Newton’s Envi Sci Program is a summer outdoor and educational program, July 5 – August 4, for students entering Grades 7 through 10, under the auspices of Newton Parks, Recreation and Culture and located at Bowen Elementary School.  Students have fun enjoying the wilderness while learning about environmental science.  Highlights include hikes to Blue Hills and Mount Monadnock, bicycle trips, a 12-mile canoe trip on the Charles River, an expedition through the salt marshes of the North shore, and a three-day backpacking trip up Mount Washington. Students also conduct an environmental cleanup service project and learn about the environment through science workshops on geology, botany, ecology, water cycle, pollution issues, and conservation.  The cost is $2195 for Newton residents ($2245 for non-residents), with need-based financial aid available. Registration, payment, and other required forms are here. For more information, contact David Backer at 617-447-9317 or contact@newtonenvisci.org.

Tufts University, which offers a wide range of pre-college summer courses for high-school students, will collaborate with Tuft’s Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) to offer in-person summer engineering design workshops for students entering Grades 1-8. Each program will be for one week, Monday-Friday, 9AM-3PM. Programs include:

Grades 1-3

• Robotics & Engineering
• Pet Helpers Engineering
• The Circus is Coming
• Novel Engineering

Grades 4-8

• Robotics for ALL – SPIKE Prime
• Wizarding Engineering
• Girls Engineering
• Spy Games

The cost is $750 per week. Registration will open February 22. For more information email precollege@tufts.edu or call 617-627-2926.

BostonTechMom has compiled a parents’ guide to over 100 STEM-related summer camps in Massachusetts.

Harvard Medical School’s MEDscience summer program for Grades 9-12 offers three different one-week programs following three different curricula:

• MEDscience@HMS (clinical): in-person, non-residential, on the medical-school campus, offered each week, June 13 through August 19.
• MEDscienceLAB (research based): in-person, non-residential, on the medical-school campus, offered each of the weeks beginning June 13, 27; July 11; and August 15.
• teleMED (online): offered virtually the weeks beginning June 13, 21, 27; July 5, August 1, 8, 15.

Scholarships are available for Boston-area residents, awarded based on student essays and teacher assessments. Register here. For more information, email hmsmedscience@hms.harvard.edu or call 617-432-7047.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory offers the Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers (LLRISE), a two-week summer workshop for 18 rising high-school seniors to build small radar systems. It’s free and will be held June 29 – July 17. MIT expects to return to in-person activities in 2022 but this is subject to change due to Covid. Students from a wide range of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Apply online by 9PM on March 11, including uploading of transcripts, standardized test scores, and two teacher recommendations. For more information, contact LLRISE@LL.mit.edu.

Tufts University offers these pre-college summer STEM programs for high-school students on-campus (except as noted):

• Engineering Design Lab: July 10-22 or July 25-August 5
• Engineering Investigations: July 10-22
• Coding 101: July 24-August 5
• Mini-Med School: July 10-23 on campus or July 11-22 virtual
• Tufts Summer Research Experience: July 5-August 12 on campus or virtual

For more information, register for the webinar on January 31 at 6PM, or email precollege@tufts.edu, or call 617-627-2926, or chat online with the program administrators.

Girls Who Code is offering two free, virtual programs this summer for U.S. students in Grades 9-11 who identify as girls or non-binary:

• Summer Immersion Program is a live, virtual, 2-week introductory computer science course in which participants learn web development and explore the tech industry via company partners. Students who complete the additional Student Grant Application and qualify may receive tech support and grants of up to $500.
• Self-Paced Program is a 6-week flexible computer science course for those who prefer not to adhere to a set schedule. It’s offered in two levels:  beginner (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and intermediate (Python for cybersecurity) and includes opportunities for weekly live advisory sessions and Girls Who Code activities.

You can apply for either or both with one application, but you can attend only one. Apply by February 16 for early decision or by March 18 for regular decision. For more information, see the video, read the FAQs, join a webinar, or email summer@girlswhocode.com.

MIT Edgerton Center’s summer Engineering Design Workshop, for students entering Grades 9-12, will not meet at MIT this summer but will instead run remotely through small groups of 4-5 students meeting in their own locations and supported by a responsible adult. For more information, email mayerc@mit.edu.

Empow Studios is offering discounts through January 31 for its in-person summer camps in Boston, Cambridge, Lexington, Milton, Natick, Newton, and North Andover. Use code CAMPFUN75 to save $75, and another $40 off per week for weeks 2 through 6. Refunds (minus $10 registration fee) are available until 14 days before camp begins.

The 17th annual Teen Summer Expo, free and open to all, will be held February 15, 5:30-8PM in the Newton South HS cafeteria and will feature 18 STEM programs for students 12-18 years old. Register here or just drop by to meet with directors of a wide range of summer programs, STEM and non-STEM, for middle- and high-school students. Covid safety protocols will be followed. (NOTE: The date was stated incorrectly in this post in last week’s newsletter.)