Newton Robotics Teams perform at Boston’s Robot Block Party

Accomplishments

At the 7th Annual MassRobotics Robot Block Party on September 28, visitors witnessed innovative robot demonstrations and hands-on interactions, learned from experts in the field through presentations and a college and career fair, and played robotics games. With the highest student participation yet, over a dozen FIRST high school robotics teams demonstrated their robots at the event, including the Newton-based, internationally competing Lazer Robotics FIRST Tech Challenge team and the student-run LigerBots FIRST Robotics Competition team of Newton North High School and Newton South High School.

Jerry Gong, captain of Lazer Robotics and sophomore at Newton South High School, wrote: “The MassRobotics robot block party was one of the most inspiring and popular outreach events we’ve ever attended… Specifically, the focus on tech-related companies made the experience quite eye-opening for the team. To see what we’ve learned as a high school robotics team over the past years being applied in real-world industries is truly inspiring. All the skills that we’ve learned through building, designing, and testing our robots are the same set of skills that professional industries use to operate on a day-to-day basis. 

“I also felt that this event was an excellent representation of the strong FIRST robotics community in Massachusetts. Representing FTC, FRC, and even VEX robotics, this event represented high school robotics programs on a scale larger than any… FIRST robotics has inspired… the career paths of many [but doesn’t get much representation], and events like this truly put into perspective how much impact the world of high school robotics has on today’s generation. To know that the many hours of work that goes into our shared passion of creating robots is eventually what will change the world is truly inspiring.”

Eason, a sophomore at Newton North High School and member of LigerBots, was similarly impressed by the Robot Block Party: “This event is truly inspiring. This is the most interactive and interesting event I’ve ever attended. Throughout the event, I talked to many companies and colleges. The opportunities presented are endless. Dozens of high-tech companies and colleges offer internship and educational programs for high schoolers. In addition, I loved the presence of numerous robotics teams. This [event is] hosted [not only] by tech companies but also by high schoolers. It gives a more welcoming vibe for kids of younger ages.”

The Robot Block Party offered a unique glimpse into the vast field of robotics and an impactful opportunity for students interested in STEM. The event will return next year with even more to experience.

Cambridge Science Festival (Sept. 23-29)

Events

The Cambridge Science Festival, an annual week-long community celebration of STEM, will return this year September 23-29. Featuring activities, workshops, tours, debates, contests, talks, and more, the festival attracts over 50,000 visitors of all ages and backgrounds each year. The Festival Guide lists dozens of events for each day, including a demonstration of quantum mechanics through juggling (9/23 4-5PM), a panel on democracy in the age of AI (9/24 7-9PM), interactive talks with neuroscientists (9/25 2-5PM), a biotechnological escape room (9/26 1-9PM), exciting science demonstrations (9/27 3:30-4:30PM), a kayaking educational tour of the Charles River (9/28 1-6PM), and an electromagnetic art workshop (9/29 12-4PM). Admission is free.

NSHS Science Team offers Summer Science Program for Grades 6-10, Jul. 29-Aug. 30

Opportunities, Summer, Virtual/Online

The Newton Summer Science Program offers a series of week-long STEM courses taught by student members of the Newton South High School Science Team to inspire middle school students to explore engaging topics in science beyond the school curriculum. Additionally, the program offers courses in grades 9-10 math and science for high school students to begin the school year feeling prepared.

Online courses will be taught free of charge, and in-person courses at Newton North and Newton South High Schools cost $20 (which goes to Newton Community Education to pay for space and registration costs). 

See the full schedule and full course syllabus, then register here.

The NSHS Science Team also gratefully accepts donations (recommended: $15 per one-week course) that will support the team throughout the school year, to pay for competition fees and study materials. Checks may be written to Newton South High School with “Science Team” in the memo line, mailed to:
NSHS Science Team c/o Gerald Ng
Newton South High School
140 Brandeis Rd.
Newton, MA  02459

Harvard Museums of Science & Culture offer Week-Long Courses for Grades 4-6, Jul. 29-Aug. 9

Summer

The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture are offering weeklong half-day courses for students entering grades 4-6. A few openings remain for Grab Your Sketchbook (July 29-August 2), in which students will draw animals from diverse locations, and Invertebrate Investigators (August 5-August 9), a course dedicated to exploring the world of insects, arachnids, and other invertebrates. Courses cost $210 for museum members and $235 for non-members, and will take place Monday-Friday, 9:30AM-12:00PM. Register here.

Summer Science Discovery Program for Ages 6-12, Aug. 12-30

Summer

“e” inc.’s Summer Science Discovery Program offers week-long camps for ages 6-12, August 12-30. This program includes both fun and educational activities, including arts and crafts, outdoor adventures, and team-building exercises, and explores topics ranging from natural forces to means of transportation. The camp costs $450 per week and runs from 8:30AM-3PM, with a daily optional aftercare until 5:30PM. Openings are limited.

To register, download and complete the forms on the website and email forms to camp@einc-action.org.

LigerBots at the FRC World Championship

Accomplishments

The LigerBots, Newton’s dual-high-school FIRST Robotics team, traveled to Houston April 17-20 to compete in the FIRST World Championship — an international competition that caps the FIRST robotics competition season. This was the first time in six years that the LigerBots had qualified for “the Worlds” — joining 600 other teams from 58 countries.

The LigerBots qualified for the FIRST Championship by exceling in tough qualifying events and the New England District Championship:

  • At the Greater Boston Event, the team won the FIRST Impact Award, the most prestigious award in FIRST.
  • In the New England District Championship, the LigerBots with their two alliance partners scored the highest number of points in the whole competition.

At the FIRST World Championship, the LigerBots achieved 6th place out of 75 teams in the Johnson division qualifying rounds, which qualified the team to be a 5th seed alliance captain in the playoffs. They formed an alliance with teams from Bolton (MA), Laurens (SC), and Australia. In fiercely competitive matches, their alliance emerged victorious in several rounds and unfortunately concluded with two close losses.

While in Houston, the LigerBots explored the event’s Innovation Expo full of booths from colleges and leading technology companies, with opportunities to interact with a 3D milling machine and to try welding on a high-tech simulator. Some team members took on roles as FIRST student ambassadors, guiding VIP guests around the venue, while others volunteered to reset fields or served as judges in different divisions. Some explored NASA’s Johnson Space Center while others visited Houston’s aquarium.

Congratulations to all LigerBots students and coaches for an impressive year of dedication, achievement, and fun.

Many thanks to LigerBots student leader Davis for providing essential information for this article, which originally appeared in Fig City News.