In case you missed the FIRST back-to-school video special on ABC-TV on Aug. 14, featuring will.i.am, the full video is here (42 minutes).
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Robotics Symposium: Teaching STEM with Robotics, Sept. 10
For teachers interested in learning how to successfully engage students in STEM concepts by using robotics, LEGO Education and National Instruments are hosting a symposium on Saturday, September 10, 8:30AM-2:30PM (registration starts at 8AM) at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren Street, Lowell, MA. Lunch will be provided. Limited seating. Registration required. Registration deadline: Friday, September 2. For a complete description of the symposium or to register, visit www.LEGOeducation.us/RoboticsSymposiums
Mass. Endorses Six @Scale STEM Initiatives
The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has endorsed six STEM initiatives for education and workforce development:
- Quinsigamond Community College’s Advanced Robotics Program to build a pipeline for K-12 STEM education in Worcester Public Schools and Worcester County Schools to college and ultimately the local STEM workforce
- Mass Insight Education’s Mass Math + Science Initiative (MMSI), a performance partnership demonstrating the number of Massachusetts students entering college prepared for and interested in pursuing STEM careers, particularly among under-served populations, dramatically increases when schools expand access to and encourage participation in Advanced Placement (AP) and other rigorous courses in grades 6-12
- DIGITS, a STEM education program that pairs STEM professionals with sixth-grade classes throughout the state (including all four Newton middle schools) to increase students’ interest in math and science subjects and careers
- WPI’s Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a STEM curriculum for grades 6-12 that is project-based and uses real-world problem-solving as a framework
- MassBioEd Foundation’s BioTeach, a program that features teacher professional development, equipment supply grants, and student experiential learning
- Massasoit Community College’s Science Transfer Initiative helps to build the pipeline of STEM professionals in Massachusetts by focusing on increasing post-secondary enrollment, retention, diversity, and access in the sciences.
Mass. 2011 STEM Summit — Right Here in Newton — Oct. 18
The Massachusetts 2011 STEM Summit, Advancing the STEM Agenda Locally & Nationally, will be held at the Newton Marriott, 8AM to 5PM on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Save the date. Registration information will be available soon. The summit is hosted by the Massachusetts Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, and the UMass Donahue Institute. Continue reading Mass. 2011 STEM Summit — Right Here in Newton — Oct. 18
Update on the Mass. State STEM Plan
The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council met on June 23 and approved criteria for identifying scalable STEM projects (PDF) for the regional STEM education networks (e.g., Newton belongs to the MetroWest STEM Education Network). The state’s STEM Pipeline Fund received $500K in the FY2012 budget.
will.i.am in FIRST Back-to-School TV Special, Aug. 14
Dean Kamen’s FIRST is sponsoring a one-hour back-to-school special featuring will.i.am, at 7PM on August 14 on ABC-TV. It’s a celebration of science and technology with special appearances by celebrities like Justin Bieber, Jack Black, Bono, Miranda Cosgrove, Miley Cyrus, Josh Duhamel, Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake and Steven Tyler.
NNHS will Host FIRST Robotics Regional Competition, Nov. 19
On Saturday, Nov. 19, Newton North HS will host a regional qualifying event for this year’s FIRST Lego League competition, the 2011 Food Factor Challenge. This qualifying round is part of an international competition involving over 200 students aged 9-16, from 55 countries. This year’s topic explores food safety. Participating teams will build, test, and program an autonomous LEGO robots solve a set of food safety missions as well as research, develop, and share innovative food safety solutions. Specifics on this year’s challenge will be released to teams on Sept. 2.
Optical Society Offers Educational Resources
The Optical Society offers a variety of educational resources, many available free of charge. Use this online form to request them. In addition, teachers may join the Optical Society at a reduced rate of $35. Those who join by August 31 receive a free optics discovery kit. Optics4kids.org is the Optical Society’s educational website for young students, parents, and educators.
Google Science Fair Winners Announced
This spring, Google held its first science fair. More than 10,000 students from 91 countries entered the competition. The field was narrowed to 60 semifinalists and then down to 15 finalists across three age groups (13-14, 25-26, 17-18), with 1 winner in each age group. Google’s science fair site has resources and guidance for teachers, an informative blog, and a link to request notification of next year’s competition.