World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on the second Saturday in May in the U.S. and Canada — and the second Saturday in October in nations further south in the Western Hemisphere. This year, on Saturday, May 14, Boston’s Museum of Science will have celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with bird-themed activities, live-animal presentations, and related exhibits.
JCDS Seeks Middle-School STEM Teacher
Boston’s Jewish Community Day School (JCDS) seeks to hire a STEM teacher for the 2022-23 school year to integrate Middle School science content with learning in the school’s new Makerspace. See the job description, email jobs@jcdsboston.org for more information, and apply here.
The LigerBots Wind Up a Very Successful Year and Seek Sponsors
Newton’s dual-high-school robotics team, the LigerBots, is finishing a year of success both in competitions and in community service. In FIRST Robotics Competition events:
- In the North Shore Competition in Reading, the LigerBots captained the second-seeded alliance and made it all the way to the semi-finals. The team also received FIRST’s coveted Gracious Professionalism Award.
- At the Greater Boston Competition in Revere, as part of the fourth-seeded alliance, the LigerBots again made it to the semi-finals, qualifying for the New England District Championship (DCMP). The team also won the Engineering Inspiration Award at this event.
- At DCMP, the LigerBots captained the eighth-seeded alliance and made it to the quarter finals, finishing 28th out of 160 teams in all of New England.
And in service to the Newton community:
- The LigerBots continue to provide assistance and mentorship to FIRST LEGO League teams for elementary- and middle-school students in Newton.
- Since the Covid pandemic began, the LigerBots have continued to offer the aptly named Awesome Mentorship Project to provide high-school mentors for elementary students both in the summer and during the school year.
- On April 24, the LigerBots participated in the Earth Day celebration at Newton City Hall, showing off Prometheus, the LigerBots’ newly built competition robot – to educate, entertain, and inspire the community. LigerBots also showed kids how to make bracelets with their initials in binary code.
- On May 1, the LigerBots participated in the Newton Bike Rodeo, a bicycle safety event hosted by Bike Newton for children in Grades K-6 to promote safe bike riding habits and cycling to school. The team created an obstacle course that participants used to practice their bike safety skills.
The LigerBots rely in part on donations and financial sponsorships to support its competitions, educational offerings, and community outreach. You can make make a donation here, and to learn about becoming a sponsor (corporate or otherwise), email sponsor-relations@ligerbots.org. The LigerBots are “massively grateful” to all of their sponsors!
NSHS Sophomore Excels in Junior Math Olympiad
Representing Newton’s Russian School of Math, NSHS sophomore Elena Baskakova is one of the 67 nationwide winners of the United States Junior Math Olympiad (USAJMO), the top invitational competition hosted by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) for students scoring high in the MAA’s American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME). With this achievement, Elena has qualified for the MAA’s 2022 Math Olympiad Program at Carnegie Mellon University this summer. Elena is also one of five students in the Northeast to receive a Two Sigma AMC 10B Certificate of Excellence in the AMC Young Women in Mathematics Award & Certificate Program.
Newton MS Students Score Well in N. E. Math League
In this year’s New England Math League competitions, Newton middle-school students from several schools did well:
- In 6th Grade, Solomon Schechter Day School ranked 6th among 40 schools, and Zev K from there ranked among the top students in the league, along with these students from the Newton Chinese Language School: Grace Z (ranked 1st), Jason H, Edward L, Julia L, Sun M, Ryan L, and Freddie T.
- In 7th Grade, Kyle C, Ella L, and Claire C from the Newton Chinese Language School ranked among the top students in the league.
- In 8th Grade, Oak Hill Middle School tied for 1st place among 41 schools, and the following ranked among the top students in the league: Noah K and Jared M (tied for 1st) along with Vedant K and Roaa B from Oak Hill MS; and Clayton S, William X, and Ray C from the Newton Chinese Language School.
In related news, the Oak Hill MS MathCounts team finished 5th overall and tied for 5th in the Team Round in the Acton-Boxborough Math Competition last month, tackling these problems.
Kids4Coding: $80 Discount on In-Person Summer STEM Programs, Ends May 7
Kids 4 Coding is offering an $80 discount through May 7 for its in-person summer STEM programs at Cambridge Matignon School or Roxbury Latin School, running weekly July 11-August 5. Weekly costs for these fun, engaging, and collaborative programs are $619 for full days or $319 for half days.
Kids 4 Coding is also offering Virtual Summer Courses on a weekly basis in one-hour sessions with live instructors and small classes (5:1 ratio), June through August, at weekly costs starting at $319.
Boston Tech Mom: MIT RAISE’s Day of AI, May 13
Boston Tech Mom has an informative profile of Day of AI, a new nationwide program from MIT RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education). Day of AI will be held on May 13 with registration and resources freely available to educators and families. See Boston Tech Mom’s post for details.
Edge on Science: “Blood Moon” Total Lunar Eclipse, May 15; Space Science this Summer
An email from Edge on Science reminds us to be sure to witness the upcoming total lunar eclipse on the night of May 15:
“We suggest that you pick out a spot to view the Moon in the days leading up to the eclipse and then plan on getting outside by 10:00PM, on May 15. The partial eclipse begins at 10:27PM. At 11:29PM the Moon will be totally eclipsed. At mid-eclipse (12:11AM) the Moon is as deep into the shadow as it will get, and you will see why it is called the Blood Mood. …The website Time & Date is an excellent resource for eclipse animations that show you what you will see from your location and in your local time.”
Edge on Science will offer its Space Science summer program at Lasell University on July 25-29 and August 15-19, for students entering Grades 5-9. Save $100 with code SPACE100. Students entering Grades 10-12 may register as counselors in training (after calling first). For more information, call 315-773-5673.
HMSC Online: Colliding Worlds, Apr. 28; Ancient Ancestors, May 4
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture will host these two STEM events:
- Colliding Worlds: How Cosmic Encounters Shaped Planets and Life: April 28, 6PM-7PM, online or in-person. Physicist Simone Marchi will discuss his recent book, Colliding Worlds and the key role that collisions in space have played in the formation and evolution of our solar system, the development of planets, and possibly even the origin of life on Earth. Registration is required for online or (limited) in-person attendance.
- After-School Encounters — Ancient Ancestors: May 4, 4PM-4:45PM online, for entire family. Registration is required.
FSU McAuliffe Center: Science on State Street, Apr. 30
The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University is again hosting its free STEM festival, Science on State Street, on April 30, 12PM-3PM, in collaboration with the MetroWest STEM Education Network (MSEN). It’s open to all in the MetroWest area. With a particular focus on themes relating to planet Earth, environmental science, and environmental justice, the festival includes planetarium shows, indoor and outdoor exhibits, and Smithsonian Channel films. For more information, see the FAQs or contact the McAuliffe Center at cmc@framingham.edu or 509-626-4050.