MIT Lincoln Laboratory is offering its Science on Saturdays programs virtually this year, and registration is NOT required. The programs are free and designed for children aged 5-17, their parents, and teachers. On Saturday, October 31 at 10AM, the program will be Our Amazing Atmosphere & Its Gases. Learn about the gases that make up the atmosphere, how dry ice can create dense fog, how liquid nitrogen freezes things. and about an aluminum fuel that releases hydrogen when it contacts pure water. Join via this Zoom link and passcode 629820.

Boston College will hold BC Splash virtually — and free — this semester on Sunday, November 8, 10AM-3:15PM.  Splash is a one-day, student-run program in which undergraduates and graduate students teach mini-courses for students in Grades 7-12. Registration is required, and course selection is first-come/first-served. For more information, email bcsplash@gmail.com. STEM-related classes in the course catalog include:

• How to Prove Mathematics
• Intro to Data Structures
• The Physics of Airplanes
• It’s in My Genes: DNA and Plasmids
• Straws and Turtles: Our Global Plastic Pollution Problem
• COVID-19: Impacts on Global Public Health
• Pre-Dental Info Session
• Intro to Psychology
• Cellular Biology 101
• Lasers, Leaves, and Land
• Ocean Conservation:  Sharks —  Why They Matter

The Tech Together hackathon will be held virtually this year, November 6-8, with the theme “Dear Future Me.” It’s “Boston’s largest student-run hackathon open to all female, femme, and non-binary individuals.” Those who identify as male may volunteer but not participate as hackers. For 36 hours from 6PM Friday to 11AM Sunday, there will be technical projects for teams and individuals, workshops, talks, networking opportunities. It’s free, and optional donations will be accepted for any of three organizations:  Black Tech Mecca, Reclaim the Block, and TechTogether. Register here.

MIT Splash will be held virtually November 14-15, during which students in Grades 9-12 take mini-courses taught by MIT undergraduates (10AM-9PM on Saturday and 9AM-6PM on Sunday). The open lottery course registration is now open until October 27, after which remaining space will be filled first-come/first-served. (Tip: To maximize the number of full blocks in your schedule, rank at least 3 classes and star at least 10 classes.) The cost is $40 regardless of the number of courses taken, and financial aid is available. This year’s catalog includes over 250 courses in Computers and Programming, Engineering, Mathematics, Science, and other subjects. For more information, email splash@mit.edu.

Tufts University’s Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) and White Mountain Science will hold a free, online coffee hour on October 22 at 4:30PM for parents to discuss ideas and resources about learning during COVID-19. Register here. And you can join CEEO’s Facebook group for parents.

During October 20-30, the Engineering Department of UMass Amherst will hold Women in Engineering and Computing Days — a series of free online talks, challenges, panels, and drop-in hours for all high-school students to learn about engineering and computing at the school and to connect with undergraduate and graduate student members of the Society for Women Engineers. Events will be live on Zoom, after which recordings will be available on the Hopin.to platform. Register here for all events, including three optional challenges, and to get the Zoom link. Or email engindiversity@umass.edu for the Zoom link. (An introduction to the Hopin.to platform will be offered via the Zoom link on October 19 at 1PM and 6PM.)

The John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club will hold its annual meeting online on October 15, 8AM-8:45AM. It’s free and open to the public. Tune in to learn about Gamesroom Engineering, STEM in the Learning Center, Curiosity Club, and 3D Printing.