Category Archives: Virtual/Online

Discovery Museum online speaker series: Teaching Today’s Kids To Spot Tomorrow’s Fake News, Feb. 9

[CORRECTED DATE:}  On February 9, 7PM-8PM, the Discovery Museum‘s speaker series will present Dr. Susan Engel of the Psychology Department at Williams College speaking about Teaching Today’s Kids To Spot Tomorrow’s Fake News. It’s free with pre-registration, and an optional $5 donation is suggested. She notes that by starting early, giving children the intellectual tools to assess the credibility of information is neither as hard nor as amorphous as it might seem.

N.E. Sci-Tech Amateur Radio: Webinar on use of Safecast to monitor radiation in Ukraine, Nov. 15

The Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (STARS) at New England Sci-Tech and the Wellesley Amateur Radio Society will jointly host a webinar on November 15 at 7PM on the use of Safecast‘s crowdsourced environmental monitoring and bGieie radiation detectors to map radiation in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, occupation of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and attack on the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The link for the webinar will be sent in the weekly STARS newsletter early on the morning of November 15. To get the link, sign up for the newsletter here before Tuesday, checking “STARS – Amateur Radio Club” on the form.

Register for Science on Saturday (Water Worlds: The Search for Life in Space) at MIT Lincoln Labs, Dec. 3

Registration is now open for a hybrid session of Science on Saturday on December 3 at 3PM at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory (244 Wood Street in Lexington) and online via Zoom (link provided on that site before the event). The topic will be Water Worlds: The Search for Life in Space, presented by Lincoln Laboratory’s Sarah Willis. Learn about how water and life are intertwined, the search for extraterrestrial life within our solar system, and where life might be found elsewhere in the galaxy.

For in-person attendance, all children (5-17 years) must be escorted by an adult, and every adult must be a certified teacher or be escorted by a child or children. Children under 5 are not admitted. Admission is free but each person attending must be registered. Space is limited. Register online. Adults attending in-person must bring government photo identification. See other rules on the registration pages.

Discovery Museum webinar: Coding, Computational Thinking, and Robotics in Early Childhood, Sept. 22

The Discovery Museum will host an online presentation — Playgrounds vs. Playpens: Coding, Computational Thinking, and Robotics in Early Childhood — on September 22, 7PM-8:30PM on Zoom. The speaker, Prof. Marina Umaschi Bers, holds appointments in Tufts University’s Department of Child Study and Human Development and Department of Computer Science. Drawing on her recent book, Beyond Coding: How Children Learn Human Values through Programming, she will speak about how coding should be taught not only as a technical skill but as a new literacy, enabling children to express themselves and engage with the world and others. Registration is free, and a $5 donation to the Discovery Museum is appreciated.

TechGirlz: Free, Online Workshops for Girls in Grades 5-8

TechGirlz, a nonprofit program of CompTIA, is hosting an ongoing series of free, online workshops running in two-hour sessions for girls in Grades 5-8. The topics between now and mid-October are:

  • Artificial Intelligence: How Computers Learn
  • Python Programming
  • Intro to Encryption – How to Protect Your Information
  • Architecture and Design: Build Your Own 3D House
  • Designing Mobile Apps
  • Cybersecurity Basics: How to Manage Cyber Risks

In addition, TechGirlz will run a one-day, virtual Code Some Chords Mini-Camp on August 27, 10AM-3PM.

Broad Institute Free Online Lecture: What will it Take to Make Clinical Genomics Part of Everyday Medicine?, Aug. 2

The Broad Institute will host a free, public, virtual event in its Science for All Seasons series — What will it Take to Make Clinical Genomics Part of Everyday Medicine? — on August 2, 5PM-6PM. Clinical geneticist Heidi Rehm will discuss how researchers and clinicians leverage genomic data to change the lives of millions of patients and find the causes for some of the rarest diseases. Register here.

Inspire2Dev: Online Summer Hackathon for Grades 6-9, Aug. 6

Inspire2Dev invites students entering Grades 6-9 to its free online 2022 Summer Hackathon on August 6, 9AM-4:30PM. Students with or without experience in STEM or coding are welcome. There will be opportunities to collaborate with peers on projects, meet STEM mentors, and hear presentations by speakers in STEM fields. Various prizes and awards will be presented in the closing ceremony. Sign up here.

Boston Tech Mom has an interview with Inspire2Dev founder Charlotte Law.

Newton Summer Science Program: NSHS Science Team Offers Online STEM Classes for Grades 6-8

The Newton South HS Science Team is again offering its Newton Summer Science Program (NSSP), an online program started two years ago to teach middle school students (in Newton and beyond) about the subjects they will be learning in high school. This year the program will focus on subjects that students might not encounter directly at their high schools. Each class is one week long, meeting online 2 hours and 15 minutes a day, and is taught by qualified high school students who are passionate the subjects they teach. There is no fee to attend, but families are asked to make a donation to NSSP if they are able. (A donation of $10 per class is suggested, and larger donations are gratefully appreciated.) Please fill out this survey to sign up for these classes:
  • July 11-15: Cell Biology, 9:30AM-11:45AM;
    Physics and Engineering, 12:15-2:30PM
  • July 18-22: Genetics, 9:30AM-11:45AM
  • July 25-29: Chemistry, 1:30-2:45PM;
    Anatomy and Physiology, the Nervous System, 3:30PM-5:45PM
  • August 1-5: Cell Biology, 3:30-4:45PM (repeat of July 11-15)
  • August 8-12: Anatomy and Physiology, the Endocrine System, 9:30-11:45AM
  • August 15-19: Computer Science, Introduction to Python, 9:30-11:45AM;
    Biochemistry and Digestion, 3:30-5:45PM

Grades 7-12: Register Now for MIT’s Summer Virtual HSSP, July 9-Aug. 13

Students entering Grades 7-12 (plus those who just graduated) are invited to register for MIT’s Summer HSSP, which will run virtually on six Saturdays, 1PM-4PM, July 9 – August 13. Register by June 26 with your preferences for classes to be entered in the lottery for class assignment. The total cost is $40, regardless of the number of classes taken, and generous need-based financial aid is available. The fee is paid after the lottery results are announced, during the period in which remaining seats may be reserved on a first-come/first-served basis. For more information, email summer-hssp@mit.edu. HSSP is run by MIT students, once again Zooming from far and wide to offer 25 courses (plus more to be added later), including these STEM-related ones:

  • Modeling Markets, Pandemics, and Peace: The Mathematics of Multi-Agent Systems
  • Intro to Computer Science and Programming with Python
  • A Very Basic Intro to Python Programming
  • Optimization in Graph Theory
  • Every Reference in “Finite Simple Group (of Order Two)” (And Possibly, Math (But No Promises))
  • Introduction to Proofs
  • Axiomatic Geometry and Proofs
  • Astrobiology
  • STEM Lecture Series
  • Problem Solving from Common Sense Extension
  • Environmental Pollution
  • Introduction to Epidemiology
  • Great and Small: Crazy Electrons
  • Saving the World with the Science of Sustainability!
  • Put Light to Work: Exploring the ultrafast with light
  • Astronaut Health: Optimization of Human Performance for the Extreme Environment of Space
  • Algorithmic Justice through Media Literacy Education
  • Beyond Medicine: Exploring Inclusivity and Equity in Healthcare