The deadline for getting a March for Science Boston T-shirt in time for the event on April 22 has been extended to midnight tonight, April 2. Net proceeds will fund audi0-visual equipment and other expenses of the March. Order online here. If you’re going to the event, register here for free to help with planning and post-event connections.
All posts by newtonstem
Final Info Session on TEC Career Exploration & Internship Program, Apr. 4
The Education Collaborative (TEC) will hold the last information session about its Career Exploration & Internship Program on April 4, 7-8PM at the Morse Institute Library (lower-level meeting room) in Natick. Non-profit TEC offers this summer program to students who have completed at least two years of high school. Many internships involve 60 hours over 4 consecutive weeks, but timing varies for some. Registration for the information session is not required. Apply online for internships. Placements are made on a rolling basis. For more information, contact Program Coordinator Telma Sullivan at 781-326-2473 X721 or tsullivan@tec-coop.org. Currently there is one internship at each of the following locations:
- Chemistry (Milford, Chestnut Hill, Canton, Natick-August)
- Environmental (Braintree, Needham)
- Engineering (Marlborough, Waltham, Hopkinton, Walpole, Southborough, Franklin)
- Computer Science (North Attleboro, Mansfield, Waltham)
- Medical Research (Boston)
- Nutrition (Framingham)
- Psychology (Framingham, Chestnut Hill)
- Veterinary (Needham, Wellesley)
Boston Tech Mom: Tech Events for Kids in April
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 STEM Events for Kids in Boston. Here’s her April list of STEM events, with her ever-growing list of Girls Who Code clubs.
MIT ESP’s Junction High-School Summer Program: Apply by Apr. 24
Junction, a non-residential summer STEM program for high-school students offered by MIT’s Educational Studies Program (ESP), runs on Sundays June 25 and July 16 to August 20 for selected high-school students who will:
- Propose, design and carry out an independent study project of their choosing, working closely with an undergraduate mentor in that field,
- Participate in hands-on, college-level afternoon seminars in a variety of fields, and
- Be part of a tight community of students and mentors.
High-school students should read apply online by April 24 by responding to essay questions and submitting a proposal for an independent-study project with one of the mentors. Accepted students will be notified by mid-May and will communicate with mentors weekly until just before the program to refine proposals and begin research, in preparation for their two weeks together. The cost is $600, and need-based financial aid is available. For more information, email junction@mit.edu.
NOTE: If you have already applied but did so before your contact information was requested on the application form, please email junction@mit.edu with the exact name of your proposed project so that your contact information may be included!
‘Science on State Street’ Festival in Framingham, Apr. 21
Framingham State University’s Christa McAuliffe Center will hold its third annual Science on State Street festival on April 21, 2:30-6PM, in the parking lot of FSU’s O’Connor Hall (map). It’s free and open to all ages, with hands-on activities (in biology, chemistry, physics, food science, robotics and engineering), presentations by FSU faculty and invited scientists, conversations and performances that explore the interaction between science and the arts, and planetarium programs.
Girls Entering Grades 11-12: BU’s Summer Pathways in Science & Engineering, July 7-14
Summer Pathways is a 7-day residential program for girls in the greater Boston area entering Grades 11-12 who show promise and/or interest in STEM. During July 8-15, participants live on the BU campus; explore opportunities in STEM fields; meet with students and faculty in all disciplines; visit laboratories, companies, and museums; listen to career panels; and spend one night on Boston Harbor’s Thompson Island. See the brochure (PDF). The fee of $675 includes all costs, and financial assistance up to $575 is available for demonstrated need. Applications, including two recommendations from teachers, are due May 1. For more information, contact Cynthia Brossman at cab@bu.edu or 617-353-7021.
Newton Community Ed Summer STEM Courses
Newton Community Education will offer the following STEM-related courses for kids this summer. See the full summer kids schedule for dates, times, locations (NNHS and NSHS), costs, and links for details and registration:
3-D Printing & Design, 3-D Printing, Big Dig!, Biology, Camp Invention, Chemistry, Chess Intensive, Coding with Computercraft, Creative Computing, Domino Physics, Hands-on Electronics, Intro to Programming: Scratch, Lego Robotics WeDo 2.0, Mad Science Junior, Maker-Shaker Workshop, Marine Biology, Math Review, MathemAddicts, Power Programmers, Pre-Calculus, Rocket Science 2017, Science Lab, Smart Streets, Virtual Space Missions, Wicked Cool Vet School, Wicked Wacky Lab Week
Acera’s Spring Innovator Symposium, Apr. 20
Acera School will host its Spring Innovator Symposium on April 20, 6:30-8:30PM on its campus (5 Lowell Avenue in Winchester). It’s free and open to the public of all ages. Meet scientists, researchers, tinkerers, and entrepreneurs from MIT’s Media Lab, Harvard’s School Applied Engineering, BU’s Social Development & Learning Lab, and more. Activities include: Robotic Creations, Programmable Tattoos, Woodworking Challenge, Engineering Challenge, Shadow Architecture, and Drawing in Virtual Reality.
Moody’s Mega Math Challenge: Both NSHS Teams in Top 8% Nationwide
In its second year participating Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, Newton South HS fielded two teams, each team earning an Honorable Mention (and $1000) and placing in the top 90 of 1,121 teams nationwide. Congratulations to students…
- Bhavik Nagda, James Rao, Erik Uhlmann, Jason Crowley, Varun Mann
- Ayush Upnega, Yifan Xu, Evan Zeng, Anna Dietrich, Bhairavi Chandersekhar
In this nationwide competition, sponsored by The Moody’s Foundation and organized by The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, teams conduct research, analysis, and mathematical modeling to produce a 20-page research paper for grading by a panel of judges — all in a single 14-hour period. This year’s challenge — “From Sea to Shining Sea: Looking Ahead with the National Park Service” — called for the building of three mathematical models of the impact of climate change on the national parks:
- Gauge the risk of sea level change
- Assign a vulnerability score to particular locations on the coast
- Predict long-term changes in visitors to various coastal national parks
LigerBots Win Entrepreneurship and Coaching Awards at RI District Competition
The Newton LigerBots won the FIRST Entrepreneurship Award at the FIRST District Competition at Bryant University in Rhode Island this weekend. This award recognizes the team’s “comprehensive business plan … to define, manage and achieve the team’s objectives” and “entrepreneurial enthusiasm and the vital business skills to ensure a self-sustaining program.”
Also, long-time LigerBots coach John Fitzpatrick was selected to receive the RI District Competition’s prestigious Woodie Flowers Finalist Award, which “celebrates effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design.” (At the end of the season, the worldwide Woodie Flowers Award will be selected at the FIRST Championship from among the Finalist Award recipients from each Regional or District Competition.)
In this weekend’s competition, the LigerBots were able to win a spot in an alliance for the quarter-finals but did not advance to the semi-finals.