Tonight, the International Space Station (ISS) will be visible for about 6 minutes starting at 9:25PM, appearing in the northwest, moving directly overhead to a maximum elevation of 89 degrees, and disappearing in the southeast. Skies are expected to be very clear, with 11% cloud cover. The ISS circles the Earth every 90 minutes or so, but its visibility varies. You can check Spot the Station to find when and where it will be visible and sign up for alerts of when it’s most visible in your location.
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New England Sci-Tech celebrates 5 years, June 4
The New England Sci-Tech (NEST) STEM education center (16 Tech Circle, off Route 9 in Natick) will celebrate its Five Year Anniversary on June 4, noon-1PM. There will be food, music, and tours of the newly renovated spaces and the new Outdoor Terrace Extension. RSVP here.
NEST’s 2023 Cubes-in-Space Team is shown with their new souvenir T-shirts, with team logo and 2023 Cubes-in-Space logo designed by Abriana (4th from left), who won the national competition for best design. Her design will fly on a NASA rocket in June along with the team’s medical experiment developed in collaboration with the University of Louisville. The team’s results will be published in July and presented at the New England HamXposition in Marlborough, August 25-27.
Christa McAuliffe Center: Sally’s Night Celebration, June 16
The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University will host Sally’s Night Celebration at FSU’s McCarthy Center Forum on June 16, 7PM-9:30PM, in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. See flyer. It’s an evening of free fun for attendees of all ages to mark the 40th anniversary of Sally Ride’s historic STS-7 mission and becoming the first American woman in space. Registration is required.
- 7:30-8:15: Keynote presentation by Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, Curator and Department Chair, Space History Department, National Air and Space Museum
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7:00-8:30: Hands-on activities led by NASA Solar System Ambassadors and giveaways
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8:30-9:30: Stargazing with McAuliffe Center staff or interactive Solar System Explorers program
Newton elementary math team achieves 3rd place at WinMaC
Garden City, a team of elementary school students from Newton placed third in the Winchester Math Competition (WinMaC) on May 14. WinMaC is an annual math competition organized by high-school students for students in Grades 4-5. This year about 80 elementary students participated, competing for individual and team awards. Students Billy Wu, Avi Pathak, Joshua Tang, and Alexandra Baskakova represented Newton as team Garden City.
There were two fast-paced individual rounds, Dash and Theme, in which students worked on problems independently, and two collaborative rounds, Team and Guts, in which students on each team solved problems together.
All members of Newton’s Garden City team placed high individually, with the top scorer on the team finishing in fifth place, and the team also demonstrated good teamwork during the Team and the Guts rounds.
Roger Williams University (Bristol, RI): Summer Food Science Camp, July 23-28
Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island has just launched a new summer STEM Food Science Camp, July 23-28, for students currently in Grade 9-11 to explore the equipment and techniques that scientists use to understand why some foods are delicious. Topics will include the microbiology of bread and fermentation, the chemistry of preserves like pickles and jams, and engineering the perfect milkshake. Email summer@rwu.edu for more information.
Broad Discovery Series x BroadIgnite: An Evening of Inspired Science, May 24
The next presentation in Broad Institute’s Broad Discovery Series of free, public lectures (formerly Science for All Seasons) will be on May 24, 5:30-6:30PM. Five emerging scientific visionaries will talk about their efforts in addressing neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases, sudden cardiac death, infectious disease diagnosis and surveillance, and rare genetic disorders. Register to attend — either in-person (415 Main Street, Cambridge) or virtually. In-person attendees are invited to a reception in the Broad Discovery Center following the talk.
This event is a collaboration with BroadIgnite, a Broad Institute program that partners rising philanthropists with early-career researchers involved in high-risk, potentially high-reward projects.
Empow Studios: Discount on summer camps, ends May 29
Empow Studios is offering a Memorial Day discount of $75 off any summer camp registration made through May 29. Use code MEMORIALDAY at checkout. Refunds are available (minus $10 registration fee) up to 14 days before camp starts. Camps are available both on-campus (in Newton, Lexington, Natick/Wellesley, Boston, Cambridge, and Milton) and online.
Registration is open for BU’s Biotechnology SummerLab
Boston University’s School of Medicine is offering two separate tracks for SummerLab, its summer biotechnology laboratory program for students currently in Grades 9-12:
- DNA, Genes, and Drug Production (July 10-14 or July 24-28) focuses on the central concepts and skills of recombinant DNA technology as they apply to biotechnology — focusing on the processes of gene expression, cell lysis, and protein purification.
- Let’s Get Physio! (July 17-21) allows students to explore the relationships among body movements, power generation, biomechanics and muscle physiology — focusing on sports and exercise science and an introduction to data science.
Both programs meet 9AM-3PM daily. The cost is $1000 for one week or $1500 for two consecutive weeks, and scholarships of 50% are available for students who qualify for free/reduced price lunch program and children of full-time BU faculty and staff. Registration is now open. For more information, email sumlab@bu.edu.
HMSC Summer Science Weeks for Grades 1-8
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture will offer Summer Science Weeks for students entering Grades 1-8. Each program runs for one week, 9:30AM-noon.
- Earth Explorers: July 17-21, Grades 1-2
- Ancient World Adventures: July 17-21, Grades 3-5
- Budding Botanists: July 24-28, Grades 1-2
- Ins and Outs of Skeletons: July 24-28, Grades 4-6
- Amazing Animals: July 31-August 4, Grades 1-3
- Super Scientists: August 7-11, Grades 2-4
- Tools of a Scientist: August 7-11, Grades 6-8
- Spineless Wonders: August 14-18, Grades 1-3
- Nature’s Designs: August 14-18, Grades 4-6
McAuliffe Center: Stargazing, May 25
The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University will host a free evening of stargazing and observation on May 25, 8:30PM-10PM (weather permitting), in front of May Hall on FSU’s campus in Framingham. For more information, email cmc@framingham.edu.