Each year, on the Friday After Thanksgiving, the MIT Museum hosts a hugely collaborative Chain Reaction in which simple or complex contraptions built by participating teams are joined into one massive Rube-Goldberg-esque chain reaction viewed by over 1500 attendees. (See videos from 2013 and 2014.) Teams must register beforehand, pay $12 in advance or $15 at the door, and design with these guidelines. This year, the 18th annual F.A.T. Chain Reaction will be on November 27, 1-4PM, and all contraptions should connect somehow with the theme “18th Century.” On the day of the event, teams will bring their contraptions to the Rockwell Cage Gymansium (120 Vassar Street, Cambridge) at 11:30AM, the public can view contraptions and talk with teams 1PM-3PM, and the chain reaction will start at 3:30PM.
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Vote for NPS Calculus Project in Belmont Savings Bank’s Grant Poll
Until November 6, Newton residents can vote in the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation‘s poll to help direct how the foundation will award grants of $2,000 to $10,000 to local charitable organizations. Among the candidates is the Newton Schools Foundation to support The Calculus Project, an NPS program to narrow achievement gaps in mathematics by increasing the
Thematic Strands Announced for Mass. STEM Summit, Nov. 10
The presentations and workshops for the Massachusetts STEM Summit, to be held November 10, 8AM-4PM at DCU Center in Worcester, have been organized into the following thematic strands:
- Career Awareness & Workforce Development
- Early Education
- Higher Education: 2-Year
- Higher Education: 4-Year
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- K-12 Education
- Out-of-School Time
- Policy
- Research & Practice
The schedule contains a luncheon plenary session featuring Governor Baker and 44 breakout sessions. Registration costs $50 (fee waived for full-time students). Space is limited.
Student Experiments Aboard the International Space Station
Schools, school districts, and/or other communities may sponsor comptetitions in which teams of students in Grades 5-16 submit proposals this year for microgravity experiments to be sent to the International Space Station for a 4-6-week stay next fall. The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program is sponsored by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education.
All schools, school districts, or other communities interested in participating must inquire by November 13. Community commitment must be in place by February 15, when each participating community sponsors a 9-week experiment-design and proposal-writing competition through April 22. Student teams will design and formally propose real experiments vying for the use of their community’s reserved mini-lab on the Space Station. Flight experiments will be selected by May 26 and will be launched next fall.
For more information, contact Dr. Jeff Goldstein, SSEP Program Director at ssep@ncesse.org.
Courses Listed for Clark University’s Fall Splash, Grades 5-12, Nov. 15
Clark University’s Fall Splash — a one-day program offering almost 100 classes for students in Grades 5-12 — will be held November 15, 10AM-5PM, on the Clark campus (950 Main St., Worcester). Each student should create his/her own online account and then register by November 9 — but as soon as possible because classes fill up. The day is free, with lunch included. There’s also a parallel program for parents. For more information, email clarkuesp@gmail.com. The classes are taught by Clark student volunteers and include these in the Science area:
- Silly Putty Chemistry
- Imaging Atoms
- CSI (Crime Scene Investigation): Splash
- What the Heck is a Derivative?
- Across the Solar System, and Beyond!
- Napping 101
- Across the Solar System, and Beyond: Stencil Edition
- How Can You Roll Your Tongue?
- GAAAAH, A ZOMBIE!: The Science Behind “The Walking Dead”
Register Now for Cyber Halloween at MIT Lincoln Labs, Oct. 31
Registration is now open for the Saturday-morning session Science on Saturday, on October 31 at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory (244 Wood Street in Lexington). The topic will be Cyber Halloween, for which Bill Streilein will take students through a Cyber House of Horrors — representing online dangers — and teach them how to be safe. All are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes. 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 much bring government photo identification. See other rules on the registration pages.
WGBH Forum on Digital Media for STEM Learning: Climate Change, Nov. 9
WGBH Education is sponsoring a free forum, Digital Media for STEM Learning: Climate Change, on November 9, 8AM-5PM, at WGBH Studios in Brighton. Register online to attend in person. No registration is needed to view the event live-streamed (details will be posted on the Forum’s site later).
MIT’s AgeLab Seeks High-School Students for Multi-Generational Programs and Research
MIT’s AgeLab runs OMEGA (Opportunities for Multigenerational Growth, Engagement and Action) to support programs that connect high-school students with older adults. OMEGA seeks high-school juniors and seniors to develop student-run programs, clubs, or activities to implement this mission. Next spring, three $1000 scholarships will be awarded — one each in Transportation & Community, Technology, and Social Connectivity. The AgeLab’s OMEGA Summit will be held on November 7, 10AM-1:30PM, for interested high-school student leaders to learn from each other and from the AgeLab staff. E-mail omegamit@mit.edu ASAP to request an application to participate. Completed applications are due November 2.
Support cuSTEMized Books to Encourage Girls in STEM
Harvard bioinformatics graduate student Jean Fan started the non-profit cuSTEMized.org to provide customized books for girls (ages 4-8) to help them envision themselves in STEM careers. (See her short video explanation of why this is important.) Anyone can prepare a book online and download it for free (see sample here). For a fee, cuSTEMized.org will print, bind, and ship a hardcover or softcover copy. cuSTEMized.org seeks donations so it can provide printed, customized books for free for kids in after-school programs — and for anyone who asks and cannot afford a book for a promising daughter, niece, or other girl who could benefit from some door-opening encouragement. Donations are tax-deductible.
Volunteer Referees and Judges Needed for FLL Tournament, Nov. 21
The LigerBots — Newton’s high-school robotics team — seeks adults to help host its official FIRST Lego League (FLL) qualifier tournament on November 21 at Newton North HS. The event is open to the public (8AM-3PM) and will be a blast. FLL is a STEM program for kids ages 9-14, and the LigerBots are doing all they can to foster the grow of FLL in Newton — in part because it’s seen as a great source of future LigerBots! While FLL is known for its robotics component, FLL teams also compete on conducting and presenting research projects, as well as embodying and demonstrating FLL’s Core Values of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition®. The tournament needs many adult volunteers who enjoy working with youth to serve as judges and referees:
- Judges will work in pairs, in sessions consisting of 10 minutes with the team and 5 minutes in between. Judges will be trained in FLL rubrics for their work, and the judges focused on research projects and Core Values do not need technical expertise.
- Referees will work solo to oversee 2.5-minute robot competitions, adding up the scores after each match. Referees must be fair, diplomatic, attentive to detail, and able to inspire kids and make them feel good about their work. They may need to stand for long periods.
If you’d like to volunteer, or if you have questions, contact Pam Wright at pamwright@rcn.com.