SeaPerch is a nationwide underwater robotics educational program focused on engineering and science involved in building and operating remotely operated vehicles. The Museum Institute for Teaching Science will conduct a professional-development workshop in using SeaPerch in underwater robotics. The workshop is designed for middle- and high-school teachers and will be held at Clark University, 9AM-3PM on May 9-10. The fee of $100 for one teacher and $20 per student for up to two students covers the cost of a SeaPerch kit, curriculum materials, and lunch both days. Register online.
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Tufts CEEO April Vacation LEGO Workshop, Grades 4-6
Tufts University’s Center for Engineering Education and Outreach will host a four-day workshop over the April break for students in Grades 4-6 on April 19-22, 9AM-3PM. Students will use MINDSTORMS EV3 and other LEGO materials in storytelling and robotic challenges. The cost is $400. Registration is complete upon receipt of payment.
MIT ESP’s Junction High-School Summer Program: Apply During April 13-27
Junction, a non-residential summer STEM program for high-school students offered by MIT’s Educational Studies Program (ESP) is a two-week intensive program (August 15-26) in which 42 selected high-school students will:
- Propose, design and carry out an independent study project of their choosing, working closely with an undergraduate mentor in that field (see bios of mentors),
- 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 the mentor biographies and apply online between April 15 and April 28 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.
MIT’s Summer SeaGlide Workshop: Applications Open
MIT’s Edgerton Center and the National Defense Education Program sponsor SeaGlide, a one-week, intensive design workshop for rising Grade 9-12 students in the greater Boston area. Students of all experience levels are encouraged to apply to learn how to design, build, and operate an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. The workshop runs in MIT’s Building N51 from August 1-5, from 9AM to 4PM. It’s free (except for lunch), but a $250 refundable deposit is required. Apply online. For more information, contact K-12 project coordinator Robert Vieth (email).
MassBay STEM Expo, May 3
MassBay Community College will host its bi-annual STEM Expo, 1PM-2:30PM on May 3 at its Wellesley Hills campus cafeteria (50 Oakland Street) to accomplishments of students and faculty. Topics include Engineering Design, Robotics, Programming, Web Design, Cyber Security, Statistics and Quantitative Reasoning, and Biology and Biotechnology. RSVP online. For more information, contact Marina Bograd at mbograd@massbay.edu.
High-School Students: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering, May 9 & 16
ASM International is again sponsoring 2016 ASM Materials Experience New England — a free, one-day program for high-school sophomores and juniors to explore the fields of materials science and engineering. Typical topics include casting, cryogenics, shape memory alloys, hydrogels, and electron microscopy. The program will be offered twice, for up to 64 students at each event:
- Monday, May 6, 8AM-3:30PM at Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Washburn Labs
- Monday, May 16, 8AM-3PM at Boston University’s Photonics Center
Apply online. For more information, email matcampne@gmail.com.
MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center Middle-School Outreach Day, May 16
The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center invites middle-school teachers to bring two outstanding students for the Center’s annual Outreach Day, May 16. The event will discuss plasmas, how they behave, their role in harnessing fusion energy, large magnets, and sources of intense microwave and millimeter-wave power. Students will observe plasmas in a glow discharge tube, perform hands-on demonstrations with superconductivity, and see MIT’s tokamak, the Alcator C-MOD. The program begins at 9AM and goes to 3PM, when there will be an optional information session and tour of MIT. Bring a lunch. Registration is first-come, first-served. For further information, email Paul Rivenberg at rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu.
Tufts LEGO Learning Symposium (June 6-7), STEM Conference (June 7-8)
K-12 educators may register for these events sponsored by the Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach:
- LEGO Learning Symposium (June 6-7)
- STEM Education Conference (June 7-8)
The cost before the early-bird deadline of May 1 is $250 for each, or $350 for both, with prices increasing by $25 after that date. Contact ceeo@tufts.edu for more information.
Tufts Online K-12 Engineering Education Program for Teachers
Tuft’s Online K-12 Engineering Education (OKEE) is a graduate-level certificate program to assist teachers in bringing hands-on engineering to their classrooms. Four courses over 18 months are provided online and self-paced. Apply for Fall 2016 enrollment by May 6 (for May 26 decision) or June 3 (for June 17 decision) or August 15 (for rolling admissions). Contact okee@tufts.edu to confirm that space is available or for more information.
VIPs Visit LigerBots at Boston University FIRST Qualifying Event
Gov. Charlie Baker and FIRST co-founder Woodie Flowers each visited the LigerBots at the FIRST Qualifying Competition held at Boston University’s Agganis Arena this weekend, where the team ranked 5th out of 40 teams (10-5-0 record) and reached the quarter-finals as the first pick of the third-seeded alliance. The LigerBots also won the event’s Innovation in Control award, sponsored by Rockwell Automation to celebrate “an innovative control system or application of control components – electrical, mechanical, or software – to provide unique machine functions.”
The Governor spoke to the crowd about the importance of what FIRST offers, including experiential education and learning from failure. He later visited the LigerBots pit and learned about the robot’s function and performance, as well as the LigerBots’ success in fundraising.
Mr. Flowers spoke with the team about the core FIRST values of “Gracious Professionalism” and “Coopertition,” which he instigated for FIRST, and he congratulated the LigerBots for outstanding efforts in these important areas.