for the Multicultural Resource Center as a Student Council member, facilitating workshops for students on diversity issues. She is collaborating with Lawrence Lardieri ’18 on a civic engagement project that seeks to train incoming students on race equity and open a discussion about ethical volunteerism. She hopes to pursue an engineering industry position while remaining active in race equity and diversity advocacy, with a focus on STEM fields.