You are invited to a virtual Ideation Workshop!

           Ideation:

           noun

              the process of generating and communicating new ideas.

What: A key element of the Science & Engineering Fair process is deciding on your project idea. But it’s not as easy as it sounds to find something achievable and interesting! One way to kick start your brainstorming is to generate open-ended questions in response to an experience (reading an article, watching a video, or being exposed to a phenomenon). 

During our Ideation Workshop, MSEF staff will lead you and other high school students through a group question-generation activity by stimulating conversation around big picture concepts, such as Climate Action or Sustainable Agriculture. This can be a great way to exercise your questioning muscles, and who knows…maybe you’ll even develop a question to use for your own MSEF project!

When: See below for dates and times - sign up for ONE today!

Where: Zoom! 

How: We will meet over zoom and run through a brainstorming activity focused on one of the following concepts: Climate Action, Public Health, and Sustainable City Innovation and Infrastructure, and Sustainable Agriculture. Register for a date & time matched with one of these concepts that fits your schedule and interest. Once your registration is accepted, you will receive pre-workshop content to review related to the concept you have selected along with a Zoom link for the workshop.

Ideation Workshops are a precursor to joining a new MSEF initiative called “Think Tank’’, which is designed to enhance scientific communication and guide high school students at key milestones during their projects. A social media platform will be used as a medium for conversation between students and mentors across Massachusetts. The main goals of this program are as followed:

1. Enable students to collaborate with their peers to find others with similar STEM interest, exchange ideas, and grow the sense of community in MSEF.
2. Enable students to collaborate with mentors in various fields.
3. Provide feedback from MSEF staff and STEM professionals at key stages
4. Help foster project ideas that focus on solutions to globally and locally relevant challenges.

Note: While the Think Tank application is not yet posted, one of the prerequisites to joining will be to participate in an Ideation Workshop.

Are you looking for an adult mentor to support you during your year of research? 

Do you hope to interact with diverse STEM leaders? 

Do you want more exposure to STEM opportunities? 

Our BIPOC Coaching Program may be right for you!

The MSEF BIPOC Coaching Program matches high school students identifying as Black, LatinX, and Indigenous with coaches from across industry and academia that identify equally. Coaches will invest time with you to support your engagement in the Science & Engineering Fair process, including bi-weekly virtual meetings and exposure to the professional practices of working scientists and engineers. You will also attend an MSEF workshop to assist you in determining your project focus and/or finding available resources. If you are working on a group project, you are eligible for coaching as well.

If this program sounds interesting to you, take a look at this flyer for more details and the link to apply. You do not need to have your project idea already to sign up. MSEF has limited spots for students, so be sure to apply ASAP. Applications will be accepted up to October 15th. Please email npioppi@scifair.com with any questions.

Nicholas Pioppi

Student Engagement Manager

npioppi@scifair.com

Advancing science and engineering literacy since 1949, the Massachusetts Science & Engineering Fair (MSEF) was founded by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, MIT professors, and a group of pioneering K-12 science educators. 

MSEF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.