The UMass College of Engineering will hold its second annual Engineering & Society Summit on Saturday, April 1, 10AM-3PM on the campus of UMass Amherst. It’s an opportunity for students in Grades 10-12 to explore the role of engineers in addressing some of the toughest challenges facing society. The agenda will include conversations with alumni, faculty, and current students on the impact they are making as engineers, as well as mini-workshops at the intersection of engineering and society. Lunch will be provided, and students are welcome to bring a parent or guardian. Space are limited! Register as early as possible to guarantee a spot. Registration ends when space fills or on March 30 at 8AM:
Sci-Tech Rocketeers: Launch in Acton, Apr. 2
The Sci-Tech Rocketeers — the rocketry club of the New England Sci-Tech (NEST) STEM education center — will hold a rocket launch event in a field in Acton (341 School Street, Acton) on April 2, noon-3PM. The club meets regularly at NEST in Natick and is open to adults and children ages 13+ (parents of registered children may participate for free). Meetings are for club administration, guest speakers, and the designing and building of rockets in preparation for rocket launch events like this one. For more information, email info@nescitech.org.
HMSC Science Spotlight: Sweaty Shrubs; What Bunnies and Tree Rings Tell Us about Climate Change, Apr. 8
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture hosts Science Spotlights, a series of in-person discussions with scientists, for ages 10+, 2PM-3:30PM on the second Saturday of each month through June. They are free for those admitted to the museum. On April 8, there will be two research talks by up-and-coming scientists:
- Sweaty Shrubs, by Melissa Mai of Holbrook Lab
- What Bunnies and Tree Rings Tell Us about Climate Change, by Dr. Jakob, Sedig of Reich Lab
Penguin Coding School opens in Newton Centre
Penguin Coding School has arrived in Newton Centre (1223 Centre Street) and is now enrolling students for coding and robotics classes for Spring (April 24 -June 25) and Summer (June 26 – September 1) semesters. Topics include Scratch, Minecraft, Roblox, Python, Mobile App Development, Java, and Robotics. The company also has locations in Acton and Lexington and in Brooklyn, NY. For more information email info@penguincodingschool.com or call 617-608-4757
New England Weather Balloon Society at N E Sci-Tech
The New England Weather Balloon Society (NEWBS) has launched — hosted by New England Sci-Tech (NEST) STEM education center (16 Tech Circle, off Route 9 in Natick). NEWBS is dedicated to “the collaborative and iterative process of building and launching high altitude balloons to the edge of space to take instrumentation readings, record video footage, and conduct experiments.” It’s open to all ages. Use this form to inquire or express interest. The group meets online via Discord and in person at NE Sci-Tech. Current projects include:
- HABGab 2023 will fly a repeater into the stratosphere and stream live video from the flight onto YouTube.
- StratoScience Lab is a class for middle and high school students to design and launch a high altitude balloon full of scientific and engineering experiments.
Science Club for Girls: The 2023 Catalyst Awards, Apr. 25
Science Club for Girls will host their annual Catalyst Awards event in-person this year, on April 25, 5:30-8PM, at The Broad Institute (415 Main Street, Cambridge). Honorees this year will be Dr. Latanya Sweeney and Dr. Emily Reichert. Sumbul Siddiqui, Mayor of Cambridge, will speak in person, and Senator Elizabeth Warren will speak by video. Get tickets here.
Ligerbots compete in Rhode Island District FIRST Robotics Competition
After six intensive weeks of designing and building its new robot, Atlas, Newton’s dual-high-school robotics team, the LigerBots, competed well at the Rhode Island District Competition this weekend. Through mistakes and victories, the LigerBots team was the first pick for the third-place alliance captain and won the event’s Sustainability Award, which places the team 33rd out of 227 teams across the district. Other well deserved accolades earned at the event:
- Newton South HS junior Kevin Yang, the Ligerbots’ co-Chief Technical Officer, was named a District Championship Dean’s List Semi-Finalist for his impeccable leadership.
- Greer Swiston, an eight-year adult mentor for the Ligerbots, was nominated as a finalist for the prestigious Woodie Flowers Award, in recognition of her long-time dedication to the team.
Go LigerBots!
Grades 7-8: MIT Spark registration open until midnight tonight
MIT SPARK will be held next weekend, March 18-19, for students in Grades 7-8 to learn from MIT undergraduate and graduate students in over 70 two-day courses . The lottery phase of registration is over, but registration remains open on a first-come/first-served basis until 11:59PM on March 12. Students must register on their own. More info here.
Center for Astrophysics: Public Observatory Night online, Mar. 16
The Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics will host its Public Observatory Night online on March 16, 7PM-8PM, with a livestream of Monitoring Air Pollution from Space, presented by Caroline Nowlan, a physicist in the CfA’s Atomic and Molecular Physics Division. The event will be streamed on the CfA’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
Grades 6-12: Apply by Mar. 17 for Beantown Bash “Anti-Hackathon,” Apr. 1
Beantown Bash is an “anti-hackathon” to be held at Tufts University (Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Avenue, Medford) on April 1. Unlike other hackathons, it’s focused on creating, without presentations; the creations do not have to be tech-related; and results will be judged by peer participants. Suggested project tracks include:
- Refry Rehash: Mixing and matching favorite things to make something new
- New Connect: Finding new ways to meaningfully connect people
- Small Data, Big Ideas: Exploring information on the community level
It’s free. While it’s focused on high school, middle-school students are welcome. Register by March 17 — individually or as a team of up to four.