HMNH Science Spotlights: Young scientists discuss big questions, June 10

Events

Harvard Museum of Natural History will host Science Spotlights on June 10, 2PM-3:30PM, where up-and-coming young scientists will present short talks about questions at the forefront of research today. For ages 10+. Free for those admitted to the museum.

2PM: Exploring Other Worlds with Victoria DiTomasso, Center for Astrophysics. Take a look at distant planets outside of the solar system, retrace the steps to the discovery of the first so-called exoplanet, and see how astronomers like DiTomasso use the movement of stars to learn about the exoplanets that revolve around them.

3PM: Tales of Zircon: Adventures in Understanding Deep Time with Dr. Heather Kirkpatrick, Drabon Group. Geologists use the rock record to understand what the Earth was like millions of years ago. But what happens when we explore periods of history so long ago that we no longer have these rocks? Kirkpatrick will discuss her work on using the chemistry of minerals to understand these long-ago times in Earth’s history.

LigerBots Host Info Night about FIRST LEGO League Robotics, June 14

Events

Newton families with students in ages 4-16 — who are interested in STEAM and/or robotics (or think they may be!) — are invited to a free information session about First Lego League (FLL), on Wednesday, June 14, 7:00-8:30PM, hosted by Newton’s high school robotics team, the LigerBots. Parents, guardians, students, and potential mentors can learn about how the FLL season and competitions run, what is required to participate, and what students can gain from the experience. This Info Night will be held at Newton North High School, in the Film Lecture Hall (off the main lobby). There will be hands-on STEAM activities for children while adults are in the presentation. Sign up here.

FIRST Lego League (FLL) is an annual robotics competition in which teams of 2-10 students build a robot, solve engineering challenges, and learn in a friendly competition. FLL offers different divisions for ages 4-6, 6-10, and 9-16+. Older students compete in LEGO robot competitions and complete research projects, while younger students do hands-on activities using LEGO or LEGO DUPLO bricks, and explore real-world scientific problems.

Several LigerBots students started in the FIRST program by participating in FLL. A few of the speakers at the FLL info night will be past FLL participants, ready to share experiences and answer questions. They will provide information on how students can start their own teams — and how adults do not need backgrounds in engineering to be successful FLL coaches!

The LigerBots have been extremely generous in supporting FIRST LEGO League in Newton. The team hosts the Newton Qualifier FLL tournament every year and the Massachusetts East FLL Championship most years. The team also runs a STEAM activity expo alongside at least one of its tournaments each year. The public is invited in to watch the tournament and children are invited to do activities at the STEAM expo.

For more information, email cso@ligerbots.com

UMass Amherst Summer Pre-College Programs at Newton’s Mt. Ida Campus

Summer

UMass Amherst is offering four summer pre-college programs for students in Grades 10-12 at its Mt. Ida campus in Newton. Students can experience college-level academics, explore their interests, and get a feel for campus life. All programs meet Monday-Friday, 9AM-4PM, are taught by UMass faculty and advanced graduate students, and feature hands-on, project-based learning. Residential and commuter options are available. Applications are considered on a rolling basis through mid-June.

  • Building & Construction Technology: CityLab, July 23-August 5
  • Summer Design Academy: June 25-July 15
  • Veterinary Technology, July 9-22 (full)
  • Wildlife Veterinary Medicine & Reproduction:  June 25-July 8 (Full)

Newton Summer Science Program: NSHS Science Team offers STEM classes for grades 6-9

Summer

This summer, the Newton South HS Science Team is running its 4th annual Newton Summer Science Program (NSSP) for middle schoolers and rising 9th graders. NSSP is a series of week-long, free science classes taught by qualified and passionate NSHS Science Team members to help prepare students for high school science classes in a fun and interactive environment. All classes are free, and the Science Team greatly appreciates any donations to support its work. Register here.

This year, NSSP will offer these classes (details here):

  • Genetics: Uncovering the Blueprint For Life (*)
  • Cell Biology: Let’s Dive Into Life Science! (*)
  • Psychology
  • Code-cracking
  • Brain, Body, and Behavior (*)
  • Forestry: An Adventure In The Trees (*)
  • Fluids: From Motion Graphics to Airplanes!
  • Organic Chemistry: Unlocking the Power of Carbon
  • Journey into Chemistry: Catalyzing Change
  • Anatomy & Physiology: Immune System
  • Intro to Python
  • Intro to 3D Modeling

(*) Most classes are online this year, but those marked (*) will be running in-person at Newton South High School.

Tonight: International Space Station directly overhead in mostly clear sky

Events

Tonight, the International Space Station (ISS) will be visible for about 6 minutes starting at 9:25PM, appearing in the northwest, moving directly overhead to a maximum elevation of 89 degrees, and disappearing in the southeast. Skies are expected to be very clear, with 11% cloud cover. The ISS circles the Earth every 90 minutes or so, but its visibility varies. You can check Spot the Station to find when and where it will be visible and sign up for alerts of when it’s most visible in your location.

New England Sci-Tech celebrates 5 years, June 4

Accomplishments

The New England Sci-Tech (NEST) STEM education center (16 Tech Circle, off Route 9 in Natick) will celebrate its Five Year Anniversary on June 4, noon-1PM. There will be food, music, and tours of the newly renovated spaces and the new Outdoor Terrace Extension. RSVP here.

NEST’s 2023 Cubes-in-Space Team is shown with their new souvenir T-shirts, with team logo and 2023 Cubes-in-Space logo designed by Abriana (4th from left), who won the national competition for best design. Her design will fly on a NASA rocket in June along with the team’s medical experiment developed in collaboration with the University of Louisville. The team’s results will be published in July and presented at the New England HamXposition in Marlborough, August 25-27.

Christa McAuliffe Center: Sally’s Night Celebration, June 16

Events

The Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University will host Sally’s Night Celebration at FSU’s McCarthy Center Forum on June 16, 7PM-9:30PM, in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. See flyer. It’s an evening of free fun for attendees of all ages to mark the 40th anniversary of Sally Ride’s historic STS-7 mission and becoming the first American woman in space. Registration is required.

  • 7:30-8:15: Keynote presentation by Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, Curator and Department Chair, Space History Department, National Air and Space Museum
  • 7:00-8:30: Hands-on activities led by NASA Solar System Ambassadors and giveaways

  • 8:30-9:30: Stargazing with McAuliffe Center staff or interactive Solar System Explorers program

Newton elementary math team achieves 3rd place at WinMaC

Accomplishments

Garden City, a team of elementary school students from Newton placed third in the Winchester Math Competition (WinMaC) on May 14. WinMaC is an annual math competition organized by high-school students for students in Grades 4-5. This year about 80 elementary students participated, competing for individual and team awards. Students Billy Wu, Avi Pathak, Joshua Tang, and Alexandra Baskakova represented Newton as team Garden City.

Team Garden City: Billy Wu, Avi Pathak, Joshua Tang, and Alexandra Baskakova

There were two fast-paced individual rounds, Dash and Theme, in which students worked on problems independently, and two collaborative rounds, Team and Guts, in which students on each team solved problems together.

All members of Newton’s Garden City team placed high individually, with the top scorer on the team finishing in fifth place, and the team also demonstrated good teamwork during the Team and the Guts rounds.

Roger Williams University (Bristol, RI): Summer Food Science Camp, July 23-28

Summer

Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island has just launched a new summer STEM Food Science Camp, July 23-28, for students currently in Grade 9-11 to explore the equipment and techniques that scientists use to understand why some foods are delicious. Topics will include the microbiology of bread and fermentation, the chemistry of preserves like pickles and jams, and engineering the perfect milkshake. Email summer@rwu.edu for more information.