BioBuilder Learning Lab will offer a new Kids Who Clone workshop, Golden Bread PCR, on January 21, 10AM-1PM, at LearningLab (700 Main Street, Cambridge) for students in ages 10-16. There is a $35 cost per student and no charge for chaperones attending with them. Register here. For more information, email Kelley Klor at kelley@biobuilder.org.
Category Archives: Events
Broad Institute: The Extraordinary Evolution of Genome Editing — Drug Discovery, Jan. 21
Celebrating its first 15 years, the Broad Institute in Cambridge is hosting Broad@15, a series of free, public lectures. On January 21, 6-7PM, Broad Institute Core Members David Liu and Feng Zhang will speak on The Extraordinary Evolution of Genome Editing. Register here. All Broad@15 talks will be live streamed. You can view the live stream and video of previous talks via links at broadinstitute.org/15.
Code Ninjas (Wellesley) Events in January
Code Ninjas (161 Linden Street in Wellesley) will host the following events in January:
- Digital Art Workshop: Free. January 11, 10AM-Noon.
- Micro:Bit Day Camp: $50 members, $95 non-members). January 20, 8:30AM-4:30PM (on Martin Luther King Jr. Day).
- Code Ninjas 1st Anniversary Celebration: Free. January 26, 10AM-3PM. RSVP here.
New STEM Programs at New England Sci-Tech
A NewtonSTEM reader calls the New England Sci-Tech STEM education center (16 Tech Circle, Natick) “a serious, wonderful MetroWest resource for kids crazy about physics, space science, ham radios, woodworking- everything they have to offer.” Each paid NESci-Tech membership covers a student plus an adult. Here are some of NESci-Tech’s upcoming programs:
- Your Project in Space: Citizen Science Projects for Teens: Grades 8-12. Nine Saturdays, February 8 – May 30. Teams of 2 to 4 will see their science projects go to the edge of the atmosphere on a high-altitude balloon (HAB) to be launched in May. Learn about the atmosphere, HABs, and tracking technology. Analyze the results when you recover it. Free for paid members of NESciTech plus $55 for materials.
- Workshops for Homeschooled Students: Grades 4-10. 9AM-Noon or 1PM-4PM on Tuesdays (Grades 4-7) or Thursdays (Grades 6-10).
- Radiation Matters: Citizen Science Projects for Teens: Ages 13-18. Five Sunday, January 5 – February 9. Teams design and implement “Citizen Science” projects involving radiation. Free for paid members of NESciTech plus $55 for materials. (Future workshops will focus on the atmosphere, oceans, energy, and gravity.)
- FIRST LEGO League Club: Ages 9-16. Fridays, 6:30PM-8PM, plus some optional sessions on Sundays. Join any time of the year. Teams of up to five will follow FLL guidelines and compete at NESciTech Free for paid members of NESciTech.
- Amateur Radio Programs: A variety of courses and events.
Boston Tech Mom: Tech Events for Kids in January
Boston Tech Mom (“a parent’s guide to raising a future techie”) is a great resource for all things STEM around Boston — including her monthly posts about free or low-cost STEM Events for Kids in Boston. Here’s her Boston Tech Mom: Tech Events for Kids in January list of STEM events.
NPR’s Science Friday at WBUR: Create Curiosity Fair, Jan. 16
NPR’s Science Friday program will host the Create Curiosity Fair at WBUR’s CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave., Boston) on January 16 at 6:30PM. Explore with local artists and scientists how art and science influence each other. There will be hands-on workshops and two new Science Friday videos. Tickets are $10 for ages 12+, $9 for WBUR members, and free for kids under 12.
Call for Exhibitors for Mass. STEM Summit, Apr. 15
The 2020 Massachusetts STEM Summit will be on April 15, 8AM-3PM at DCU Center (50 Foster Street in Worcester) with the theme, See Yourself in STEM: Connecting Educators to Employers. The organizers invite proposals from exhibitors until February 14. Proposals for workshop sessions will be by invitation only from the Summit planning committee. Registration for the summit ($50 but free for full-time students) will open in late February.
LigerBots Host FIRST LEGO League Eastern Massachusetts Championship
Yesterday the Newton LigerBots high-school robotics team hosted the Eastern Massachusetts FIRST Lego League (FLL) Championship featuring 48 FLL teams in Grades 4-8 that qualified for the event from across eastern Massachusetts, including seven teams from Newton: Roaming Rovers, Botanistas, ROBO SCAPERS, Day Dragons, LazerRobotics, City Snakes, and Supernovas. Teams competed in robot matches and research presentations based on this year’s FLL theme, City Shaper (see video and game guide). These Newton teams won awards:
- ROBO SCAPERS: 1st place for Presentation Award
- Supernovas: 1st place for Strategy & Innovation Award
- City Snakes: Judge’s Award
- Botanistas: 2nd place for Lightning Round
- Lazer Robotics: 2nd place for Mechanical Design Award
LigerBots mentor/coach Greer Swiston won the Outstanding Volunteer Award. The event attracted large crowds, including several public officials and candidates, as well as 120 Girl Scouts attending to earn their STEAM badges. In an accompanying STEAM Expo, the LigerBots and others demonstrated emerging technologies and interesting projects. See more photos here.
Jr. Tech’s Girls STEM Summit for Grades 8-12, Apr. 5
Jr. Tech will sponsor a Girls STEM Summit at Wentworth Institute of Technology (550 Huntington Ave, Boston) on April 5, 8AM-4PM. It’s aimed at young women in Grades 8-12 who love STEM and would like to learn about emerging STEM careers. Sponsors include Akamai Foundation, NationalGrid, SIM Boston, and Waters. The cost is $70 and includes lunch. Register online for individuals or groups of 7-20 students. This event has sold out in previous years, so we’re posting about it early.
LigerBots to Host FIRST LEGO League Eastern Mass. Championship, Dec. 14
The LigerBots, Newton’s competitive high school robotics team, will host the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Eastern Massachusetts State Championship and a STEAM Expo on December 14, 9AM-2PM, at Newton North High School. The competition will feature 48 FLL teams in Grades 4-8 from across eastern Massachusetts that have qualified for the event through their performance in earlier competitions. Teams compete in robot matches and research presentations based on this year’s FLL theme, City Shaper (see video and game guide). The public is invited to watch and participate in hands-on activities and exhibits in the accompanying STEAM Expo featuring Students for a Greener World, Johnson String Instrument, Society for Women Engineers, 501st, as well as the LigerBots. The event is free, open to the public, and fun for all.