Black Girls CODE, in cooperation with Verizon Wireless, is launching a new mentorship program for students 13-17 years old. Student mentees will foster connections with professionals across different industries, develop career goals, and build new skills. They must be able to attend one-hour mentorship meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays for three weeks, and they must have parent/guardian consent. Applications are open to all genders and races.
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HackMIT Hackathon will Take Place Online, Sept. 18-20
This year’s HackMIT hackathon will be held virtually over three days, September 18-20. It’s free and open to high-school and college students. Teams of up to four participants each will work on projects in one of four tracks: Health Tech, Education, Urban Innovation, and Communication Connectivity. Beginners may participate in introductory workshops, and all participants may attend talks by these speakers.
Science Club for Girls: 25th Anniversary Catalyst Awards, Online Oct. 1
Science Club for Girls will celebrate its 25th anniversary Catalyst Awards online on October 1, 6PM-6:30PM (pre-show at 5:45PM). The event is free, and donations are appreciated. SCFG excels at fostering excitement, confidence, and literacy in STEM for girls and young women from underrepresented communities. It offers free, experiential activities in STEM for K-8 girls; junior mentoring and leadership experiences for high school girls; and adult mentoring and role modeling by committed women with STEM careers. This year, SCFG has 60 mentors and 250 girl participating — 75% from underrepresented communities. From past results, over 90% will likely attend college and over 50% will major in STEM. In this 30-minute online event, you can learn a lot about what SCFG does in its in-person and virtual programs. Among this year’s award recipients are Catalyst Award winners Kaelyn Brown and Ashley Cooper, who are juniors at Harvard majoring in Neuroscience and co-directing Harvard’s SCFG Mentor Chapter. To become a sponsor of SCFG’s activities, contact Lucy Sweeney at lsweeney@scienceclubforgirls.
Newton Community Ed’s Fall Online STEM Programs
Newton Community Ed is offering these STEM-related online courses this fall:
- Mad Science Home Lab: Grades K-1
- Nature in Your Neighborhood: Grades 1-3
- Tiny Worlds: Grades 1-3
- Earth & Sea Science: Grades K-2, 3-5
- Circuitry 101: Grades 1-3
- Game Design with Tynker: Grades 2-5
- Intro to Programming — Scratch: Grades 3-5
- Roblox: Grades 3-5
- 3-D Printing, Coding & Design: Grades 3-5, 6-8
- Intro to Python: Grades 3-6
- Robotics Programming with Micro:bit: Grades 3-6
- App Inventors: Grades 4-7
- Interactive Electronics: Grades 5-8
- Mobile Apps: Grades 6-9
- Python Multi-Player Games: Grades 6-9
- Minecraft Modding with Java: Grades 9-12
- Object-Oriented Programming with Java: Grades 9-12
- Web Development: Grades 9-12
Adult Technology
Artisan’s Asylum: Online After-School Programs for Ages 11-15
Artisan’s Asylum offers STEAM-based online after-school programs for ages 11-15. Each week has a theme and a project that can either build on previous weeks or stand alone. Sessions are 3:30-5PM, Monday-Friday, and some programs are one week while others are over a few weeks. Artisan’s Asylum offers a Pay What You Can Afford model ($65 to $125 per week) to help defray the cost for families in need. Registration closes 72 hours before each week’s first session.
- September 14-18: Reimagining Your Home: A Photo Montage & Collage Unit
- September 21-25: Exploring “Yes, And…” in Creative Storytelling
- September 28-October 21: Get On My Level: Exploring the Relationship Between 2D and 3D
- October 5-8: Art & Activism: Using Your Illustrative Voice
Harvard Museums: Final Virtual Summer Science Week, Sept. 14-18
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture will present Spineless Wonders — the final week of the Virtual Summer Science Weeks series, September 14-18. It combines daily live Zoom sessions led by museum educators with at-home activities. Grades 1-2 meet at 2PM, and Grades 3-4 meet at 3PM. The cost is $90 ($80 for HMSC members). Advance registration is required.
Blue Hills Observatory has Reopened for Tours
The Blue Hills Observatory and Science Center has reopened for tours, with masks required: Weekends (Fridays through Mondays) 10AM-4PM and every other day by appointment 8:30AM-5:30PM. Each tour has a maximum of 4 people or one household of up to 7 people. Make reservations by phone 617-696-0562 or email to dmccasland@bluehill.org. Rooftop tour: $4 ($2 youth). Roof and History Room: $5 ($3 youth). In-depth tour: $8 ($5 youth). Discounts are available for students and members of some organizations. Also check BHOSC’s schedule of free online webinars and consider subscribing to its newsletter.
Empow Studios BUILD: New After-School Program, In-Person or Live Virtual
Empow Studios is launching a new after-school program, BUILD, for project-based STEM learning for ages 7-17. It’s a monthly membership program with weekly classes across five STEM Paths: Digital Arts & Design, Coding, Minecraft, Robotics, and Video Game Development. It will be offered in two formats — a choice between in-person or live virtual. For more information, call 800-456-4949 or use this form.
FIRST LEGO League Parent Info Night, Hosted by LigerBots, Aug. 24
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an annual robotics competition in which students in Grades 4-8 form teams of 2-10 to program and build a LEGO robot while solving related engineering challenges in a friendly, cooperative atmosphere. Newton’s high-school robotics team, the LigerBots, has supported local FLL for several years by mentoring local teams, by hosting two major FLL regional competitive events each fall, and by hosting an annual introductory info session for interested parents. Learn more about FLL, find out if your kids are interested, and consider coaching a team. An engineering background is not required for coaching!
This year’s FLL info session will be online on Monday, August 24 at 8PM. If you would like to attend — or cannot attend but are interested — please fill out this form. For more background, you can view this short video and read about FIRST’s mission statement, this year’s FLL challenge and season info, the FLL season calendar, FIRST’s response to COVID-19, and FIRST’s guide for remote events. You can also email matthew_honig@ligerbots.org for more information.
Tufts CEEO Online Design & Engineering Workshops
Tuft’s Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) is offering these online Design and Engineering Workshops in September:
- LEGO Robotics Club: Wednesdays, 1:30-3PM, Grades 2-6
- Arduino for Absolute Beginners: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:30-5PM, Grades 6-12
- Arduino Project Workshop: Wednesdays, 3:30-5PM, Grades 6-12