All posts by newtonstem

LigerBots Qualify for World Championships — and Need YOUR $upport to Get There

Accomplishments

LigerBots-at-WPI-2015At the FIRST New England Championships this week, the Newton LigerBots qualified in two different ways to advance to the World Championships in St. Louis, April 22-25.

This is a big deal — and this is where YOU come in.  The LigerBots need your financial support to proceed to the World Championships.  It takes significant funding to get the team — and its 6-foot-tall robot — to St. Louis for the competition.  The LigerBots are a city-wide team (LigerBots = Newton South LIons + Newton North tiGERs + roBOTs) that does so much for STEM in Newton.  In fact, that’s exactly why they have won the coveted Chairman’s Award at both District and Regional levels:  The Chairman’s Award honors the team that best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST, including promoting STEM in the community.  The LigerBots excel at this.  If you value STEM, please make a tax-deductible donation to help bring this team to the World Championships!

See these two short videos from this week’s New England Championships, showing why the LigerBots are winners:

Please honor their achievements with your contribution.

Register Now: MIT Lincoln Lab’s Science on Saturday, May 16

Events

Registration is now open for the next monthly Saturday-morning session Science on Saturday, on May 16 at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory (244 Wood Street in Lexington).   The topic will be Hands-On Engineering, presented by members of the Lincoln Laboratory Technical Women’s Network (LLTWN).  Students engage in activities to paint using pitch and frequency of sounds, watch demonstrations of 3D printers, and simulate missile launches.  All children must be escorted by an adult, and every adult must be escorted by a child or children.  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.

Grades 7-10: Apply Now for Newton’s Environmental Science Program in July

Opportunities, Summer

Environmental Science Program is a summer outdoor and educational program, June 29-July 29, for students entering Grades 7 through 10, under the auspices of the Conservation Commission of the City of Newton.  Students engage in hands-on learning about environmental science through hiking, bicycling, canoeing, and backpacking, including a 3-day trip to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.  The cost is $1295, and need-based financial aid may be available.  Print and send the registration form and release forms.  For more information, contact David Backer at 617-447-9317 or  contact@newtonenvisci.org.

Transform: Post-Undergraduate Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing, Meeting April 14

Opportunities

Northeastern University’s Center for STEM Education and MassBay are collaborating to offer TRANSFORM, a one-year, post-undergraduate certificate program in Advanced Manufacturing at MassBay Community College, with specialization in either Manufacturing Innovation or Manufacturing Technology.  Two semesters of study (May-December) are followed by a 4-6-month paid internship with one of the partner manufacturing companies.  Cost is $4400.  Apply online.  Information meeting:  April 14, 5-7PM at MassBay, 50 Oakland Street (Room 219) in Wellesley.  Or contact Claire Duggan, at c.duggan@neu.edu or 617-373-2036.

MIT ESP’s Junction High-School Summer Program: Apply During April 15-28

Opportunities, Summer

Junction, a non-residential summer STEM program for high-school students offered by  MIT’s Educational Studies Program (ESP), will be different this year.  In past years, it was a six-week program of college-level courses taught by undergraduates.  Starting this year, it will be a two-week intensive program (August 10-21) 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 August 10 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.

UMass Lowell Dinner Meeting for Teachers, April 16, About River-Science Field Trips

Events

The UMass Lowell Engaging Computing Group will host a free dinner meeting for teachers on April 16, 5-7PM, to explain the Science of Rivers field trips that are available in May and June for science/biology students in Grades 6-12.  Funding is available for the field-trip program and bus transportation.  These one-day field trips on the Merrimack River focus on water-quality testing and use iSENSE, a free, web-based tool for collaborative data analysis.  Teachers will conduct a classroom activity using iSENSE prior to the field trip.

Reminder: Cambridge Science Festival, April 17-26

Events, Opportunities

The Cambridge Science Festival is the national leader in its field, with over 100 activities and events spanning 10 days, April 17-26.  You can filter this year’s online schedule of events by age (family/teens/adults) and type (activities, workshops, performances, talks, other) or by date.  Register now for those events that require pre-registration or tickets.  Some events are for educators.  The Science Carnival on Saturday, April 18, 12-4PM, has five themes:  Earth & Space, Micro-Zone, No Limits, Game Corner, and Robot Zoo!  It’s too much to keep in your head.  Download the Guidebook app and search for “Cambridge Science Festival 2015″ to get your mobile guide to events.

Framingham State: ‘Science on State Street’ Festival for All Ages, April 25

Events

Framingham State University will host its Science on State Street festival on April 25, 10AM-4PM, on its campus — see map and directions (PDF) — free and open to all ages.  Activities include:  Build a Battery, Food Waste and You, Solar System Walk, Mapping Climate Change, Cool & Practical Robots (iRobot), NAO Robot Demonstration, Game Through a Network, Engineering Club Demonstrations, and NASA Spacecraft.  Pre-register for free, high-definition planetarium shows to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope by clicking on one of these times:

Middle-School Girls: Deadline Extended to Apply for ‘Envision the Future’ Summer STEM Program

Opportunities, Summer

The deadline has been extended to 9AM on Monday, April 13 for middle-school girls to apply to represent Newton at Envision the Future, a one-week summer STEM program run by the Southeastern STEM Network at Bridgewater State University, July 20-24.  Three girls will be selected as Newton’s ambassadors to attend the program, and on their return, to spread the word — through presentations, articles, etc. — about what they learn from the program.  The sponsoring organizations (John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club, NewtonSTEM, Newton Free Library, and Newton Community Education) will replicate one or more of the program’s STEM-promoting practices in Newton next year.

Interested middle-school girls should apply online by 9AM on April 13 and also have a parent/guardian sign and submit the Parent/Guardian Approval Form (PDF) by that deadline.  Finalists will be invited for interviews in April, and participants will be selected by May 8.  The cost paid by each selected participant’s family is $50 (after a $500 scholarship award paid by the Boys & Girls Club).  The selected participants must meet the following requirements:

  • Participant is a girl residing in Newton who will be 11 to 13 years old as of July 20, 2015.
  • Parent/guardian has signed and submitted the Parent/Guardian Approval Form and  has paid a non-refundable $50 fee by May 22, 2015.
  • Participant’s family is a member of Newton Boys & Girls Club as of May 22, 2015.  (Club membership fee is $125 per family per year.  Join online.  Financial assistance is available for any selected participant for whom this would be a hardship.)

For further information, contact Dawn Proia (dproia@newtonbgc.com) or Bruce Henderson (info@newtonstem.org).

MIT Science Trivia Challenge, for Middle and High Schools, April 22

Events

The MIT Club of Boston will again host the Science Trivia Challenge, this year on April 22, 5:30-9PM at the Broad Institute (7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge).  Five-person teams (plus alternates, for a maximum of ten) from middle schools and high schools are invited to register (no more than two teams per school).  The cost has been reduced this year to $10 per team, thanks to support from Mathworks.  Check out some sample questions!