More than 3000 scientists and supporters of science attended today’s enthusiastic Rally to Stand Up for Science in Boston’s Copley Square.  See NYTimes video. Organizers asked everyone to text SCIENCE to 90975 or sign up at www.standupforscience.us in order to stay involved and get connected with the organizers of the rally, ClimateTruth.org and the Natural History Museum.

The Newton Free Library will host a free hackathon about data science on Sunday, February 26, 1:30-4:30PM for all students in Grades 7-12.  It will start with a short lecture, followed by lots of free time for coding in Python. You may bring your own computer (with Python 3 installed) or use a library computer if you register in advance. No prior experience in programming is required.  The Library will provide guidance in Python syntax and debugging.  Students may work independently or in teams.

The Davis Companies will sponsor a free ‘lunch-and-learn’ event, Getting Started with STEM, Beyond Judging at a Science Fair, on February 23, noon-2PM at Synopsys (377 Simarano Drive, 3rd Floor, in Marlborough). It’s for technology managers and directors, human-resource professionals, and others interested in encouraging the next generation of STEM professsionals. Panelists include Newton’s Groot Gregory of Synopsys, Paul LeBaume of Dow Chemical, and Kelly French of PSW Youth Careers. Register here.

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. No pre-registration is necessary but seating is limited and first-come, first-seated.  The upcoming programs are March 4: Chemistry and April 1: How the Internet Works.

There are still a few seats left for the High School Marine Science Symposium, to be held on March 9 at Northeastern University in Boston and on March 15 at Salem State University in Salem. The remaining seats are reserved for school districts in which more than half of students are classified as economically disadvantaged.

The Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce is hosting a panel discussion —
Makerspaces: Building Community with Technology and Art — on March 2, 5:30-8PM at the Price Center, 27 Christina Street in Newton). It’s free for everyone, but registration is required.  It’s already ‘sold-out’ for those merely curious but registration remains open for those who are makers or would like to exhibit at the event.