Newton Free Library: STEM Events in August

Events

The Newton Free Library will host the following STEM event(s) in August (not including Finch Robots and Engineering Club, for which registration has ended).

  • August 9:  Scratch Club, 7-8PM, Grades 3-5 (no registration; pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk)
  • August 10:  LEGO WeDo, 4:30-5:30PM, Grades 4-5 (registration required; waiting list)
  • August 11:  STEAM and a STORY: Fairy Houses!, 2-3PM, Grades K-2 (no registration required; pick up tickets 15 minutes beforehand at the Children’s Desk)

RSVP for MIT PlayLabs Demo Day (in person or online), Aug. 14

Events

The MIT Play Labs accelerator will host its Demo Day on August 14 at MIT’s Wong Auditorium (2 Amherst Street, Cambridge). Register to attend either in person (6-9PM) or online (6:15-8PM). Ten Play Labs startups will demonstrate on stage and offer opportunities to try what they have been working on.  Technologies (and related startups) include educational games and tools (BlocksCAD 3D, Realism), virtual/augmented reality (LUI, PlaySpark), blockchain (BitMovio, Button Wallet), eSports (InTheGame, SitNPlay Games), artificial intelligence & machine vision (InTheGame, Toucan AI), and voice (Toucan AI, Whetstone Technologies).

LigerBot Delegates Attend FIRST National Advocacy Conference in DC

Accomplishments

The Newton LigerBots sent a delegation to the FIRST National Advocacy Conference, June 24-26 in Washington, DC, representing Massachusetts along with the Green Reapers team from Worcester. The 250 conference attendees learned about how bills get passed, how to advocate effectively, what other teams are doing at the state level, and the two STEM-related aims of FIRST’s current advocacy:

  • Reauthorization of the Perkins Act, which supports technical education and STEM opportunities in second careers for those who may otherwise not be able to afford it, and
  • Full funding for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which provides flexible block grants that school districts can use to for high-quality STEM programs both in the classroom and after school.

On the last day of the conference, the LigerBot delegates met with Representative Joseph Kennedy as well as with staff of Senators Warren and Markey, and Representative Capuano to talk about FIRST, STEM, the Perkins Act, and ESSA.

Survey: Empow Studios Seeks Teens’ Opinions About New Programs

Opportunities

Empow Studios is planning to expand its programs for teens in Newton and Lexington and would like to hear from teens and their parents about what programs they would like to see offered. The company’s online survey is anonymous — unless you choose the option to provide your name and email address in order to be informed of future programs and provide more feedback in the future. It should take less than 5 minutes to complete. Empow Studios would appreciate your survey response by July 15, if possible.

Kids 4 Coding: Summer Programs in Cambridge and Brookline

Summer

Kids 4 Coding, based in Atlanta, offers full-day and half-day summer programs for ages 7-16 in two Boston locations:  Newbury College in Brookline and Lesley University in Cambridge.  Space is still available in the following programs during some weeks in one or both locations:

  • Ages 7-8:  Build & Code Robots + Minecraft;
    Code with Music + Game Design
  • Ages 8-9:  Robotics + Game Design;
    Minecraft + Engineering
  • Ages 9-10:  Fly & Code Drones + Game Design;
    Build Your Own Computer with Minecraft Pi
  • Ages 10-12:  ROBLOX: code, design & publish games;
    Team Robotics & Visual Programming;
    Game Design & Python Programming;
    Build & Code Your Own Take-Home Laptop;
    Design & Code Wearable Tech + 3D Design
  • Ages 13-16:  Teen Entrepreneur: Web Development;
    Learn to Code through Music;
    Build Your Own Take-Home Laptop;
    Game Design

Newton Free Library: STEM Events in July

Events

The Newton Free Library will host the following STEM event(s) in July (not including Finch Robots, LEGO WeDo, and Engineering Club, for which registration has ended).

World Robot Olympiad – Still Time to Register for the MA/CT Qualifying Competition, Aug. 11

Events

Next month, Semia USA will host the Massachusetts/Connecticut qualifying competition for the national level of the World Robot Olympiad in September. The MA/CT qualifier will take place at the Woburn Boys & Girls Club (1 Charles Gardner Ln, Woburn) on August 11, 8AM-6PM. Competition will take place in these categories: Regular (both Jr. High and Elementary) and WeDo (for ages up to 10). While the Introductory Info session was held back in May, it’s still possible to register a team (at at cost of $150 per team, plus materials). And the event is open to spectators without registration. For more information, contact Jeannette Passanisi at jpassanisi@semia.com or 617-959-4305.

Apply Now for STEM Pathways One-Day Lab Training in Synthetic Biology for Grades 10-12, July 14

Events, Opportunities

Monday at 10PM is the deadline to apply for a one-day Training Session in Synthetic Biology in a real, synthetic biology environment. It’s offered to students entering Grades 10-12 (ages 16 and older) by STEM Pathways — the synthetic biology outreach program of the Living Computing Project — and the DAMP (Design | Automation | Manufacturing | Prototyping) Lab.  It will be held 10AM-4PM on July 14 on the Boston University campus. Apply online by 10PM on July 2. Include the name, email, and phone number of a teacher, mentor, or coach as a reference. For more information, email connect@stempathways.org. or call Rohin at 617-299-0816.