Empow Studios will open in-person summer camps next week in several locations, including its Newton studio and Mt. Ida campus, subject of course to any changes in COVID-19 guidelines for reopening. Registration for virtual summer camps is also available, in any case.
WGBH/Museum of Science Online Town Hall: Addressing Community Inequities During COVID-19 Recovery, June 29
Boston’s Museum of Science and WGBH will host a free, online town hall, Addressing Community Inequities During COVID-19 Recovery, on June 29, 5PM. Registration required.
Asteroid Day: Celebrate Virtually with Christa McAuliffe Center, June 30
The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University will celebrate Asteroid Day on June 30 with at-home activities:
- 9AM-3PM: Videos, websites, and other at-home activities for kids, including Make a Crater and Incoming!, a 25-minute film.
- 3PM: The Hunt for Asteroids, live-streamed webinar for middle school and families, with Pat Monteith, author and NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador (Registration required).
- 6PM: Planetary Defense 101: Discussion for high school and adults about the threat of an asteroid hitting the Earth, with Dr. Alissa Haddaji, Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (Registration required).
Museum of Science: Ask a NASA Engineer, June 30
Boston’s Museum of Science will host Ask a NASA Engineer! — a free, online discussion with an engineer from NASA’s Artemis program to return humans to the Moon — June 30, 12PM-12:40PM. Registration is required. If you’re not able to attend, you can see a recording of this event, along with other events, on the Museum’s Facebook video page.
Newton Community Ed: Online Summer Science & Technology Classes
Newton Community Education is offering week-long, online STEM classes for elementary, middle, and high school students. Classes include:
- 3-D Game Development (Grades 9-12)
- 3-D Printing, Coding, & Design (Grades 3-5, 6-9)
- App Inventors (Grades 6-9)
- Camp Invention: Live Online (Grades 1-6)
- Chess Intensive Plus (Grades 3-6)
- Circuitry 101 (Grades 1-4)
- Game Creation (Grades 4-6, 7-9)
- Hands-on Electronics (Grades 3-5)
- Interactive Electronics (Grades 6-9)
- Intro to Programming: Scratch (Grades 3-5)
- Math Meets 3-D Printing (Grades 3-5)
- MathemAddicts (Grades 5-9)
- Minecraft Metropolis (Grades 3-6)
- Minecraft Modding with Java (Grades 9-12)
- Minecraft Mythicraft (Grades 2-5)
- Nature in your Neighborhood (Grades 1-4)
- Python Game Development (Grades 5-9)
- Python Programming (Grades 9-12)
- Science Scramble (Grades 1-4)
- Space Lab (Grades 1-4)
- Web Development (Grades 5-9)
- Web Development: Javascript (Grades 9-12)
- Wicked Cool Vet School (Grades 1-4)
Boston University: U-Design Virtual STEM Workshop, Grades 7-10, July 13-17
Boston University’s School of Engineering will offer a one-week, virtual U-Design summer engineering workshop for students entering Grades 7-10 to design and build gliders and also discuss topics in aerospace and astrophysics. This will be an online version of the popular U-Design Flight School program. This year, students will work together online, 10AM-Noon each day. with independent, off-line work on their own schedule. The cost is $200 per student, and a limited number of scholarships are available for those who qualify. Materials, including safety goggle and required tools, will be mailed to students before the workshop starts. Registration is limited to 20 students. For further information, email Ann Mahoney at 617-320-5351 or ammahon@bu.edu.
Artisan’s Asylum 2-Week Virtual Program for Grades 6-10: Build a Martian Colony
This summer Artisan’s Asylum, a 10-year-old makerspace in Somerville, is offering a two-week, immersive virtual program, Mission Control: Build a Martian Colony, for students entering Grades 6-10. The program will run in two sections, July 20-31 and August 10-21, with each running online 10AM-3PM, Monday through Friday. No prior experience is required, just an interest in engineering, robotics, and space exploration. The goal will be to solve engineering challenges and program robots to create safe structures for a team of three astronauts. A kit of materials will be provided for pickup or mailing. Students will learn about programming, robotics & engineering, hands-on building, and critical thinking/problem-solving. Pay what you can afford in the range of $300-$800 per student.
Boston Tech Mom’s List of At-Home STEM Activities for Kids
Boston Tech Mom has curated a fine list of free, at-home STEM activities for kids to undertake this summer.
MAST Awards: Nominate a Science Teacher by Oct. 1
Nominations are open until October 1 for several awards for science teachers from the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers (MAST):
- 14 county-level science educator awards
- 1 award for an exemplary new teacher
- 1 award for a distinguished “friend of science” working with educators
- 1 award for a K-8 teacher who is inspirational in environmental education
Anyone may submit a nomination by completing this online form. All nominees will be notified of their nominations, and awards will be presented at the MAST Annual Conference. For more information, contact Laura Carlin at awards@massscienceteach.org.
LigerBots: Two Free Programs for Elementary Students
The Newton LigerBots high-school robotics team has room in two free programs it’s offering for elementary students:
- Awesome Mentorship Program: Students in Grades K-6 are paired up with enthusiastic and vetted high schoolers to have Zoom calls once a week for reading together, science experiments, drawing together, and more. Sign your child up here.
- Virtual Summer Camp: In Camp AMP, students entering Grades 1-6 can take online classes in programming, map-making, dance, mythical creatures, and more, 9AM-12:30PM. Materials are provided. Sign up here to confirm interest in Session 2 (July 20-31), Session 3 (August 3-14), or Session 4 (August 17-28).