The 16th annual Teen Summer Expo, free and open to all, will be held January 27, 5:30-8PM at Newton South HS and will feature 26 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.
Boston Tech Mom: Tech Events for Kids in January
Boston Tech Mom (“a parent’s guide to raising a future techie”) is a great resource for all things STEM around Boston — including her monthly posts about free or low-cost STEM Events for Kids in Boston. Here’s her Boston Tech Mom: Tech Events for Kids in January list of STEM events.
New Winter Labs at Innovation Institute, Starting Jan. 6
The Innovation Institute (TI2) in Newtonville has added these new lab courses to its new series of laboratory sessions, Living in the Lab, beginning January 6:
- Intro to Mechanical and Electrical Engineering & Robotics, for ages 10-12 or 11-13
- Investigate, Discover & Design: Developing Critical Thinking Skills through Science & Engineering I, ages 5-6
For more information, email welcome@theinnovationinstitute.org or call 617-340-9907.
NPR’s Science Friday at WBUR: Create Curiosity Fair, Jan. 16
NPR’s Science Friday program will host the Create Curiosity Fair at WBUR’s CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Ave., Boston) on January 16 at 6:30PM. Explore with local artists and scientists how art and science influence each other. There will be hands-on workshops and two new Science Friday videos. Tickets are $10 for ages 12+, $9 for WBUR members, and free for kids under 12.
‘Girls Who Code’ Workshop for Potential Club Leaders, Jan. 22
The MetroWest STEM Education Network will hold a free workshop on January 22, 8AM-10:30AM, at Synopsis (11 Apex Drive, Suite 302B, in Marlborough) for adults interested in learning about the Girls Who Code curriculum and various implementation models for Girls Who Code clubs in schools and out-of-school organizations. Register online.
Apply for Broad Summer Scholars Program by Jan. 24
Applications are now open for the Broad Institute’s Summer Scholars Program for highly motivated, rising high-school seniors in the greater Boston area who have a strong interest in science. Students are matched with Broad scientists for six weeks (June 18-July 31) conducting original research and will have opportunities to explore careers in science, attend a college fair, present their work to Broad scientists in a poster session, and participate in social events. There’s no cost to apply or attend, and compensation is available for students demonstrating a financial need. Excitement for science is required, but no previous experience is needed. Apply by January 24. For more information, see this FAQ page or email bssp@broadinstitute.org.
Call for Exhibitors for Mass. STEM Summit, Apr. 15
The 2020 Massachusetts STEM Summit will be on April 15, 8AM-3PM at DCU Center (50 Foster Street in Worcester) with the theme, See Yourself in STEM: Connecting Educators to Employers. The organizers invite proposals from exhibitors until February 14. Proposals for workshop sessions will be by invitation only from the Summit planning committee. Registration for the summit ($50 but free for full-time students) will open in late February.
LigerBots Host FIRST LEGO League Eastern Massachusetts Championship
Yesterday the Newton LigerBots high-school robotics team hosted the Eastern Massachusetts FIRST Lego League (FLL) Championship featuring 48 FLL teams in Grades 4-8 that qualified for the event from across eastern Massachusetts, including seven teams from Newton: Roaming Rovers, Botanistas, ROBO SCAPERS, Day Dragons, LazerRobotics, City Snakes, and Supernovas. Teams competed in robot matches and research presentations based on this year’s FLL theme, City Shaper (see video and game guide). These Newton teams won awards:
- ROBO SCAPERS: 1st place for Presentation Award
- Supernovas: 1st place for Strategy & Innovation Award
- City Snakes: Judge’s Award
- Botanistas: 2nd place for Lightning Round
- Lazer Robotics: 2nd place for Mechanical Design Award
LigerBots mentor/coach Greer Swiston won the Outstanding Volunteer Award. The event attracted large crowds, including several public officials and candidates, as well as 120 Girl Scouts attending to earn their STEAM badges. In an accompanying STEAM Expo, the LigerBots and others demonstrated emerging technologies and interesting projects. See more photos here.
Newton Free Library: 8 Sessions of STEM for Everyone (especially ages 6 to 8)
The Newton Free Library will host a free STEM course, STEM for Everyone (especially ages 6 to 8). Students will participate in science experiments and fun math games. Registration is required — once for all eight sessions in the series (4:30-5:30PM on January 8, 22 & 29, February 3 & 26, March 11, 18 & 25). For more information, call the Newton Public Library at 617-796-1360.
Empow Studios: Free Drop-in Sessions
Empow Studios will offer free drop-in sessions at its Newton and Lexington locations to invite kids and their parents to get a sense of Empow’s STEM clubs and classes. Register with these links:
- December 22: Video Game Design Club, 11AM-12:30PM (Newton)
- January 11: Teaser Workshop, 3:30PM-5:30PM (Newton) Choose from 3D- Modeling, Robotics, Minecraft or Coding
- January 25: Girls STEAM Club, 1PM-2:30PM (Lexington)
- February 29: Digital Arts & Design Club, 9:30AM-11AM (Newton)
- March 22: Coding Club (Scratch to Java), 11:30AM-1PM (Lexington)