Fall 2018
Register Your Event Today! MA STEM Week is October 22-26, 2018   
Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, in collaboration with the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council, have announced a first-ever statewide STEM Week, October 22-26, 2018.  STEM Week activities will encompass all facets of PK-12 STEM learning.

SE MA STEM Network affiliates have already registered nearly thirty events representing twenty communities in our region. Features of several events include: school-wide efforts to advance STEM education, out-of-school and after-school programs, students and community members engaged in hands-on activities, business partnerships in STEM education, and heightening awareness about high school STEM opportunities and career & college explorations.

Communities with registered STEM Week events include: Acushnet, Attleboro, Avon, Berkley, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Buzzards Bay, Easton, Fall River, Kingston, Marion, Norton, Plymouth, Randolph, Rochester, Seekonk, Somerset, Wareham, and Weymouth.  Make sure your community is represented too.

Click here for more information and to register your organization for this exciting initiative.
October 5 is MA Manufacturing Day
Save the Date to join SE MA STEM Network partners AccuRounds and North Easton Machine on Friday, October 5, for their annual Manufacturing Day events. Manufacturing Day is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.

Manufacturing Day events are for students, parents, educators, media, customers, suppliers, and the community at large to explore manufacturing processes and learn about career opportunities. Attendees can take a plant tour, learn about emerging technologies, and witness, first-hand, how machines turn raw materials into intricate products used in a wide variety of industries.  AccuRounds activities run 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and North Easton Machine activities are 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Click the links above for more information or visit https://www.mfgday.com.
Educating for the Future a Summer Success
STEM enthusiasts, including educators, business partners, and community members gathered at Bridgewater State University on August 15 for the Network's signature summer event "Educating for the Future: Practices - Programs - Partnerships." Participants networked with like-minded STEM stakeholders, engaged in STEM challenges to replicate during STEM Week (October 22 - 26), and gathered resources & information to support the integration of STEM PK-12.

In the photo above, participants in the "Engineering Design" workshop built shock absorbing systems designed to protect astronauts when they landed on a planet. Check out the videos to see if they were successful.
NEWS from the State & Beyond
Save the Date - STEM Summit is Nov. 14 at DCU Center in Worcester
"Pipelines to Prosperity" is the theme of the 15th annual Massachusetts STEM Summit on Wednesday, November 14, at the DCU Center in Worcester. This year's Summit will showcase programs, innovations, and approaches being developed and used across the Commonwealth to nurture curiosity, motivation, and achievement in STEM areas.  Panel presentations, plenary speakers, and exhibitors are planned and will facilitate opportunities for networking with like-minded STEM colleagues and enthusiasts. Click here for more information and to register today.
New Resource Seeks to Aid Climate Change Teaching
Efforts are currently underway to make "The Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change" available to the more than 3900 science teachers in Massachusetts. The guide, published by the Paleontological Research Institution and funded by the National Science Foundation, seeks to provide earth science and environmental science teachers a resource which includes the basics of climate change science as well as perspectives on teaching a subject that has become socially and politically polarized. More information about the guide is available here.
NEWS & EVENTS from the REGION
MITS Launches Science By Connections
Through collaborations with over 50 leading regional STEM program providers, the Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS, Inc) has developed "Science by Connections" - an initiative to help educators find programmatic resources for their students and professional development opportunities for themselves.

Science by Connections is an online directory that connects teachers to STEM programs across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by providing a searchable database of field trips, field studies, in-school, and online programs for classrooms as well as professional development opportunities for educators. Teachers can search by grade level, region, program type, and content standards for local learning opportunities offered by Massachusetts-based nonprofits and STEM organizations. STEM providers can reach a larger audience by sharing programs with educators statewide. The site also links to the latest news in STEM education and promotes the state's regional STEM Networks. Find what you have been searching for by visiting Science by Connections today.
Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood - October 13
A Project Learning Tree Workshop for PreK-K Educators
Connect young learners (age 3-6) with the natural world by building on what's already familiar to them. Child-selected experiences and teacher-directed activities follow typical preschool routines in this award-winning curriculum. Try some out, discuss with peers, and learn more about Project Learning Tree's supporting resources in a collegial setting. Receive the curriculum guide, other handouts, and a certificate of completion. PDPs may be earned. Program cost is $16. For questions or to pre-register by October 6, contact   Gini.Traub@state.ma.us ; 413.584.6788.
Bio-Teach Workshops Set for October
MassBioEd's Bio-Teach program is hosting several innovative, cutting-edge life science professional development workshops for teachers this fall. These workshops are FREE and qualify for PDPs. Upcoming sessions include: Exploring Macromolecules, Photosynthesis, and Enzymes, 9.28.18 at Endicott College in Beverly; Modeling Molecular Biology, 10.5.18 at MassBioEd in Cambridge; Exploring Photosynthesis and Respiration, 10.13.18 at UMASS Amherst and 10.15.19 at MIT in Cambridge; and 20 in 20 1st Edition, 10.31.18 at UMASS Amherst. Click each link above for more information and to register.
SHARE Your NEWS
With more than 2300 subscribers, The Petri Dish is a fabulous way to share your STEM news, celebrations, activities, and events. Connect with the STEM community in Southeastern Massachusetts and beyond. Email your news, events, and other interesting tidbits here.

At the same time, register your organization in the SE MA STEM Directory.

Be sure to check out the network website for the latest STEM news, information, and resources. 
In This Issue
SE MA STEM Network| 508.531.1440 | southeaststemnetwork@connectsemass.org | http://www.connectsemass.org/stem
c/o CONNECT Partnership
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