The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education will hold another competition for student-designed microgravity experiments to be conducted on the International Space Station (ISS). This program has been featured in Scientific American. Students in Grades 5-16 are eligible to design and propose experiments, but communities sponsoring entries from Grades 5-12 should plan to engage as many as 300 students in the competition. Participating communities with approved entries will be provided a microgravity mini-laboratory to host one experiment, plus all launch services to reach the ISS in Spring 2018 and return for analysis. Communities must express interest by the (recently extended) deadline of June 15 and commit to a 9-week design/proposal phase, September 5 through November 3. Winning experiments will be selected by December 14 for launch in the Spring.
Category Archives: Events
Workshops in Space Exploration (WiSE), in Rockport in July
Science educators, students, and other enthusiasts are invited to attend one or both of these four-day Workshops in Space Exploration (WiSE) on the campus of Rockport (MA) Public Schools:
- July 17, 18, 20, 21: Exploring the Solar System
- July 24, 25, 27, 28: Exploring the Milky Way and Greater Cosmos
The cost is $300 per four-day workshop, with scholarships available to Massachusetts educators. The workshop presenter, Bill Waller is a professional astronomer and educator dedicated to sharing the wonders of the cosmos with people of all ages and abilities. Contact Gini Nangle at the Rockport Community Schools (gnangle@rpk12.org) or Dr. William H. Waller (williamhwaller@gmail.com).
LigerBots Host Explanation of FIRST LEGO League Robotics, May 30
Students in Grades K-8 — and their parents — are invited to learn about FIRST Lego League (FLL) at FLL Info Night, hosted by the Newton LigerBots on May 30, 7-9PM in Newton North HS’s Film Lecture Hall. At the event, students and parents can learn more about FLL and what roles students can play on FLL teams, such as being a researcher, coder, or engineer, and they can meet others who are interested in forming FLL teams.
The LigerBots — Newton’s FIRST Robotics team, spanning both high schools — offers this information session as a community service, in part because FLL is a great introduction to the engineering, teamwork, and project skills that make great future LigerBots. The LigerBots also support FLL by mentoring local FLL teams, hosting FLL competitions, and promoting the principles of FIRST.
Where Can You Find the LigerBots this May?
The Newton LigerBots FIRST Robotics team will be active, as usual, throughout May in competition and community service:
- May 14: Newton Festival of the Arts Outdoor Festival Weekend & KidsFEST, 10AM-5PM on the Newton Centre Green, across from Tango Mango. Meet the team and their robot.
- May 20: “Battlecry” post-season competition at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It’s free, open to the public 10AM-7PM, and amazing.
- May 24: Planting flags on veterans’ graves at Newton Cemetery, 6-7PM, in preparation for Memorial Day.
- May 28: Newton Memorial Day Parade, 2-4PM, marching with their robot.
- May 30: FLL Info Night, 7-9PM in Newton North HS’s Film Lecture Hall.
- May 31: Newton South HS Science Department Open House, 3:40-6:30PM, to demonstrate their robot and recruit new team members.
11th Annual YouthCAN Summit on Climate and Sustainability, May 13
Youth and adults from across New England are invited to attend the 11th Annual Youth Summit on Global Climate Change at MIT’s EG&G Education Center (Building 34) on May 13, from 9AM to 3PM. It’s free and sponsored by Boston Latin School’s Youth Climate Action Network (YouthCAN) and the Radius initiative of MIT’s Technology and Culture Forum. The theme this year is Youth Activism and Social Justice. The summit includes a keynote, workshops, exhibits, free breakfast and lunch, and prizes. Space is limited. For more information, contact Cate Arnold at catebarnold@aol.com. Register online, specifying your choice of these workshops:
- Climate Impacts on Boston Harbor Islands & Less Resourced Coastal Regions
- How Youth Activists Can Get Involved in Food Justice
- Excited About EcoEntrepreneurship!
- The Shark: A Species We Could Not Live Without
- Getting to a Smarter Grid
- 100% Renewable Energy: Why We Need It & How We Get It
- Climate, Racism + Capitalism (full)
- The State Legislature: Protecting Water & Natural Resources
- Futuristic Energy and Climate Change
- Forestry and Climate Change: Maple Syrup, Storm Surge, and Forest Carbon
Info Session on TEALS Computer Science Volunteers, May 16
Technology Education And Literacy in Schools (TEALS) recruits, trains, and places volunteer teaching assistants in high-school classrooms to support partner schools and teachers in offering computer-science courses on a sustainable basis. Applications are now open for new volunteers. To learn more, register here for a TEALS information session on May 16, 6:30-8:30PM at the Central Square branch of the Cambridge Public Library (45 Pearl Street in Cambridge). For more information, read the Volunteer Guide and the FAQ, then contact Michael Shia at michael@tealsk12.org or 857-222-3644.
STEM Resource Fair at Bridgewater State University, May 18
Bridgewater State University will host a STEM Resource Fair on May 18, 3-6PM at the Mohler-Faria Science & Mathematics Center (24 Park Avenue in Bridgewater). Attendance is free but registration is required.
Middle-School Teachers: Bring Students to Tour MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, June 7
The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center invites middle-school teachers to bring two outstanding students for the Center’s annual Outreach Day, June 7. The event will discuss plasmas, harnessing fusion energy, large magnets, and sources of intense microwave and millimeter-wave power. Students will observe plasmas in a glow discharge tube, perform hands-on demonstrations with superconductivity, and see MIT’s tokamak, the Alcator C-MOD. The program begins at 9AM and goes to 3PM, when there will be an optional information session and tour of MIT. Bring a lunch. Registration is required by May 17. For more information, contact Paul Rivenberg at rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu.
Newton Free Library STEM Programs in May
The Newton Free Library offers several STEM-related events in May. For each, space is limited, and you must pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk.
- May 2: Working With Wind: Wind Turbine Engineering, 7-8PM, Grades 5-7.
- May 18: Scratch Club, 7-8PM, Grades 3-4.
- May 24: LEGO WeDo, 7:30-8:30PM, Grades 5-7.
- May 25: STEAM Ahead, 4-4:45PM, ages 3-5.
Boston Tech Mom: Tech Events for Kids in May
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 STEM Events for Kids in Boston. Here’s her May list of STEM events, with her ever-growing list of Girls Who Code clubs.