Science Club for Girls fosters excitement, confidence, and literacy in STEM for girls, particularly from underrepresented communities, by providing free, experiential programs and meaningful interactions with women STEM mentors. This spring, openings are available for girls in Grades 6-8 in Roxbury on Saturday afternoons, and for girls in Grades 8-12 as Junior Mentors in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Cambridge. Applications are due January 29. Contact Corinne Jager, Boston Program Manager, at cjager@scienceclubforgirls.org with questions.
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Register for Science on Saturday (Cryogenics) at MIT Lincoln Labs, Feb. 6
Registration is now open for two Saturday-morning sessions of Science on Saturday, on February 6 at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory (244 Wood Street in Lexington). The topic will be Cryogenics & Liquid Nitrogen, presented by Lincoln Laboratory’s Dr. Richard Williamson. All children (5-17 years) must be escorted by an adult, and every adult must be escorted by a child or children. Children under 5 are not admitted. Admission is free but each person attending must be registered. Space is limited, so register online soon for either Session 1 (9AM to 10:30AM) or Session 2: 10:45AM to 12:15PM). Adults must bring government photo identification. See other rules on the registration pages.
MIT Edgerton’s ‘Science on Saturday’ for Grades K-12, Feb. 6: Rockets and Flight
MIT’s Edgerton Center holds free Science on Saturday programs five times a year for elementary, middle, and high school students — as well as their parents and teachers. On February 6, the program will be focused on Rockets and Flight. Kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The program includes a one-hour presentation at 10AM followed by hands-on activities at 11AM. No pre-registration is necessary but seating is limited and first-come, first-seated. It’s held in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
“Language of Climate Change” Summit, Mar. 9
The Massachusetts Environmental Education Society will convene a summit, Language of Climate Change, 8AM to 4PM on March 9 at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. It’s for K-12-college educators (including classroom teachers and outdoor/environmental educators) to discuss how to talk about climate change. After a keynote by David Sobel, workshops will be offered by the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI), a collaborative effort led by the New England Aquarium with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Climate Change Education partnership. Registration is $75 before February 3, $90 afterwards, or $25 for students in high school or college.
Northeastern Summer STEM Programs for Middle- and High-School Students
Northeastern University’s Center for STEM Education offers summer STEM programs for middle- and high-school students.
NUSSP is a free, three-week academic program (July 11-14, 18-21, and 25-28) for students currently in Grades 5-7 who have an interest in STEM, live within 30 miles of Northeastern, and are in historically under-served and underrepresented groups with limited opportunities. The program builds STEM knowledge and skills, introduces participants to college life, and stimulates interest in STEM careers. Applications (including 250-500-word essay and recommendations) are due April 15. Up to two students per school and three students per district or town will be accepted. For more information, call 617-373-8380.
The Young Scholars Program, running June 23-August 4, is for current high-school sophomores and juniors who live within commuting distance of Northeastern (with priority given to students who have low access to similar programs). It offers selected students laboratory research experience, career exploration and counseling, and an introduction to college life. Applications (including short essay questions and teacher recommendations) are due March 31.
Information about Summer STEM Programs
Registration for some summer STEM programs will open soon, and early-bird discounts for others will end soon. Here are several sources of information:
- The NewtonSTEM Family Resources page has a list of summer STEM programs in the Greater Boston area. We’ve recently updated it with several additional programs. (Please email info@newtonstem.org to nominate additional entries or to send in corrections.)
- BostonTechMom has a Parents’ Guide to 40+ Summer STEM Camps in Massachusetts.
- The Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council maintains this list of after-school and summer STEM programs.
- A Camp Fair will be held 12-4PM on January 31 (snow date, February 7) at Newton North HS to showcase offerings in Newton from Newton Parks & Recreation, Newton Community Education, and more: Mad Science, Brain Builders, Innovations, and LEGO Engineering.
- The Underwood PTO is sponsoring the New England Camp Fair. The Camp Fair is open to all local families and will be held 5:30-8PM on Wednesday, February 3 at Bigelow Middle School, with a selection of day and overnight camps for ages 6-14, some of which have STEM programs.
Science Club for Girls: Internship Presentations at MIT Museum, Jan. 20
On January 20, 6-8PM at the MIT Museum (265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge), this year’s Science Club for Girls high-school internship students will present the results of their research internships at Harvard, MIT, Rethink Robotics, Emerson, Boston University, and Children’s Hospital. The public is invited to listen, ask questions, provide feedback, and learn more about SCfG’s programs. Tickets are free, and donations are appreciated.
Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatory Event, Jan. 21
The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (60 Garden Street in Cambridge) will host its monthly Observatory Night on January 21 at 7:30PM on the topic of Sweating the Small Stuff: The Fun and Fear of Near-Earth Asteroids. The lecture is intended for high-school and older audiences but children are welcome. Admission is free, no reservations are necessary, and seating is limited. For more information, call 617-495-7461 or email pubaffairs@cfa.harvard.edu. Future Observatory events:
- February 18: Monthly Observatory Night — Big Data to Big Art
- March 3: Sci-fi Movie Night – “Gravity”
- March 17: Monthly Observatory Night — Where Do Planets Come From?
- April 7: Sci-fi Movie Night – “Fantastic Voyage”
- April 21: Monthly Observatory Night — The Wild West of Star Formation
- May 19: Author’s Night –The New Cosmos: Answering Astronomy’s Big Questions
Newton Library: Register for Arduino Classes for Adults
If you want to learn how to program on the open-source Arduino platform, the Newton Free Library is offering two levels of instruction for adults. Registration is required.
- Introduction to Arduino for Adults, February 4, 7PM (register)
- Intensive Arduino for Adults, February 18, 6:30PM (register)
MIT Seeks Children Ages 3-7 for Developmental Neuroscience Research
MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is recruiting children (ages 3-7) as subjects for safe, non-invasive brain-imaging techniques to explore how the social brain functions and develops over time. Children will play games inside MIT’s functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner and will receive Amazon gift cards, small prizes, and pictures of their brains to take home. For more information, see this introduction and contact Grace Lisandrelli at mit.kids.brains@gmail.com or 617-286-6476.