In its first-ever participation in Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, Newton South HS’s team (Bhavik Nagda, James Rao, Ayush Upneja, Erik Uhlmann, and Yifan Xu) achieved the semi-finals, ranking between 7th and 12th place overall among 1,084 entries nationwide. In this challenge, each team did research, analysis, mathematical modeling, and writing over a single 14-hour period to produce a 20-page research paper for grading by a panel of judges. The task this year was to create a mathematical model to help determine the best business model for a car-sharing service in a given region/city/town. The NSHS team’s work won $1500 in scholarship funds. The team’s faculty coach, Steven Rattendi, noted that the students took the initiative in starting and leading this endeavor. Congratulations to all!
Category Archives: Accomplishments
NSHS/NNHS Students Awarded Statewide NCWIT Honors in Computer Science
Students from Newton North HS and Newton South HS have won statewide recognition in the annual Aspirations in Computing program of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). In a ceremony at Wellesley College last weekend, Newton South sophomore Hannah Cole was named a Massachusetts winner and national runner-up, and Newton North junior Winnie Chan was named a Massachusetts runner-up. NCWIT recognizes high-school women for achievements, aptitude, dedication, and leadership in computer science. Read about the trajectories of these stars: Continue reading NSHS/NNHS Students Awarded Statewide NCWIT Honors in Computer Science
LigerBots Win Entrepreneurship Award and Reach Quarter-Finals at WPI District Competition
The Newton LigerBots robotics team competed this weekend in its first FIRST district qualifying event for the season, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, reaching the quarter-final rounds and winning the coveted Entrepreneurship Award. This award recognizes a team that has “developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives.” The LigerBots team wrote and executed its full business plan, winning the admiration of the judges.
The LigerBots were ranked 11 overall in this district qualifying event, and its robot was the highest-scoring robot for the autonomous (pre-programmed) part of the competition. This competition revealed some mechanical issues with the robot’s design, and the team knows what it needs to work on before its next competition, on April 2-3 at Boston University (Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston — see schedule).
NewtonSTEM at 5 Years: Your Feedback and Suggestions?
NewtonSTEM was launched five years ago as a clearinghouse of information about STEM-related achievements, events, opportunities, and resources that are relevant to the Newton community. Now with over 800 posts, almost 1,000 on the email list, and over 600 Twitter followers, it’s as good time as any to ask: What’s most helpful? What’s not? What should be added? What suggestions do you have? Please send comments to info@newtonstem.org.
Horace Mann Science Night
Horace Mann Elementary School held its 8th annual Science Night last Friday. These kids get it! It’s a blast to hear them explain what they have learned.
LigerBots Host a FIRST Lego League Qualifying Tournament
Yesterday at Newton North HS, the Newton LigerBots hosted a qualifying tournament for 28 FIRST Lego League (FLL) teams, including five FLL teams from Newton: The Angiernauts, the Innovators, the Newtronics, the Snowy Owls, and the Tacocats. The event included robot games, the teams’ presentations of their research projects on this year’s FLL theme (Trash Trek), and a mini-Maker’s Faire featuring Einstein’s Workshop, iRobot, the Newton North HS Greengineers, the Russian School of Math, Rise Robotics, Robosail, JumpSmart, (a new STEM venture by students from Babson and Olin Colleges), a 3D printer demonstration, and others. Outside, there was a working demonstration and explanation of blacksmithing by Prospect Hill Forge. Congratulations to all participants, but especially to the LigerBots for their community contribution of careful planning, promotion, and execution of a successful event.
NPS Calculus Project Receives Belmont Savings Bank Grant
The Newton Schools Foundation received a $4,000 grant from the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation to support The Calculus Project, an NPS program to narrow achievement gaps in mathematics by increasing the
Newton South’s DaVinci Program Launches for Sophomores
The Newton South HS Lion’s Roar has published an article on the launch of DaVinci, the school’s flexible, interdisciplinary STEAM program that started for a cohort of sophomores last week. The students will study Biochemistry (over two years), Theory of Creativity, and a new Math 2 course — all in an open, project-based, collaborative environment. Lab space, including movable furniture and whiteboards, was funded by the Newton Schools Foundation and the PTSO. Each year, as students progress through the program, another cohort of sophomores will be added.
Chuck Hurwitz Retires from LigerBots, the FIRST Team He Founded
The Newton TAB reports that Chuck Hurwitz has retired from the his position as head coach of Newton’s award-winning Ligerbots, the FIRST FRC team he created in 2009, spanning both Newton high schools. He continued to lead the team after he retired as head of the Newton South HS Science Department in 2012. He now remains on the board of the Latino STEM Alliance and remains committed to helping underprivileged students create FIRST Robotics teams. Congratulations and many thanks to Coach Hurwitz!
NNHS Wins 1st Place in State Envirothon — Again!
The Newton North HS Envirothon team has once again won first place among 37 teams in the 28th annual statewide Envirothon competition, held last week on the shores of Quabbin Reservoir. Team members each focused on specific categories of the competition, answering written questions and participating in hands-on activities at four eco-stations, and making a 15-minute presentation at the Current Issue station:
- Soils (1st Place): Kavish Gandhi, Lucy Lu, Rudy Gelb-Bicknell
- Forestry (1st Place): Kavish Gandhi, Rudy Gelb-Bicknell, Lucy Lu,
- Wildlife (1st Place): Kaija Gahm, Iris Liao, Jessica Chen
- Water (3rd Place): Bowen He, Amy Huang, Kirby Broderick
- Current Issue: Climate Change (3rd Place): Kaija Gahm, Kavish Gandhi, Bowen He, Amy Huang, Iris Liao
Newton South HS fielded a team for this competition this year for the first time, winning 3rd place in Soils, 3rd place in the Current Issues presentation, and 5th place in Forestry. Congratulations to both teams! Continue reading NNHS Wins 1st Place in State Envirothon — Again!