The UMass College of Engineering will hold its second annual Engineering & Society Summit on Saturday, April 1, 10AM-3PM on the campus of UMass Amherst. It’s an opportunity for students in Grades 10-12 to explore the role of engineers in addressing some of the toughest challenges facing society. The agenda will include conversations with alumni, faculty, and current students on the impact they are making as engineers, as well as mini-workshops at the intersection of engineering and society. Lunch will be provided, and students are welcome to bring a parent or guardian. Space are limited! Register as early as possible to guarantee a spot. Registration ends when space fills or on March 30 at 8AM:

The Sci-Tech Rocketeers — the rocketry club of the New England Sci-Tech (NEST) STEM education center — will hold a rocket launch event in a field in Acton (341 School Street, Acton) on April 2, noon-3PM. The club meets regularly at  NEST in Natick and is open to adults and children ages 13+ (parents of registered children may participate for free). Meetings are for club administration, guest speakers, and the designing and building of rockets in preparation for rocket launch events like this one. For more information, email info@nescitech.org.

Harvard Museums of Science and Culture hosts Science Spotlights, a series of in-person discussions with scientists, for ages 10+, 2PM-3:30PM on the second Saturday of each month through June. They are free for those admitted to the museum. On April 8, there will be two research talks by up-and-coming scientists:

• Sweaty Shrubs, by Melissa Mai of Holbrook Lab
• What Bunnies and Tree Rings Tell Us about Climate Change, by Dr. Jakob, Sedig of Reich Lab

Science Club for Girls will host their annual Catalyst Awards event in-person this year, on April 25, 5:30-8PM, at The Broad Institute (415 Main Street, Cambridge). Honorees this year will be Dr. Latanya Sweeney and Dr. Emily Reichert. Sumbul Siddiqui, Mayor of Cambridge, will speak in person, and Senator Elizabeth Warren will speak by video. Get tickets here.

MIT SPARK will be held next weekend, March 18-19, for students in Grades 7-8 to learn from MIT undergraduate and graduate students in over 70 two-day courses . The lottery phase of registration is over, but registration remains open on a first-come/first-served basis until 11:59PM on March 12. Students  must register on their own. More info here.

Beantown Bash is an “anti-hackathon” to be held at Tufts University (Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Avenue, Medford) on April 1. Unlike other hackathons, it’s focused on creating, without presentations; the creations do not have to be tech-related; and results will be judged by peer participants. Suggested project tracks include:

• Refry Rehash: Mixing and matching favorite things to make something new
• New Connect: Finding new ways to meaningfully connect people
• Small Data, Big Ideas: Exploring information on the community level

It’s free. While it’s focused on high school, middle-school students are welcome. Register by March 17 — individually or as a team of up to four.

Each 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 on the Northeastern campus, on March 18, 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. You can also access online recordings of Digital Splash! courses from 2020. Among the 26 in-person Splash! courses this year are these STEM offerings:

• Need a Hand?
• The Spaghetti Challenge
• Electronics and Soldering Workshop
• Egg Drop Challenge
• Origami for fun and profit, part 2
• Thinking Outside the Cardboard Box: Prototyping with Cardboard!
• Medical Devices, Medicine, 3D Printed Organs: Let’s talk Bioengineering!
• The Key to Unlocking Data: An Intro to Database Management
• The Lore of Languages: How Coding Came to Be
• The Entire Internet in an Hour!
• AI Q&A with an introduction
• The Fermi Paradox: Where is Everyone?
• Miraculous 3-Pound Jell-O
• Speculative Evolution
• Funky Science: DIY Lava Lamps
• Color me Intrigued: Playing with ROY G BIV
• We all scream for ChemE Ice Cream
• Real Life Sci-Fi: Gene Editing

Nitsch Engineering invites girls in Grades 6-12 (optionally with adult chaperones) to their Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on March 22, 9AM-2PM at Tufts University (Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Avenue, Medford). The focus is on transportation engineering and roadway design. It’s free. Register by March 17, 6PM.

Clark University’s Spring Splash — a one-day program offering classes for students in Grades 5-12 — will be held April 2, 10AM-5PM on the Clark campus (950 Main St., Worcester).  Students should register as soon as possible because classes fill up.  The day is free, with lunch included.  For more information, email clarkuesp@gmail.com.  See the course catalog for STEM classes such as:

• Astronomy
• The Science of Sleep and Dreams