Category Archives: Opportunities

Various STEM Contests for Students

Opportunities, Virtual/Online

The American Society for Engineering Education notes the following free, online STEM contests open to students:

  • MathWorks Math Modeling Contest:  Grades 11 & 12 — up to 2 teams per school, of 2-3 students each — tackle real-world math problems online under time and resource constraints. Register by February 19 at 4PM.
  • New York Times STEM Writing Contest: Middle/High school students ages 11-19 write an engaging, 500-word explanation of a STEM-related issue or question of their choice. January 19 – March 2.
  • ACTE/NASA Student Video Contest: Students of all ages create videos on the theme of Advancing Space Exploration through Manufacturing. Submit entries by April 1.
  • EngineerGirl Writing Contest: Grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 submit essays by February 1(!) about engineering’s role in meeting and defeating the challenges presented by COVID-19.

MSMR Student Competition: Enter a Poster, Essay, or Website

Opportunities, Virtual/Online

The Massachusetts Society for Medical Research will hold its 29th Annual Student Competition, in which New England students in Grades 7-12 learn about a breakthrough in life sciences and report about it via a poster, essay, or website — as if reporting for the What A Year website for science discovery.  Awards of up to $500 will be made in two levels:  Grades 7-8 and Grades 9-12, with education grants for the teachers/advisors of the winning students.  Entries are due by April 30.  See the student packet.

FSU Online: Call for Presenters for Science on State Street, Apr. 12-24

Opportunities, Virtual/Online

Framingham State University’s Christa McAuliffe Center seeks event presenters for this year’s Science on State Street festival, which will be held April 12-24.  Events/exhibits will be mostly online/virtual but may be outdoor and in-person if in accordance with then-current Massachusetts COVID-19 Guidelines. Apply here by March 31. Exhibits may be activities, workshops, discussions, performances, exhibitions, films, nature walks, or guided tours and should be aligned with any of these themes:  Climate Change, Energy, Waste Reduction/Recycling/Composting, Ecosystems, Astronomy from Planet Earth, and Learning from Our COVID-19 Experience. For more information, email cmc@framingham.edu.

Genes in Space: Contest for Grades 7-12, Experimental Designs Due Apr. 12

Opportunities

Genes in Space invites students in Grades 7-12 to a contest to design DNA experiments for space, working alone or in teams up to four students. Twenty-five teams will win a miniPCR DNA Discovery System for their schools. Five finalist teams will receive mentoring by Harvard/MIT scientists and present at the International Space Station R&D Conference for a chance at the national award — having the team’s experiment launched into space. Applications are due April 12.  The contest is free and does not require equipment.  Proposals will be judged solely on their creative and scientific merit. For more information, email genesinspace@minipcr.com.

MIT Museum: Hands-On Science for Families, at Home

Opportunities, Resources

The MIT Museum is offering a series of Hands-On Science for Families programs to be done at home by families (ages 11+). Each program runs for three consecutive weeks and includes three one-hour virtual sessions with an MIT Museum Educator, all the supplies needed for projects and challenge activities, and online access for discussion and questions while working on projects between sessions. There’s a maximum of 8 families per program. The Imaging Science program just completed, and these two remain open:

  • (Circuit) Board Game Design:  Designing a game, programming a microcontroller, and testing it with other families.  February 3-23 with live sessions 7PM-8PM on February 3, 10, and 17. Register by January 25. $70 per family.
  • Crashing and Folding — Lunar Lander Challenge: Build a prototype lunar lander with origami, paper circuits, and mechanical engineering.  March 31 – Apr. 20 with live sessions 7PM-8PM on March 31, April 7, and 14. Register by March 22. $70 per family.

In addition, the museum recommends online resources for STEAM Activities at Home, drawing on the museum, the MIT Media Lab, and the Cambridge Science Festival.

“STEM Spy” Challenging Monthly Edutainment, on Kickstarter

Opportunities

The MobileQuest STEM Center in Cranston, RI is developing STEM Spy to provide engaging learning-at-home during the pandemic. Available in early 2021, it will be a monthly “kit + video” edutainment subscription that challenges kids (ages 6-11) to solve problems in a spy-mission story line. The kit, which is replenished or augmented monthly, contains materials but no instructions for creating solutions for the challenges that are presented in video segments. STEM Spy is currently being funded on Kickstarter until December 28.

Museum of Science’s New Permanent Exhibit: Arctic Adventure

Opportunities

Boston’s Museum of Science today opened a new permanent exhibit, Arctic Adventure: Exploring with Technology on Level 1 of the Blue Wing. The exhibit offers large-scale projections, soundscapes, and digital interactives, inviting participants to use technology to investigate an immersive Arctic environment. Entry is included with museum admission and requires the reservation of a timed ticket.