Girls 16-17 years old are invited to apply by January 27 for free summer science/wilderness expeditions in Alaska and Washington state, sponsored by the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Teams of 9 girls each will spend 12 days exploring and learning about glaciers and marine science. While some trips are limited to girls living on the West Coast, two of the trips are open to girls anywhere: Girls on Ice — Cascades and Girls on Ice — Fjords. More trips are planned, pending funding by sponsors. Because the openings are limited, IARC recommends these alternative opportunities offered by other organizations.
All posts by newtonstem
LigerBots Excel at Hosting Eastern Mass. FLL Championship
The LigerBots did an amazing job hosting the FIRST Lego League (FLL) Eastern Massachusetts Championship on December 17 at Newton North HS. Forty-seven FLL teams that qualified for the event braved the snowy weather for a day of robotics challenges, research presentations, Gracious Professionalism, and Coopertition. Four FLL teams from Newton competed: Block Party, the ‘Botanists, the Day Dragons, and the Snowy Owls. The ‘Botanists achieved 2nd place in Robot Strategy and Innovation, and Block Party won 2nd place for Gracious Professionalism. Coaches, students, and parents from across the region reported that this was the best-run FLL event they had attended. It takes a lot of careful planning and dedicated effort by all on the high-school LigerBots, before and during the championship, to make a successful and memorable STEM event for hundreds of middle-school students. Congratulations and thanks!
Contribute to Newton Schools Foundation’s Support of STEM
You can donate to the Newton Schools Foundation Annual Appeal to support all of these STEM initiatives in the Newton Public Schools:
The Calculus Project aims to narrow the achievement gap in mathematics and increase the number of African American, Hispanic, and low-income students who complete calculus in high school. Rising seventh and eighth graders participate in small-group intensive summer instruction in mathematics and related workshops to gain academic skills and confidence, followed by after-school tutoring during the school year.
The Middle School Engineering and Sustainable Energy Generation curriculum focuses on new blade design for wind turbines to engage students in hands-on STEM projects at all four middle schools.
The Green Trail is a collaboration among Newton South HS History, Science, and Family and Consumer Sciences departments focused on climate change, invasive species, and protection of biodiversity, using an outdoor classroom.
The DaVinci Program Newton South HS is a project-based collaborative approach to learning science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Students build skills in experimentation, analytical problem solving, collaboration, presentation, communication, and artistic representation through authentic and student-driven learning.
Science and Society is a new, interdisciplinary senior elective in science and history at Newton North HS using case studies to explore how science has changed and responded to society over time. Studies include the development of the atomic bomb, DNA and how it connects to identity and medical innovation, germ theory and the development of public health, biological evolution, environmental history, the development of modern cities, and the science of race.
The Ligerbots robotics club engages students, teacher coaches, and parent mentors from both Newton North and Newton South High Schools to provide students with challenges that foster interest and skills in STEM and create the next generation of scientists, inventors, and engineers.
MassBay Students Place 4th in National Cyber League Competition
The MassBay Community College student cyber security team — Paul Buonopane (Medfield), Andrew Liberatore (Franklin), David Dew (Wellesley), Chester Moses (Framingham), Timothy Ferguson (Marlboro), Corey Skinner (Clinton), and Fred Dolan (Newton) — placed 4th out of 144 teams nationwide in the 2016 National Cyber League Competition. MassBay now offers both Association of Science degrees and Certificates in Cyber Security.
Highlights of the Mass. STEM Summit
Videos, photos, and slide presentations from the 2016 Massachusetts STEM Summit heold on November 1 are now available online.
High School Marine Science Symposium Seeks Presenters, Mar. 9 & 15
Presenters are sought for hands-on workshops at 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. Apply by January 6.
Weymouth Public Schools Seeks Presenters/Exhibitors for STEM Conference for Girls in Grades 4-8, Apr. 8
Weymouth Public Schools seeks workshop presenters and exhibitors for its STEM Conference for Girls in Grades 4-8, to be held at Weymouth High School on April 8. Apply here. For more information, contact Lynn Howard at 781-901-9120 or
lynnphoward82@comcast.net.
Newton Hosts Eastern Mass FLL Robotics Championship, Dec. 17
All are invited to this free, exciting STEM event: The FIRST LEGO League (“FLL”) Eastern Massachusetts State Tournament will be held in Newton on Saturday, December 17, 9AM-3PM at Newton North HS. The event will be hosted by the LigerBots, Newton’s award-winning high-school FIRST Robotics team, which actively fosters the growth of FLL teams in Newton. In this championship event, forty-eight qualifying teams of students in Grades 4-8 will compete to solve a set of robot game missions with the theme Animal Allies, using autonomous LEGO robots they had built, tested, and programmed. The teams will also make presentations on research they have conducted during this FLL season. The event will include a Maker Faire with a wide range of STEM exhibits. Come see #MoreThanRobots in action!
Sign Up for Harvard SEAS Free Holiday Lecture for Families, Dec. 18
Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences hosts an annual Holiday Lecture for families, free and open to the public (recommended for ages 7+). This year’s lecture, on Sunday, December 18, will be an interactive presentation, The Science in a Bubble: Illuminating Interfaces, in Science Center Lecture Hall B, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge (flyer). Register for either the 11AM or 2PM show to guarantee seating.
Olin College Fall Exposition, Dec. 19
Twice a year, Olin College of Engineering in Needham hosts a free, end-of-semester exposition of student work. The public is very much encouraged to attend. The Fall 2016 Exposition on December 19 runs 10AM-3:00PM with poster sessions, presentations, performances, and a performance by the Olin Conductorless Orchestra. For information, email expo@olin.edu.