Design the Future is an immersive, six-day summer program in STEM and design thinking for high-school students. It’s held on the campuses of six universities, including Boston University, where it will be held June 24-29. Teams of high-school students work with a university design coach and a person possessing a physical disability to create solutions to real problems faced by individuals such physical disabilities. See this video and detailed information about the BU sessions. To attend an information session about the program at BU on March 28 at 7PM, RSVP to designthefuture@dcdesignltd.com.
Register Now for FSU Planetarium Film: Undiscovered Worlds, Mar. 15
The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University opens its planetarium for free public presentations on the third Friday of each month (except April), with topics each month within one of three series: Family Night, Late Nite Skies, and Stellar Nursery. On March 15, 7-8:30PM, the Late Nite Skies series will show the film, Undiscovered Worlds: The Search for Life Beyond Our Sun. Space is limited, and for guaranteed seating you must pre-register and arrive 15 minutes before show time (directions and parking).
LigerBots Have Been Busy!
In recent weeks the Ligerbots, Newton’s dual-high-school FIRST robotics team, has been very busy:
- During a six-week designated “build season,” the team designed and built Thanos, a brand new robot for this year’s competition, Destination: Deep Space. This entailed working six days a week as well as through the February school break.
- Five team members and a mentor participated in the two-day FIRST Southern New England Advocacy Conference (SNEAC), learning about legislative advocacy for FIRST and STEM initiatives and then practicing what they learned in meetings on Beacon Hill with Newton’s legislators and/or their staff.
- This weekend, the team participated in its first FIRST competition of the season, the Southeastern Massachusetts District Event, in Bridgewater. The team joined an alliance that made it into the semi-finals.
Newton North HS Places Second in MIT’s Blue Lobster Bowl
On March 3, Newton North HS sent three teams to the Blue Lobster Bowl, Massachusetts’ regional marine sciences quiz bowl at MIT, and Newton South HS sent one. The full-day competition — a Regional Competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl — covers chemistry, biology, engineering, history, ecology, climate change, and weather. North’s A team placed 2nd of 15 teams, its B team placed 8th, and its C team placed 9th. South’s team placed 6th.
Newton Schools Foundation: Donor will Match up to $25K in Contributions to Calculus Project in March
The Newton Schools Foundation has announced that, for a fourth year in a row, an anonymous donor will match up to $25,000 in donations made in March for the Newton Public School’s Calculus Project. The Calculus Project works in all of Newton’s middle and high schools to have more Hispanic, African American, and low-income students successfully complete calculus in high school, as a path to success in college. Since its start in 2013, the program has increased enrollment by 70%, 200%, and 800% for these groups, respectively. The program provides intensive, small-group summer classes, enrichment activities, and year-round mentoring and tutoring. The summer program includes instruction in Computer Science, field trips to STEM-related companies, and college campus visits for rising 11th graders with a focus on STEM majors and careers. The program currently include 109 students in Grades 8-12 and will welcome 30 incoming 8th Graders this summer.
While the NPS operating budget funds part of the program, tax-deductible donations via the NSF are needed for the summer program, tutoring, enrichment activities, and supplies.
“e” Inc. Activity Night: The Ocean’s Rocky Shore, March 21
“e” inc. — Boston’s environment science learning and action center — hosts Activity Nights for ages 5-7 on the third Thursday of each month, 6PM-7:30PM. On March 21, the theme will be The Ocean’s Rocky Shore.
Worcester’s EcoTarium: Half-Price Admission in March
All admission fees at Worcester’s EcoTarium are half-price in March. Exhibits include Animal Corner, The Arctic Next Door: Mount Washington, and City Science: The Science You Live.
Burr School STEAM Fair — Success!
Burr Elementary School held its STEAM Fair on Friday evening, sponsored by the Burr PTO. It was a fun, non-competitive opportunity for students to learn about the scientific process alongside many of the Burr community parents who are involved in STEAM fields. By adding “A” for “Art” to STEM, the STEAM Fair encouraged students to engage in a broader range of creative projects, including baking, color exploration, and sound waves. Empow Studios hosted a gaming and robotics table, and parent demonstrations included an experiment in color and light. At the popular Reverse Engineering table, students took apart non-working electronics and appliances to explore how their parts work together.
Summer Programs at NuVu in Cambridge
For the third year,NuVu Studios in Cambridge offers summer programs in three sessions (July 8-19, July 22-August 2, August 5-16):
- Summer 2019 “Bioinfinity” (Ages 11-13, Grades 6-8)
- NuVu at MIT Design Studios “On The Brink” (Ages 14-18, Grades 9-12, Post-High School)
- NuVu at MIT Design Studios Residential (Ages 14-18, Grades 9-12, Post-High School)
Students may choose among 24 two-week studios, including Soft Robotics, Fantastical Droids, Musical Prosthetics, AI Neural Networks, Bio Design: Synthetic Biology, Beyond Earth, Future Augmented Reality Games, Food Fabrication Lab, and Digital Street Couture.
Mass. Life Sciences Center: Summer Apprenticeship Internships
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is facilitating and funding summer internships for Massachusetts high-school students who are at least 16 years old and currently in Grades 10-12. The Summer Apprenticeship Challenge program connects these students with employers throughout the state and subsidizes intern stipends for six weeks) so that life sciences companies and academic researchers can hire interns. Employers do the interviewing and selection, then provide a mentor and a hands-on learning experience. Employers sign up here and students sign up here. For more information, email internship@masslifesciences.com.