Register here for the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers (MAST) annual conference on November 2-3 at the Boxborough Regency Hotel (242 Adams Place, Boxborough). It will focus on:
Check out Kickstarter starting at 4PM on October 2, as Boston-based start-up Unruly Studios launches its first STEM education product, Unruly Splats. Unruly Splats teaches kids basic concepts of programming and other STEM skills in a fun and compelling way as they get up, move around, and create real, interactive games from their own imagination.
You may have met CEO Bryanne Leeming demonstrating Unruly Splats at either of the last two Newton Free Library STEAM Expos or in the Mini Maker Faire at the LigerBots’ FIRST LEGO League Competition last year. David Kunitz, Unruly’s Head of Design, is a Newton North HS graduate, and the company’s Tech Lead, Daniel Ozick, is a Newton resident.
Your backing of this local start-up will be most helpful and appreciated in the first two days after the early-access Kickstarter link goes live at 4PM on Monday, the day before the formal launch of the company’s 30-day Kickstarter campaign. After this campaign, sales will be via Unruly-Studios.com, for delivery by next summer.
Tickets are still available for the free Public Expo at the conclusion of the MIT Media Lab’s Reality Virtually Hackathon. This hackathon (for which participant registration is now closed) will be held October 6-9 to gather 400 “interdisciplinary minds to explore the application of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies for building new experiences” in the areas of healthcare/medicine, entertainment, sports, architecture, gaming, and retail. The Public Expo will be held October 9, 1-5PM, to showcase the results of the hackathon, followed by an awards ceremony, 5-6PM. Register here for the Public Expo.
The Newton Free Library will host the following STEM events in October:
Register by October 2 for Project Lead the Way‘s free STEM professional development conference on October 13, 8:00AM-3PM, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Salisbury Laboratories (directions). Administrators, principals, teachers, school counselors, and business professionals are invited to learn about K-12 curricular programs in engineering, computer science, and biomedical science. For more information, email pltw@wpi.edu or call 508-831-5198.
MIT’s Edgerton Center holds free Science on Saturday programs approximately monthly during the school year for elementary, middle, and high school students — as well as their parents and teachers. Each is a fun, one-hour, interactive presentation beginning at 10AM in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. Kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Attendees also receive same-day admission to the MIT Museum at half-price. No pre-registration is necessary but seating is limited and first-come, first-seated. The next program will be October 14: Biotechnology. For more information, contact Dr. Todd H. Rider, Mad Scientist in Residence, at thor@mit.edu.
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 October list of STEM events.
Science Club for Girls invites everyone to the 10th annual Catalyst Awards Celebration on November 2 , 6-8PM at District Hall (75 Northern Avenue in Boston). This event recognizes those who are strategic, innovative, and effective in promoting STEM, and this year’s honorees are Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia, Shirley Leung, and Dr. Pendred Noyce. Tickets are $125, which gives you an inspiring/informative evening AND supports SCFG’s amazing programs to offer underrepresented girls the confidence, knowledge, and experience they need to pursue careers in STEM. Celebrate SCFG’s diversity, depth of programming, personal and leadership development, community network, and results.
Registration is now open for two Saturday-morning sessions of Science on Saturday, on October 21 at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory (244 Wood Street in Lexington). The topic will be The Science of Art, presented by the Lincoln Employee African American Network (LEAN) Employee Resource Group. All children (5-17 years) must be escorted by an adult, and every adult must be escorted by a child or children. Children under 5 are not admitted. Admission is free but each person attending must be registered. Space is limited, so register online soon for either Session 1 (9AM to 10:30AM) or Session 2: 10:45AM to 12:15PM). Register an adult first, then a child, then others. Adults must bring government photo identification. See other rules on the registration pages.
Public Telescope Nights: The Clay Center Observatory, on the campus of Dexter Southfield School (20 Newton Street in Brookline; 5th floor), holds Public Telescope Nights 8PM to 9PM on Tuesdays through November (except October 31 and November 21). Go here to pick a date and register in advance. Events are canceled if weather is rainy or overcast: Call 617-454-2795 one hour before the event for a recorded message.
Introduction to Astronomy: The Clay Center Observatory at Dexter Southfield has teamed up with Newton Community Education to offer a course about telescopes, constellations, sky navigation, Earth’s seasons, and phases of the moon. Weather permitting, the class will use the Clay Center’s 25” research-grade telescope and other telescopes — and also explore the fiber-optic-lit Stars Court and the 3D Moon Court. Three Wednesdays starting October 18, 6:30-8:30PM at the Clay Center at Dexter Southfield School. $75 fee. Register here.