Cool Science — a free, public art competition for K-12 students — is now in its 10th year and hosted by UMass Lowell, UMass Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, University of Kansas, and Kansas City Art Institute. Students are asked to create a visual work of art, following these guidelines and rules, in response to one of these challenge questions:

1. What did you learn about extreme weather and climate that you want to teach adults?
2. Why is a weakening Polar Vortex causing wild ups and downs in winter temperatures?
3. How will our lives change as weather becomes more severe?

Submissions are due December 10. Winning art, in three divisions (Grades K-5,  6-8, and 9-12) will be displayed on public busses next fall.

For Massachusetts STEM Week, October 18-22, several organizations have contributed Design Challenges for students and educators to explore at no cost.

Future City is a four-month civil-engineering program for middle-school students, culminating in an annual design competition in January.  The program seeks professional engineers (and others with relevant technical backgrounds) to volunteer as:

• Mentors to work with educators and share their real-life STEM experience, offer technical guidance, and introduce students to engineering and city design; and.
• Judges to evaluate the student teams’ work:  Off-line evaluations of city essays, city models, project plans, and related materials OR on-line evaluation of presentations and Q&A sessions.

Volunteers can be working professionals, retirees, or college/graduate students with experience in STEM, urban planning, architecture, or related fields. Apply here. The New England region is sponsored by the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section. In the annual competition, student teams led by an educator and a volunteer mentor spend the fall researching and designing a solution to a city-wide issue, using SimCity. This year’s theme: A Waste-Free Future.

Boston University’s GLOBE Mission Earth team has a four-year NASA grant for a Science Educator to work with K-12 students and teachers in high-need school districts in public schools in Providence, RI. The team is looking for recent science graduates (preferably at the Masters level) — as well as experienced environmental educators  — who demonstrate energy, dedication to environmental science in high-need districts, and content knowledge. There will be substantial support to grow into the job. To apply, contact Peter Garik at garik@bu.edu.

Mass Audubon is offering new annual memberships at reduced rates until November 30:  $35 for Family membership or $35 Individual membership. Under-30 memberships remain at $25. Each enables free access for members to wildlife sanctuaries across Massachusetts, discounts on programs and events, and other member benefits. Additional benefits are available at other membership levels.

Science from Scientists (SfS) is a nonprofit based in Bedford specializing in STEM education and currently serving over 5,000 students in Grades 3-8 in Massachusetts, California, and Minnesota. SfS is now hiring a Director of US/MA Operations and also seeks to hire Scientist Instructors. Details here.

The NASA TechRise Challenge is now open for teams of students in Grades 6-12 to design experiments to be run either in a sub-orbital rocket or in a high-altitude balloon.  A team may have any number of students, and all team members must be from the same school. Each team must have one Team Lead who is a teacher or school employee. Designs must be submitted by November 3. Winners will be announced on January 21. Fifty-seven teams with winning designs will each receive a grant of $1,500 to build their experiments, technical support and office hours with mentors, as well as an assigned spot on a NASA-sponsored commercial suborbital flight.