The LigerBots will again host the Newton Qualifier, a FIRST LEGO League robotics competition for Massachusetts students in Grades 4-8 on Saturday, November 18, 8AM-4PM, at Newton North HS. It’s free and open to the public. The theme of this year’s competition is Masterpiece. Teams will compete using LEGO robots they have designed, built, and programmed to perform complex tasks. The public may also view the teams’ displays of their solutions to real-world problems related to the urban-design theme. There will also be hands-on STEM activities for kids, and the LigerBots’ First Robotics Competition robot will be on display.

The next FLL competition hosted by the LigerBots will be Massachusetts FLL Championship Tournament on December 16 at Newton North HS.

Each fall and spring, NEPTUN (a Northeastern University student group) hosts Splash!, a free program for students in Grades 8-12 to take fun and informative mini-classes led by Northeastern undergraduate students. This year, Splash! will again be held in-person at Ryder Hall (11 Leon St, Boston) on the Northeastern campus, on November 11, 8:30AM-6:40PM. The $0 cost includes free pizza and a T-shirt. Registration is now open and is first-come/first-served and requires setting up a free student account. For more information, see the FAQs or contact nu.neptun@gmail.com. Among the 26 in-person Splash! courses this year are these STEM offerings:

• Electronics and Soldering Workshop
• The eggscellent challenge
• Will robots destroy the world?
• The Entire Internet in an Hour!
• Emoji: How They Work and Why They Break Everything
• How to Preserve Dead Things
• Real Life Sci-Fi: Gene Editing
• Black Holes
• From Atoms to Adam: Science’s Best Understanding of the History of Everything
• Miraculous 3-Pound Jell-O
• Homemade Gel Electrophoresis/Edible DNA!

MIT’s Splash program runs for two days each year on the weekend before Thanksgiving — running in-person this year on November 18-19. Students in Grades 9-12 can take a wide range of mini-courses taught by MIT undergraduates and participate in drop-in activities. This year, Splash! is offering over 180 courses including many in Science, Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. The cost is $40 regardless of the number of courses taken, and generous financial aid is available. The first phase of registration is now open, in which students will have until October 29 to register and specify their preferences for classes. Classes will then be filled by lottery, treating equally all those who register anytime in the first phase of registration. After the lottery results are announced, some classes may be available for those registering later, in a subsequent phase of registration. See the Program Details. For more information, email splash@mit.edu.

On November 8, 5PM-8PM, Bridgewater State University’s Center for the Advancement of STEM Education (CASE) will host Open Lab Night 2023, featuring STEM activities and demonstrations at BSU’s Dana Mohler-Faria Science & Mathematics Center. It’s free and open to the entire community, especially students in Grades K-12. Registration is required. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Parking is available in the Bridgewater State University Parking Garage. The BSU Observatory may be open until 9PM, weather permitting. For more information, email casebsu@bridgew.edu.

The next presentation in Broad Institute’s Broad Discovery Series of free, public lectures (formerly Science for All Seasons) will be on November 9, 6PM-7PM. Physician-geneticist Miriam Udler and computational and cellular biologist Melina Claussnitzer will discuss what genetics reveals about the subtypes of type 2 diabetes, and how researchers can use that understanding as a springboard for learning how this disease really works — and what to do about it. 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.

WTS-Boston will host the 2023 TransportationYOU Summit on October 28, 10AM-2PM, for students in ages 8-14 of all gender identities, with a particular focus on educating girls and young women about the collegiate and career opportunities available to them in STEM, and particularly int transportation fields.

The Summit, held in person at UMass Lowell (31 University Ave., Lowell), will have in-person, hands-on workshops and activities hosted by professionals in the field to introduce students to career opportunities in transportation (engineering, planning, construction). Workshops will include activities that simulate real life projects and learn about UMass Lowell’s concrete canoe and steel bridge projects. Space is limited to 100 attendees. Register here by October 13. For more information, y questions, email transportationyouboston@gmail.com.

Separately, through November 6, the WTS Foundation will host a student contest for a rebranding of the TransportationYOU brand.

The Cambridge Science Festival will run September 25 through October 1, with more than 200 events all across Cambridge. Themes and series include:

• In the Neighborhood
• Lunch & Learn
• #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit at Kendall/MIT Open Space (292 Main Street, Cambridge)
• Health Equity Day, September 28
• Art at Night
• Science x Fashion
• Carnival, October 1, 12PM-4PM

MassRobotics will host its 6th annual Robot Block Party on September 30, 10:45AM-4PM, at 88 Seaport Blvd in Boston. It’s free and open to the public. It kicks off with a Robot Parade at 10:45AM. Register here.