Monthly Archives: January 2018

Two More Local Camp Fairs Showcasing Summer Programs

Events, Summer

In addition to the Teen Summer Program Expo on January 29, here are two more free opportunities to learn about summer programs for kids:

On January 28, the City of Newton will hold its annual Camp Fair in the Newton North HS cafeteria, noon to 4PM. From noon to 3PM, entertainment will be provided by Wicked Cool Science, enabling kids to build and launch air rockets.  Participating organizations include Newton Parks and Recreation, Newton Public Schools, Newton Community Education, Newton Free Library, and Historic Newton.

On February 11, the Newton England Camp Fair will be held at Bigelow Middle School, 11:30AM-2:30PM.  While many of the exhibiting programs have a STEM component, the following have a particularly focus on STEM:  Edge on Science, Empow Studios, Exploration School, LINX Camps, and Zaniac Learning Center.

MIT OMEGA Scholarships for Grades 11-12 Making Intergenerational Connections

Opportunities

Applications are now open until March 31 for New England high-school juniors and seniors to apply for OMEGA scholarships sponsored by the MIT AgeLab and AARP. Three OMEGA college scholarships are available (offering $1000 to the student plus $1000 to his/her high school) to recognize efforts of young adults in creating multi-generational connections in their communities. For more information, contact omegamit@mit.edu or 617-253-1894.

LigerBots Win Worldwide Recognition for Safety Video

Accomplishments

Congratulations to the LigerBots — Newton’s robotics team spanning both high schools — for placing first in a worldwide competition to create a short animated video explaining and supporting safety guidelines of FIRST robotics competitions.  Winning the 2018 FIRST Safety Animation Award, sponsored by UL, is a highly visible achievement, as the team’s safety video will be seen by about 500,000 spectators at various FIRST robotics competitions worldwide throughout the 2018 season. On the LigerBots blog, the team describes the inspiration and challenges of creating this engaging, informative video based on the theme of this year’s competition, Power Up.

Late Nite Skies at FSU Planetarium: Phantom of the Universe, Jan. 19

Events

The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University opens its planetarium for free public presentations on the third Friday of each month (except April).  The presentation on January 19, for adults and teens 14 years and older, will be an encore showing of Phantom of the Universe, a full-dome film about the exploration of dark matter by the world’s top physics labs, including CERN. After the film, Dr. Vandana Singh, FSU’s Chair of Physics and Earth Science, discuss the work being done by scientists at facilities like CERN. Registration is required and opens January 12.