On October 14, the MIT Museum will host Family Funstruction, a participatory event for families interested in constructing Rube Goldberg machines. Each family or group will construct a contraption and link it with those built by others to form one long chain reaction. The event will be held 6-8:30PM at the MIT Museum (265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge). The cost ($5 for students and $10 for adults) includes pizza, beverages, and other kid-friendly snacks. This is a great way to learn about, prepare for, or get inspired for MIT’s Friday After Thanksgiving (F.A.T.) Chain Reaction Event, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary on November 24.
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Thoreau Scholarships for Environmental Leadership
Each year the Henry David Thoreau Foundation awards scholarships of up to $20,000 to eight to ten high-school seniors graduating from public or private high schools in Massachusetts and majoring in fields related to the environment. Past recipients have studied biology, epidemiology, oceanography, international affairs and environmental law. The foundation also offers assistance in identifying internships and networking opportunities. Applications are available now and due February 1.
Museum of Science Events: Football and Dream Big
Boston’s Museum of Science offers these upcoming programs:
- Gridiron Glory: A temporary exhibit, opening October 8, highlighting the science and history of all things football.
- Dream Big – Engineering Our World: A recently opened IMAX movie celebrating engineering marvels and the ingenuity, compassion, and creativity behind their creation.
Unruly Splats: More than Half-way to its Kickstarter Goal
In less than a week since Unruly Studios launched its Kickstarter campaign for Unruly Splats, the campaign is more than halfway to its goal. Deadline is November 3.
Register Now for MAST Conference in Boxborough, Nov. 2-3
Register here for the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers (MAST) annual conference on November 2-3 at the Boxborough Regency Hotel (242 Adams Place, Boxborough). It will focus on:
- Climate Change Education: Our Changing World
- New Teacher Resources
- Student Misconceptions
- Technology Resource in the Science Classroom
- Dynamic Classrooms
Unruly Splats! Local STEM Education Product Launch, Oct. 2
Check out Kickstarter starting at 4PM on October 2, as Boston-based start-up Unruly Studios launches its first STEM education product, Unruly Splats. Unruly Splats teaches kids basic concepts of programming and other STEM skills in a fun and compelling way as they get up, move around, and create real, interactive games from their own imagination.
You may have met CEO Bryanne Leeming demonstrating Unruly Splats at either of the last two Newton Free Library STEAM Expos or in the Mini Maker Faire at the LigerBots’ FIRST LEGO League Competition last year. David Kunitz, Unruly’s Head of Design, is a Newton North HS graduate, and the company’s Tech Lead, Daniel Ozick, is a Newton resident.
Your backing of this local start-up will be most helpful and appreciated in the first two days after the early-access Kickstarter link goes live at 4PM on Monday, the day before the formal launch of the company’s 30-day Kickstarter campaign. After this campaign, sales will be via Unruly-Studios.com, for delivery by next summer.
MIT Media Lab Public Expo: Reality Virtually Hackathon, Oct. 9
Tickets are still available for the free Public Expo at the conclusion of the MIT Media Lab’s Reality Virtually Hackathon. This hackathon (for which participant registration is now closed) will be held October 6-9 to gather 400 “interdisciplinary minds to explore the application of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies for building new experiences” in the areas of healthcare/medicine, entertainment, sports, architecture, gaming, and retail. The Public Expo will be held October 9, 1-5PM, to showcase the results of the hackathon, followed by an awards ceremony, 5-6PM. Register here for the Public Expo.
Newton Free Library: STEM Events in October
The Newton Free Library will host the following STEM events in October:
- October 5: Scratch Club, 7-8PM, Grades 3-4. Space is limited. Pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk.
- October 16: Crazy 8s Math Club, 4-5PM, Grades K-2. Space is limited. Register now for all 7 sessions (October 16, 23, 30; November 6, 13, 20, 27).
- October 17: Programming with Alice, 4:30-5:30PM, Grades 5-7. Register now.
- October 24: Programming with Alice, 4:30-5:30PM, Grades 5-7. Registration opens on October 3 at 9AM.
- October 25: Engineering Club, 7-8PM, Grades 5-7. Registration opens on October 4 for all 4 sessions (October 25, November 29, December 20, and January 24).
- October 28: Planetarium. Four programs in an inflatable planetarium set up in Druker Auditorium. Sign up for each 30 minutes before each program.
1:15PM – In My Backyard (Grades K-2)
2PM – In My Backyard (Grades K-2)
2:45PM – Oasis in Space (Grades 3+)
3:30PM – Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity (Grades 6+)
Project Lead the Way: Professional Development STEM Conference, Oct. 13
Register by October 2 for Project Lead the Way‘s free STEM professional development conference on October 13, 8:00AM-3PM, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Salisbury Laboratories (directions). Administrators, principals, teachers, school counselors, and business professionals are invited to learn about K-12 curricular programs in engineering, computer science, and biomedical science. For more information, email pltw@wpi.edu or call 508-831-5198.
MIT Edgerton’s ‘Science on Saturday’ for Grades K-12, Oct. 14: Biotechnology
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 Museum at half-price. No pre-registration is necessary but seating is limited and first-come, first-seated. The next program will be October 14: Biotechnology. For more information, contact Dr. Todd H. Rider, Mad Scientist in Residence, at thor@mit.edu.