All posts by newtonstem

Newton Community Ed: Early-Release Science Days

Events, Opportunities

Newton Community Education is partnering with Wicked Cool for Kids to offer Early Release Science Days for Grades 1-4 at Horace Mann, Underwood, Cabot at Carr, and Bowen elementary schools on days when Newton Public Schools are released early. The cost is $65 per session, and you can save $15 by registering for all three sessions.

  • Wednesday, February 7:  Squishy Circuits:  Combine make-your-own play-dough with electronics to build circuits. Concoct colored conductive and insulating dough, and integrate batteries and LEDs to make creations with light-up components.
  • Thursday, March 8:  Slime Time:  Create six amazing slime samples. Make glow-in-the-dark slime and super smelly putty. Whip up some polka-dot slime and concoct color explosion goop. Finish up with undersea slime and a bouncy-ball formula.
  • Thursday, May 3:  Space Base:  Travel into deep space and construct a human habitat. Determine what you’ll need to terraform a planet. Decide how you’ll grow food, where to live, and how to communicate with Earth. Construct buildings and landscapes for the survival of humankind.

BioBuilder February Break Workshop for Ages 10-14, Feb. 20-22

Vacation Programs

BioBuilder Learning Lab is hosting SynBIO: Fiction vs. Reality, a February break workshop for 10-14-year-old students interested in synthetic biology and getting hands-on time in a biology lab with a trained scientist.  It will be held February 20-22, 9AM-3PM, at BioBuilder Lab Central (700 Main Street, Cambridge). Cost is $600. Register here. For more information, email info@biobuilder.org.

MIT Museum FebFest over School Vacation, Feb. 19-24

Events, Vacation Programs

Over the February school vacation, February 19-24, the MIT Museum will host its annual Feb Fest. This year’s theme is Big Data, inspired by the Museum’s exhibition, Big Bang Data. Except as noted, the cost of all of the following events is included in the charge for museum admission:

Workshops for middle-school students (9:30AM-3:30PM), including trips to the MIT campus:  Pre-registration is required for each of the following (cost $85):

Showcases (daily 10AM-Noon), with topics changing daily. Drop-in; registration not required.

  • February 19:  Chain Reaction Construction with Data
  • February 20:  Data for Energy & Our Environment
  • February 21:  Data for Health & Wellness
  • February 22:  Data Communication & Visualization
  • February 23:  The Internet and Machine Learning

Idea Hub (daily 12:30-2PM) to explore programming in Scratch. On-site sign-up for 30-minute sessions.

Gallery Tours (daily 2-2:30PM) for ages 14+.  Tickets available for up to 25 participants starting 30 minutes before each tour.

  • February 20, 22, 23: Big Bang Data
  • February 21:  CAVS 50, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies

Finale (February 24, 1-4PM):  Citizen Science Fair:  Public participation in data collection, analysis, and reporting.

NSHS Seeks Furniture and Tools for a New Maker Space

Resources

The Newton South HS Science Department is creating a “maker-space” for science classes and related student activities.  They are seeking donations of (and can arrange transportation for) the following:

  • One or more full-height storage cabinets (wood, metal, or heavy plastic) that either have locks or to which a hasp and padlock could be attached;
  • Work stools, fire-compliant chairs, or a small sofa;
  • Hand tools and small power tools of any type.

Check out this catalog of school furniture to start creating a supportive modern learning environment.

To donate any of these, please contact Jordan Krause at dr.ljkraus@gmail.com.

Marine Genomics & Career Workshop for Girls in Nahant, Feb. 20-21

Opportunities

Girls in Grades 10-12 are invited Northeastern University’s free Marine Genomics and Career Workshop at the university’s Marine Science Center in Nahant, February 20-21.  It’s an opportunity to explore the ocean, science, and math while meeting scientists, educators, and new friends. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until February 2 or until the workshop is filled. Preference will be given to girls from economically disadvantaged families. There’s a daily shuttle from Boston to the Center. For more information, contact Val Perini at v.perini@northeastern.edu or 781-581-7370 x373.

NSHS Biomedical Research Club Seeks Hosts for Internships

Opportunities, Summer

The Newton South Biomedical Research Club seeks adults in local academic or commercial science research institutions to sponsor one or ore Newton South HS students in their labs for summer or school-year internships. Alternatively, the club welcomes such individuals to visit the school to speak about their research with students.  Interested individuals are invited to email name/title/contact info, area of research, specific interest in this program (research intern/lecture), and availability (summer intern/school year intern/other) to NSHS parent Rhoda Alani alani@bu.edu.

Application Open for PROMYS: BU’s Summer Math Program for Young (Motivated) Scientists

Summer

Applications are now available for PROMYS, a six-week (July 1-August 11) residential summer program at Boston University for strongly motivated high-school students (ages 15-19) to explore in-depth the creative world of mathematics.  About 80 students are selected from a nationwide/worldwide pool based on online applications consisting of solutions to challenging problem sets, school transcripts, teacher recommendations, and short essays explaining their interest in the program.  Financial aid is available as necessary to ensure all who are selected may attend.  Applications are due March 31.  For more information, see the FAQs and then contact promys@bu.edu.

Mass. Life Sciences Center: Summer Apprenticeship Internships

Summer

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is facilitating and funding summer internships for Massachusetts high-school students who are at least 16 years old and currently in Grades 10-12. The Summer Apprenticeship Challenge program connects these students with employers throughout the state and subsidizes intern stipends (up to $12 per hour, for a total of up to $2,880 for six weeks) so that life sciences companies and academic researchers can hire interns. Employers do the interviewing and selection, then provide a mentor and a hands-on learning experience. Employers sign up here and students sign up here. For more information, email internship@masslifesciences.com.

Apply Now for ‘Girls Who Code’ Summer Immersion Program

Summer

Girls Who Code offers its free, 7-week Summer Immersion Program for girls currently in Grades 10-11 to learn computer science and get exposure to technology jobs. No previous experience is required — just an interest in technology and willingness to learn. It will be held in 14 cities, including Boston (July 9 – August 24). The application has one question and does not require grades or recommendations. Apply by February 16 for early acceptance or by March 16 for the regular deadline.

Girls Who Build Music Tech Workshop at MIT, Feb. 3

Events

The Girls Who Build Music Tech workshop for high-school girls is a one-day, hands-on introduction to music technology on February 3, 8:30AM-4:30PM, at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Beaverworks Center in Cambridge. It will include learning how pop stars use autotuning to be on pitch,  tearing down old headphones and speakers, designing your own speaker, and programming a synthesizer guitar — as well as keynote speakers from the music technology industry, including female engineers from Bose and MIT. The $50 fee includes lunch and materials. Register here. For more information, leave a message on the Girls Who Build contact page.