Category Archives: Events

Massachusetts STEM Week, Oct. 21-25

October 21-25 is Massachusetts STEM Week. Events scheduled for the MetroWest area include:

National Fossil Day at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Oct. 13

The Harvard Museum of Natural History (26 Oxford Street, Cambridge) is celebrating National Fossil Day on Sunday, October 13, 1-4PM. Harvard paleontologists will present their research and favorite fossils through short talks and table-top presentations. All ages are welcome, and regular museum admission rates apply. Free event parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

The following talks are recommended for ages 10 and up.

  • 1:30-2PM – So You Found a Fossil… What Next?
  • 2:15-2:45PM – Beyond Bones: The Secrets of Soft-Tissue Fossils 
  • 3-3:30PM – Tardigrades Through Time

There will also be a Fossil Story Time, recommended for ages 3-9.

Massachusetts STEM Week, Oct. 21-25

Massachusetts STEM Week — an annual statewide celebration of STEM consisting of free community events and design challenges — takes place October 21-25. This year’s events include planetarium shows, a STEM fair, career panels, kids-friendly activities, and more. The week’s design challenges are:

  • Extreme Zoo Makeover: A STEM Approach to Habitat Design (Grades 5-8)
  • STEM Goes Green: The STEM Challenge (Elementary and Middle School Students)
  • “I Am STEM” Lesson Library: Problem-Solving in Books (Grades PK-7)
  • Engineering Plastic Filters (Ages 8-12)
  • Carbon Busters: Redesigning Schools to be Energy-Efficient (Grades K-12)

Cambridge Science Festival (Sept. 23-29)

The Cambridge Science Festival, an annual week-long community celebration of STEM, will return this year September 23-29. Featuring activities, workshops, tours, debates, contests, talks, and more, the festival attracts over 50,000 visitors of all ages and backgrounds each year. The Festival Guide lists dozens of events for each day, including a demonstration of quantum mechanics through juggling (9/23 4-5PM), a panel on democracy in the age of AI (9/24 7-9PM), interactive talks with neuroscientists (9/25 2-5PM), a biotechnological escape room (9/26 1-9PM), exciting science demonstrations (9/27 3:30-4:30PM), a kayaking educational tour of the Charles River (9/28 1-6PM), and an electromagnetic art workshop (9/29 12-4PM). Admission is free.