Science and public engagement event

Science in the Streets: Public Engagement Then and Now

What: Two panel discussions exploring innovative ways of connecting citizens with science, and how the history of science can inform and enrich these efforts.
When: November 21, 3:00-6:00 P.M.
Location: Boston Exhibition & Convention Center, room 253C; 415 Summer Street, Boston
Details: Free and open to the public. For further information, updates, and panel details, visit: www.hssonline.org/scienceinthestreets. Co-sponsored by the History of Science Society and the Boston University Center for Philosophy and History of Science.

Summer professional development for teachers in grades 3-8

Massachusetts Professional Development Institute

Title: Student Conceptions in Physical Science
Date: July 16-19 (Tues.-Fri.) and July 22-24(M-W)
Time: 8:30 am-3:00pm; one afternoon 4-7pm in fall
Location: Worcester State University, Fuller Room, Student Center
Credits: 3 graduate credits from Worcester State College @$100/credit /67.5 PDP’s
Information: Register here, and contact Sandra Mayrand for more information.

This course (intended for grade 3-8 teachers) will focus on identifying and developing students' conceptual thinking about physical science, whether concrete, emerging, or mis-constructed. Participating teachers will see how to support the connection and development of concepts across and within grade spans by actively engaging with colleagues in investigations. They will learn about tools, strategies and approaches to assess students' initial ideas, including possible misconceptions. Course participants will learn how to plan for and support student learning to advance student conceptual thinking in productive ways as they learn science. Multiple resources will be used for effective planning and instruction, including the Massachusetts Science Curriculum Standards, formative assessments, differentiation strategies, models of student work, learning progressions and strand maps. Through this course participating teachers will also deepen their fundamental knowledge in physical science concepts and learn how students’ conceptual thinking develops in: Force and Motion, Properties of Matter, and Energy Transformation.

Job posting - program director at Science Club for Girls

K-5 Program Director at Science Club for Girls

For more information and details on the application process, please see the Science Club for Girls website & full job posting.

The K-5 Program Director (PD) oversees the Science Clubs and Vacation Week programs for kindergarten through fifth grade girls. The PD assists with the development and refinement of training, curricula, evaluation, and operations of these programs to meet standards of quality, efficiency, and scalability. Position is part-time (25-30 hr/wk), and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Siemens Competition in Math, Science, & Technology

Research-based competition for high school students in the United States

Competition: The Siemens Competition seeks to promote excellence by encouraging students to undertake individual or team research projects. It fosters intensive research that improves students' understanding of the value of scientific study and informs their consideration of future careers in these disciplines.
Scholarships: Individuals and teams submitting winning projects will receive scholarships ranging from $1000 to $100,000.
Deadline: Forms and research are due by 5:00 P.M. EST on September 30, 2013.
Information: For further information, see the Siemens Competition website.

In 2012, there was a winning team from Lexington High School - good luck to Massachusetts students aiming to follow in Jonathan and Rohil's footsteps!

Pilot study of STEM summer programming

Using PEAR Common Instrument & Dimensions of Success Program Observation Tools

Program: Pilot study of STEM-related summer programming available to middle schoolers in Boston, Northeast, MetroWest, and Central Regional STEM Network areas
Due date: Friday, May 24, by 4:00 P.M.
Applying: Download the application here. Applications should be submitted to each program's local regional STEM network; for programs in Boston, Lynne Powers is the contact.

You’re invited to participate! The Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP) has partnered with the Program in Education, Afterschool, and Resiliency (PEAR, a joint venture between Harvard University and McLean Hospital), the Boston Private Industry Council, and the Boston, Central, MetroWest, and Northeast Regional STEM networks to administer the study. This pilot study will provide valuable detailed information on students’ interest in STEM subjects and on the range of summer programming available to them.

Eligibility: Any community- or school-based program that provides STEM summer programming to middle school youth (rising 5th through 9th graders) is eligible to apply. Programs or partners must serve at least 20 youth for a minimum of 4 hours per week, over the course of 4 weeks or more. Programs that are shorter in length (1-2 weeks) but offer more STEM-intensive experiences are also encouraged to apply.

Benefits:

• Free two-day training for one staff member to become adept in the use of the PEAR evaluation tools
• Access to individual program results that will help organizations better understand the impact of their programs on youth interest in STEM
• Stipend of $1000, awarded upon successful implementation of all required aspects of the pilot study (see below)
• Long-term access to the PEAR tools, allowing programs to self-sustainably continue their use after the pilot program ends

Requirements:

• Send one staff member to the PEAR two-day training, June 5 & 6
• Administer the Common Instrument survey to youth twice: once within the first sessions of the summer program, and once at the conclusion of the program
• Participate in two observations utilizing the PEAR Dimensions of Success evaluation tool
• Enter data from Common Instrument & Dimensions of Success tools into PEAR database
• Participate in Fall 2013 learning forum on pilot study’s results

2013 Massachusetts High School Science & Engineering Fair

2013 Massachusetts State High School Fair: May 2-4 @ MIT

The Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair (MSSEF) is an experience that lasts a lifetime. Through a science fair program at your school, you can follow your natural curiosity about the world and explore "real world" science and engineering problems that really interest you! Want to make a difference in the world? You can! Students work individually or as a team to investigate everything from discovering what’s in your sports drink to green energy solutions to cancer research.

Patent Awards: You can compete for the "Fish & Richardson Patent Award" that provides for legal expenses to patent your design. Past winners have invented ingenuous ways to help improve the quality of life and condition of the planet.

Building Essential Career & Life Skills: The Science Fair process also builds essential skills for success in 21st century careers, such as critical and creative thinking, communication, teamwork and ethical decision-making.

2013 Massachusetts State Middle School Science & Engineering Fair

2013 Massachusetts Middle School Fair: June 1 @ Worcester Technical High School

The Massachusetts Middle School Science & Engineering Fair is a forum for students in grades 6-8 to explore "real world" science and engineering discovery through hands-on experience. Students also learn about the many exciting and emerging fields of science and technology today, building important life skills-- from reading, writing and math to communications, teamwork and design. It's fun, exciting, and a pathway to a great career!

The first statewide competitive Fair was held in 1999, and since that time, participation has been on the rise. Approximately 300 students now participate in individual and team projects.

Cabot Corporation, the Boston based global specialty chemicals company, is the official sponsor of the statewide middle school fair. Worcester Technical High School, One Skyline Drive, is the official host site of the Statewide Middle School Science & Engineering Fair, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester provides administrative facilities and services.

Watch the Middle School vimeo

The BLOSSOMS Initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

BLOSSOMS INITIATIVE OF MIT - ATTEND A WORKSHOP, MAKE A SCIENCE LEARNING VIDEO

MIT BLOSSOMS and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are looking for Massachusetts high school science teachers to participate in the development of new interactive video‐based lessons aligned to new science and technology/engineering standards. These lessons, created here in Massachusetts by individual science teachers or small teams of science teachers, will become valuable educational resources within the Commonwealth and important tools in supporting the transition to new state science standards. Each teacher or teacher team will earn $1,000 as a token of appreciation for the successful completion of one of the ten selected lessons.

Informational Workshops:

• May 20th, 4:00 – 5:30 PM Sturbridge Hotel and Conference Center, Sturbridge
• May 28th, 4:00 – 5:30 PM MIT, Tang Center, Kendall Square, Cambridge
• •May 29th, 4:00 ‐ 5:30 PM West Springfield Clarion Hotel, Springfield

To sign up, receive travel directions for a workshop, or for more general information, contact MIT BLOSSOMS Project Manager Elizabeth Murray at emurray@MIT.EDU.

Read after the jump to learn more!

Greetings

Welcome to the Boston STEM Network Blog!

Please feel free to send us information you would like to see posted on here!

Thanks!