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.
Category Archives: Opportunities
FSU McAuliffe Center: February Vacation Online Astronomy Program for High School Students
The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University will offer an online program, The Life Cycle of Stars, for high-school students over the February vacation, February 15-19, at either 11AM-Noon or 4PM-5PM each day. Motivated students in Grades 7-8 are also welcome. The cost is $45 per student. Register here.
Genes in Space: Contest for Grades 7-12, Experimental Designs Due Apr. 12
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
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.
“e” Emporium Seeks Secret Santa Gifts
“e” inc.’s Science Emporium store seeks people to purchase Secret Santa gifts for kids who need them. Their goal is 50 gifts, and you can join in my buying a $20 Secret Santa gift here — perhaps as you shop for other STEM-related gifts.
“STEM Spy” Challenging Monthly Edutainment, on Kickstarter
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
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.
Hey, Newton! Create an Hour of Code Event, Dec. 7-13
Everyone worldwide is invited to participate in Hour of Code — “the largest learning event in history” — during the week of December 7-13. Already over 240 Hour of Code events in Massachusetts have been planned — but none yet in Newton! You can create your own event here. For more information, check out Khan Academy’s free resources for Hour of Code.
Science Club for Girls: Success By the Numbers
Science Club for Girls is celebrating its 25h anniversary providing free, experiential activities in STEM for K-8 girls — prioritizing those who are underrepresented in STEM by race and socioeconomic factors. SCFG also offers junior mentoring and leadership experiences for high school girls, supported by adult mentoring and role modeling by women with STEM careers. SCFG’s success is shown in these numbers:
- Over 250 girls in Grades K-12 engaged this fall in hands-on learning in SCFG’s 8-week Virtual Science Clubs, “Engineering Around the World’;
- 75% of participating girls coming from SCFG’s priority communities;
- 73 mentors, many of whom are women in STEM;
- Over 40 volunteers packing and distributing science kits for each girl to have her own supplies for hands-on experiments; and
- Nearly 25 episodes of the #SCFGLive! science show, with more than 21,688 views, reaching an even wider audience of girls.
You can be a part of this by supporting SCFG through donations and volunteering.
Girl Scouts Online STEM Expo Seeks Presenters for Workshops & Expo, Mar. 20-21
The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts will hold its 9th annual STEM Conference and Expo for Grades 6-12, this time online, on March 20-21. The organizers invite volunteers to apply to offer workshops, virtual tours, presentations, etc. For more information, contact Eileen Koury at ekoury@gsema.org.