The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University seeks your input about AstroNights via this short survey AstroNights is a series of free, online planetarium events offered since the start of the COVID pandemic. Everyone is invited to complete the survey, whether or not you have attended any of the events. The Center has temporarily suspended this series, pending a restart this fall. In the meantime, you can view recordings of previous events on their YouTube playlist.
Category Archives: Events
MSEN Online: Equity and Anti-Racism Practices in STEM, Sept. 10 & 24
The MetroWest STEM Education Network will host two free follow-on sessions of its online workshop — Equity and Anti-Racism Practices in STEM: It’s Not a Simple Conversation, But It Can Be Achieved. Even if you did not attend Session 1 in August, you can register for Session 2 on September 10 and Session 3 on September 24 (both 4PM-6PM), and you’ll receive meeting minutes from Session 1. The workshop sessions are led by Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, the Interim Director for the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and the Graduate Program Director for the Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program at University of Massachusetts Boston.
Register for Red Sox Virtual STEM Education Day with NASA, Sept. 30
This year, Red Sox STEM Education Day goes virtual on September 30, open to all ages, with live experiments from NASA. Register now for the link.
Newtonhenge: Its Big Annual Event is this Week
In Newton’s Weeks Field, there’s a partially buried row of stones reminiscent of Stonehenge, which some have dubbed Newtonhenge. Between the two taller stones at the southern end of the row is a narrow slit. So when might the sun shine through it? The slit between those stones is oriented about 251° from north, and the sun sets behind a treetop just west of the stones at about 24° above horizontal. NOAA offers a solar position calculator that shows the azimuth and elevation of the sun for any suitable combination of latitude, longitude, date, and time. It tells us that, weather permitting, the sun will shine over that treetop and through the slit of Newtonhenge this week, September 11-17, at times ranging from 4:37PM to 4:43PM (each day: one minute later and half a degree lower). Each day, the sun might shine through for about 10 minutes either side of those times. September 14 and 15 are the days when the sun should be just above treetop for the center of its time shining through. Anyway, that’s my prediction, to be tested this week
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.
MSEN Online: Equity and Anti-Racism Practices in STEM, Aug. 19
The MetroWest STEM Education Network will host a free, online workshop — Equity and Anti-Racism Practices in STEM: It’s Not a Simple Conversation, But It Can Be Achieved — on August 19, 8:30AM-10:30AM. It will be led by Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, the Interim Director for the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and the Graduate Program Director for the Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program at University of Massachusetts Boston. Register here.
Perseids Meteor Shower: Peak Viewing this Week
The Perseids meteor shower lasts several weeks each summer and is most visible this week, on the nights of August 11-13. Edge on Science has a blog post about the best ways to view the event. Framingham State University held an AstroNights Live video session last Friday about the event, and you can view a recording of it here: Prepare for the Perseids.
New England Sci-Tech Gradually Opening for Members Only, Maintains Online Classes for All
The New England Sci-Tech STEM education center in Natick is gradually opening up with programs and activities for members only, including:
- 3-Day Summer Workshops for Grades 5-9 on Tuesdays-Thursdays, 9AM-Noon
- Private Astronomy Nights, limited to 8 people
In addition, NEST continues to offer online classes, many of which are free for members, and admission is low-cost for everyone else.
MassRobotics and iRobot Webinar: Root Coding Robot as a Learning Tool, July 30
MassRobotics and iRobot will host Meet Root, a webinar on July 30 (4PM-5PM) for educators, students, parents, and other interested parties to learn about iRobot Education’s Root Coding Robot. It’s a learning tool with a library of lessons and activities — some free, some premium — to engage people of all ages and abilities in learning about coding. Register here.
Women in STEM: Online Panel on Returning to Work in STEM, Aug. 3
FlexProfessionals will host a free online panel discussion, Women in STEM Panel: Relaunch Tips and Success Stories, on August 3 at 7PM, to relate success stories and tips for returning to work in STEM fields. Register here.