In addition to recommendations last week and the week before, there’s now a great list of STEM gift ideas from Boston Tech Mom.
All posts by newtonstem
Newton Free Library: STEM Events in December
The Newton Free Library will host the following STEM events in December:
- December 7: Scratch Club, 7-8PM, Grades 3-4. Space is limited. Pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk.
- December 19: Intro to Ozobots, 4PM, Grades 2-4. Registration opens November 28.
- December 29: LEGO Club, 10AM, Unstructured building time for kids old enough to not put LEGOs in their mouths!
Spellman High Voltage Electronics Clean Tech Competition, Ages 15-18
The non-profit Center for Science Teaching & Learning runs the Spellman High Voltage Electronics Clean Tech Competition, in which teams of 1-3 students (ages 15-18), assisted by a parent/teacher/mentor, identify a problem within the theme of “Solving Climate Change” and then develop an original solution. Teams should register by March 16 and submit their papers by April 13, and 10 finalist teams will prepare prototypes and presentations for prizes.
LigerBots Host FIRST LEGO League Newton Qualifier
Yesterday, the Newton LigerBots high-school robotics team hosted the Newton Qualifier competition for 24 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams, including these 7 teams from Newton (in this photo, left to right): Day Dragons, Vikings, Roaming Rovers, Outlaws of Newton, Tacocats, Atomic Bots, and Newtronics. Each team built and programmed a LEGO Mindstorms robot to accomplish 18 separate missions in the competition. Each team also completed a research project related to this year’s theme, Hydro Dynamics, and presented results to a team of adult judges. Finally, each team was interviewed and scored on how well they exhibited FLL’s Core Values.
Newton teams won the following FLL awards: The Day Dragons won the Champion’s Award. The Newtronics won the Teamwork Award. The Roaming Rovers won the Software Programming Award. And the Tacocats won the Research Project Award. The Day Dragons, Roaming Rovers, and Newtronics each qualified to advance to the Eastern Massachusetts State Championship, which will be held at Newton North HS on December 16 (again hosted by the LigerBots). That event, too, will be free, open to the public, and a lot of fun, with more teams competing and more hands-on exhibits in the accompanying Maker Fair.
MIT Edgerton’s ‘Science on Saturday’ for Grades K-12, Dec. 2: Nuclear Science and Engineering
MIT’s Edgerton Center holds free Science on Saturday programs approximately monthly during the school year for elementary, middle, and high school students — as well as their parents and teachers. Each is a fun, one-hour, interactive presentation beginning at 10AM in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. Kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Attendees also receive same-day admission to the MIT Museumat half-price. No pre-registration is necessary but seating is limited and first-come, first-seated. The next program will be December 2: Nuclear Science and Engineering. For more information, contact Dr. Todd H. Rider, Mad Scientist in Residence, at thor@mit.edu.
Register for Science on Saturday (Real-World Robotics) at MIT Lincoln Labs, Dec. 9
Registration is now open for two Saturday-morning sessions of Science on Saturday, on December 9 at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory (244 Wood Street in Lexington). The topic will be Real-World Robotics presented by the Robotics Outreach at Lincoln Laboratory (ROLL) Employee Resource Group. All children (5-17 years) must be escorted by an adult, and every adult must be escorted by a child or children. Children under 5 are not admitted. Admission is free but each person attending must be registered. Space is limited, so register online soon for either Session 1 (9AM to 10:30AM) or Session 2: 10:45AM to 12:15PM). Register an adult first, then a child, then others. Adults must bring government photo identification. See other rules on the registration pages.
‘Hour of Code’ During Computer Science Education Week, Dec. 4-10
Hour of Code once again encourages introductory activities in computer programming for everyone during Computer Science Education Week. Boston Tech Mom has an updated, comprehensive catalog of Hour of Code activities and opportunities.
Biogen SPARK Video Contest on Genetic Mutations, Due Dec. 8
The Biogen Foundation is sponsoring its SPARK Video Contest, in which middle and high-school students in Massachusetts and North Carolina are invited to create videos (30 seconds to 3 minutes) about genetic mutation. Teachers must submit the videos (up to two per school) by December 8. For more information, email foundation@biogen.com.
Women in STEM Event at UMass Lowell, Grades 7-12, Dec. 9
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 5962 will host a Women in STEM event for girls in Grades 7-12 on Saturday, December 9, 10AM-3PM, in the UMass Lowell Makerspace (Falmouth Bldg., Rm 102, 1 University Avenue, Lowell). At this event, students may participate in fun, hands-on activities led by female engineers. During lunch, there will be a discussion time for students to ask the engineers and members of the UMassLowell Society of Women Engineers (SWE) any questions they have. The event is free, and lunch is provided. Register here. No experience required!
UMass Amherst ASPIRE: Materials Science for Grades 10-12, Sat. Mornings in Jan/Feb
The UMass Amherst Polymer Science and Engineering Department invites high school students in Grades 10-12 to apply for selection into its ASPIRE program. In this free program, running on 5 consecutive Saturday mornings, 9AM-noon, from January 6 through February 3, students get hands-on laboratory experience and study the synthesis, characterization, and engineering of polymers using the Conte Center’s facilities while they interact with graduate student mentors to learn about research and careers. Applicants must be recommended by a high-school science teacher. Apply online by December 1. For further information, contact aspire@mail.pse.umass.edu.