All posts by newtonstem

Wellesley STEM Expo, Apr. 8: Call for Exhibitors, Workshops & Sponsors

Events, Opportunities

The very successful Wellesley STEM Expo, now in its third year, will be held at Wellesley High School on April 8. Experienced speakers and exhibitors are invited to participate in engaging the Expo’s K-12 audience in hands-on activities and demonstrations of classic and cutting-edge science, 10AM-2PM.  Sponsors are also welcome!  Apply here.  For more information, email expo@wellesleyeducationfoundation.org.

Newton Schools Foundation: Donor will Match up to $25K in Contributions to Calculus Project

Opportunities

The Newton Schools Foundation has announced that, for a second year in a row, an anonymous donor will match up to $25,000 in donations made in March for the Newton Public School’s Calculus Project.  The Calculus Project works in all of Newton’s middle and high schools to have more Hispanic, African American, and low-income students successfully complete calculus in high school, as a path to success in college.  Since its start in 2013, the program has increased enrollment by 70%, 200%, and 800% for these groups, respectively.  The program provides intensive, small-group summer classes, enrichment activities, and year-round mentoring and tutoring.  While the NPS operating budget funds part of the program, tax-deductible donations via the NSF are needed for the summer program, tutoring, enrichment activities, and supplies.

Sign Up for MetroHacks II at Warrior Ice Arena, May 20-21

Events, Opportunities

High-school students (ages 13-18) are invited to register for MetroHacks II — a free, non-profit coding event that is the largest high-school hackathon in New England. Last year, over 200 students worked on projects such an educational quadcopter simulator or learned a new programming language overnight, under the mentorship of Google and Red Hat engineers. Now in its second year, MetroHacks will be held over 24 hours on May 20-21 at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston, with attendance expected around 300. It’s is free and open to students at any level of experience, and meals are provided. Learn more about the philosophy and goals behind the event here: What is MetroHacks?

Girls Entering Grades 7-8: Sign Up for Tech Savvy at BU, July 24-28

Summer

Tech Savvy is a one-week summer STEM program for girls entering Grades 7-8 next fall.  It’s run July 24-28, 9AM-4PM, by the Boston Girls STEM Collaborative.  Each day starts and ends at BU’s Photonics Center and includes activities at a different university:  Northeastern, Wentworth, BU, UMass Boston, or Harvard.  The cost ($250, or $50 for those with demonstrated financial need) covers all activities, transportation, and lunch.  Online registration is open.  Those who are accepted will be asked to submit signed waivers and payment.  For more information, email techsavvy@bostongirlsstem.org.

MassBay Summer Programs for Middle and High School

Summer

MassBay Community College in Wellesley will again offer summer programs for middle- and high-school students. For more information or to register, call 781-239-2582 or email stemsummer@post.massbay.edu.

  • STEM Middle School Summer Program is for students entering Grades 7 and 8.  It runs Monday-Friday, July 10-21, 9AM-3:30PM and includes classes and projects in math, biology, physics, and computers.
  • High School STEM Summer Bridge Program offers non-credit workshops for all high-school students, Mondays-Thursdays, July 10-20 from 9:30AM to 3:30PM:  Artbotics, Coding with Scratch, Wearables – Fashion & Technology, and Cool Coding with Raspberry Pi.
  • iCREAT – Introduction to Coding, Robotics, Electronics and Technology is a college-credit, interdisciplinary course for rising Juniors, Seniors, and graduating Seniors, June 26-July 20. Making a Robot with Pi will be offered Mondays-Thursdays, 9AM-noon.

Mass. DESE Seeks Panelists for Digital Literacy & Computer Science Framework

Opportunities

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking 30-35 members for a panel to support implementation of the Digital Literacy and Computer Science Framework.  Candidates may be educators, administrators, community members (including parents, school committee members, librarians, and educators from informal and other institutions or agencies), business people involved in hiring and training, or researchers in digital literacy or computer science.  Apply by April 7.

Girls in Grades 9-12: Register Now for ‘SET in the City’, Mar. 25

Events, Opportunities

Registration is open for the 9th annual SET in the City, for girls in Grades 9-12 to spend a day exploring academic paths and careers in STEM.  It will be held 9:30AM-5PM on March 25, with an agenda starting at the Boston University Photonics Center, then traveling to Brandeis or Emmanuel or Harvard or Simmons, then visiting Biogen in Cambridge. Girls will participate in hands-on activities and interact with STEM students and professionals.  The cost is $25 (or $10 for students meeting financial guidelines). Register and pay and submit waivers. The program is sponsored by Boston University, Emmanuel College, Girls Scouts of MA, Harvard University, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Tufts Medical School, UMass Boston, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and WGBH.

LigerBots to Compete in New England FIRST Event at WPI, Mar. 9-10

Events

The Newton LigerBots high-school FIRST robotics team will compete against 39 other teams in the FIRST New England District Qualifying Event, March 9-10 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Harrington Auditorium, 100 Institute Road in Worcester). The public is invited to this free event with a two-day schedule of competitions, ceremonies, demonstrations, and showcases.  For a preview, here are brief videos of this year’s robot shooting and maneuvering. And here’s an animation of the FIRST SteamWorks game in which the teams will compete. Matches will be streamed online here.