The Discovery Museum’s Speaker Series will host children’s book authors Stacy Clark and Christy Mihaly for live, virtual event, Helping Kids Understand Climate Change and How to Make a Difference, free and open to the public on April 27 from 7PM to 8:30PM. Register here. Donations to support the speaker series are optional and appreciated. For more information, contact Karen Kerns at 978-264-4200 x113 or kkerns@discoveryacton.org.
Pre-Register Now for the Mass. STEM Summit, Apr. 28
The Massachusetts STEM Summit will be held in a hybrid format on April 28, co-sponsored by the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute. It will include panel presentations, plenary speakers, virtual exhibitors, and opportunities for virtual and in-person networking with like-minded STEM colleagues. Pre-register here to get on the mailing list for registration information and announcements about calls for proposals for sessions and exhibits. For more information, email StemSummitInfo@donahue.umassp.
TYE Boston: New Summer Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, Grades 7-9
TYE Boston is launching a new, week-long Summer Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for students entering Grades 7-9 to learn from startup founders and industry experts. Students will collaborate with peers to build a solution to a pressing problem, developing confidence and collaboration skills. The program will run 10AM-3PM daily, August 8-12, and will be co-hosted by the Cambridge Innovation Center (1 Broadway in Kendall Square, Cambridge). The cost is $700, and need-based scholarships are available to qualified families. Register here.
Become a TEALS Volunteer to Teach High-School Computer Science
Supported by Microsoft Philanthropies, Technology Education And Literacy in Schools (TEALS) recruits, trains, and places volunteer teaching assistants in high-school classrooms to support partner schools and teachers in offering computer-science courses on a sustainable basis. Several schools in the local area participate: Boston: Boston Latin School, Josiah Quincy Upper School, Match Charter Public HS; Brighton HS; Dorchester: Boston Latin Academy, Henderson K-12 Inclusion; Hyde Park: Another Course to College, New Mission High School; Cambridge Rindge and Latin; and Norwood HS. Applications are now open for new volunteers for the 2022-23 school year. For more information, read the Volunteer Guide and the FAQ, and view video overviews.
Donate to Boston Nature Center’s “Kids to Camp” Fund
Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center’s Kids to Camp Fund provides partial scholarships to enable Boston-area kids to attend its summer camps. Nearly half of all BNC families receive financial assistance on a sliding scale to make camp possible for their kids. You can donate here.
BU’s AI4ALL Summer STEM Program: In-Person for Young Women, Grades 10-11
Boston University will host its AI4ALL summer STEM program in-person, July 25-August 12, for young women currently in Grades 10-11 in Massachusetts schools. Participants will explore topics in Artificial Intelligence such as robotics, computer vision, and natural language processing through team projects, industry field trips, and presentations from guest speakers. The program will conclude with a small group research project and a presentation for friends and family. Cost: $100.
Whitehead Institute’s Free, Virtual Event with Prof. Jennifer Doudna: The Codebreaker — The Development of CRISPR-Cas9, Mar. 14
On March 14, 7PM-8PM, the Whitehead Institute will host a free, virtual event, open to all: The Codebreaker — A Conversation with Jennifer Doudna, who is a Nobel Laureate, a U.C. Berkeley professor, and co-developer of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome-engineering technology. Register here.
Local High-School Students Organize In-Person MAHacks Hackathon, Mar. 19-20
MAHacks is a hackathon produced by high schoolers for high schoolers. Following five earlier events, MAHacks VI will be held in-person, noon-to-noon on March 19-20. High-school students may apply, and middle-school students may be accepted on a case-by-case basis (email team@mahacks.com). Adults are not admitted, except as mentors or sponsors (for those roles email team@mahacks.com).
Grades 9-12: Register Now for Northeastern Splash!, In-Person, Mar. 26
Each spring, NEPTUN (a Northeastern University student group) hosts Splash!, a free program for students in Grades 9-12 to take fun and informative mini-classes led by Northeastern undergraduate students. This year, Splash! will again be held in-person at Ryder Hall on the Northeastern campus, on March 26, 8:45AM-6:40PM. Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test within 72 hours will be required, and current plans will require masking. The $0 cost includes free pizza and a T-shirt. Registration is now open and is first-come/first-served and requires setting up a free student account. For more information, see the FAQs or contact nu.neptun@gmail.com. You can also access online recordings of Digital Splash! courses from last spring. Among the 26 in-person Splash! courses this year are these STEM offerings:
- Exploring the Engineering Design Process with Rube Goldberg Machines
- Playful Peep Science
- [ACCESS_GRANTED]: 1N7R0 70 H4CK1NG
- The Key to Unlocking Data: An Intro to Database Management
- Can We Make You Enjoy Math?
- Let there be Lights!
- Emoji: How They Work and Why They Break Everything
- Epigenetics: Why everything you know about genetics is wrong
- I’m So Tired: Why You Feel Like You Never Get A Good Night of Sleep
- Plant-on-Plant Violence
- Glowing Plants? Yes, Glowing Plants.
- Get Some Structure in Your Life: Modelling the Cytoskeleton
Newton Schools Foundation Seeks Donations to Expand 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. The program provides intensive, small-group summer classes, enrichment activities, and year-round mentoring and tutoring. The TCP 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 includes 150 students in Grades 8-12. The Newton Schools Foundation seeks donations to fund the enrollment of an additional class of 8th Graders to start 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. Donate here.