Registration is now open for Newton’s Destination Imagination program for the 2017-18 school year. It’s a volunteer-run STEAM program for Grades K-12. Teams of 2-7 students form in September and address various design challenges (see preview) throughout the year in preparation for regional tournaments in the early spring and potentially state and global competitions in May. Over the years, over 350 Newton students have participated. Here are videos of this year’s Technical Challenge, Scientific Challenge, Engineering Challenge, Fine Arts Challenge, Improvisational Challenge, and Social Action Challenge. Details are in this webinar. The registration fee of $135 is reduced to $95 for adults volunteering to co-manage a team. For more information, contact Matthew Miller at matthew@newtondi.net.
Monthly Archives: August 2017
NASA’s Advice on Viewing the August 21 Solar Eclipse
The August 21 solar eclipse will be visible in totality from within a 70-mile-wide band across the United States, from Oregon to South Carolina, for a couple of minutes in each location. From elsewhere — and before and after those brief minutes of totality within that band — the eclipse will be partial and thus will present a danger to anyone viewing the sun without proper eye protection. NASA’s advice on viewing the eclipse safely includes a list of reputable vendors of solar filters and viewers. Avoid off-brand, sub-standard “eclipse glasses” that are reportedly being sold. Since retinas do not sense pain, it’s possible to incur severe damage to eyesight without being aware of it at the time. Watch safely, so you can see future solar eclipses, too — including the one over Newton on May 1, 2079 at 6:06AM!