New England Sci-Tech (NEST) STEM education center hosts its Youth Inventors Workshops on Saturdays, 9AM-Noon, throughout the year. They’re best for Grades 7-12, and students in Grades 5-6 may be included with special permission. Instructors are NEST teachers or volunteers, some with electronic or mechanical engineering degrees, as well as high-school or college students with experience in robotics or electronics. Students are encouraged to work in teams to design and build projects — brainstorming, sketching out ideas, calculating dimensions, learning to use design tools and software, building prototypes, testing and retesting, and solving problems that inevitably arise. The cost is $80 ($0 for NEST members).