The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center invites high-school teachers to bring two outstanding students for the Center’s annual Outreach Day, December 9. The event will discuss plasmas, harnessing fusion energy, large magnets, and sources of intense microwave and millimeter-wave power. Students will observe plasmas in a glow discharge tube, perform hands-on demonstrations with superconductivity, and see MIT’s tokamak, the Alcator C-MOD. The program begins at 9AM and goes to 1PM, when there will be an optional information session and tour of MIT at 3PM. Bring a lunch. Registration is first-come, first-served and closes November 29. For further information, email Paul Rivenberg at rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu.
All posts by newtonstem
Empow Studios: 15% Discount on Summer Camps until Nov. 30
Empow Studios is offering a 15% discount until November 30 on registrations for Tech Design or Minecraft summer camps in Newton/Needham (at Leventhal JCC), Brookline (at Heath School), Lexington (at Empow Studios), and other locations. Topics include animation, audio/video production, robotics, 3D design, and graphic design.
Newton Free Library: STEM Events in November
The Newton Free Library will host the following STEM events in October:
- November 2: Scratch Club, 7-8PM, Grades 3-4. Space is limited. Pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk.
- November Fridays: Girls Who Code, 4-6PM, Grades 6-12. Space is filled; waiting list.
- November Tuesdays: Girls Who Code, 6:30-8:30PM, Grades 6-12. Space is filled; waiting list.
- November 29: Intro to Ozobots, 4PM, Grades 2-4. Registration opens November 8.
NSHS DaVinci Teachers to Present at MAST Conference and STEM Summit
Teachers leading the Newton South HS DaVinci program — Divya Shannon, Amy Richard and Molly Baring-Gould — will make presentations about this interdisciplinary STEAM program at both the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers conference on November 2-3 and the Massachusetts STEM Summit on November 14. Their presentation, The daVinci Program — Building a STEAM Community, will focus on the benefits of integrated learning (especially incorporating art) at all stages, from developing a program to application in an individual teacher’s classroom. In this workshop, they will first discuss their motivation, growth, and lessons learned in developing this program, and then they will facilitate discussion among attendees about sample lessons, content, skills required, participants’ other efforts in this area, feedback on the DaVinci presentation, and the recruitment of community partners.
Brigham Research Institute hosts ‘Discover Brigham’ on Nov. 9
The Brigham Research Institute will host the half-day event, Discover Brigham, throughout the hospital on November 9, noon-6PM, highlighting the contributions of the 1,300 physician-investigators and biomedical scientists in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital community. The agenda includes: Population Science, Gene editing, Artificial intelligence, Nursing research, Trauma research, The microbiome across diseases, Immunotherapy, and Wellness and alternative medicine. It’s free and open to the public. Register here. For more information, email bwhbri@partners.org.
FSU Planetarium Family Night: Back to the Moon for Good, Nov. 17
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 show on November 17 at 7PM (for adults at teens 14+) will be Back to the Moon for Good, including a 25-minute film about the Google Lunar XPrize and a live presentation about one team’s efforts to win it. Space is limited, and pre-registration (which opens two weeks before each event) is strongly recommended. Arrive on campus 20 minutes early (directions and parking).
LigerBots Perform Well in FIRST Bay State Brawl
On October 21, the Newton LigerBots competed in the Bay State Brawl, an off-season FIRST Robotics event based on last year’s game. The team achieved the high score for the day but did not win the overall competition. Perhaps more importantly, the LigerBots won the Robo-Ohana Award for the team that works together best and makes all team members feel accepted and included.
“AMP It Up” Challenge Engages Students in Advanced Manufacturing
The AMP it up! Challenge invites students to research an advanced manufacturing innovation in Massachusetts and then present it in a 3-minute video to explain how it’s made, why it matters, and what it means to the student. One middle school, one high school, and one community college in the state will each win $5,000 in unrestricted grant funding. Manufacturers are encouraged to sign up now to support the challenge by talking with students and offering factory tours. Schools should sign up to participate and may be represented by individual students, classes, groups, or clubs. Students must submit their videos by February 28. For more information, email Larissa Matzek at lmatzek@massdevelopment.com. Here are the winning videos from the 2016 and 2017 contests.
Workshop on Alternative Energy for Grade 6-12 Educators, Dec. 1-2
Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) and Mass Audubon will hold a two-day workshop on alternative energy, Lighting the Way with Wind and Solar: Pathways to a Sustainable Energy Future, for middle- and high-school teachers on December 1-2, 8:30AM-3:30PM at the Mass Audubon headquarters in Lincoln. A $175 fee includes a toolkit of classroom materials. Register here.
Boston Tech Mom: Tech Events for Kids in November
Boston Tech Mom (“a parent’s guide to raising a future techie”) is a great resource for all things STEM around Boston — including her monthly posts about free or low-cost STEM Events for Kids in Boston. Here’s her November list of STEM events.