Science, Technology, Math, & Engineering

STEM Learning in OST

Massachusetts afterschool and summer programs are a key component of supporting the building of STEM identities for children and youth, especially for girls and non-binary youth and children of color who are underrepresented in high-paying STEAM careers. By including hands-on activities that support a creative engineering mindset, incorporating role models into programs, engaging parents and families around STEM careers, and centering equity in all aspects, STEAM programs can help prepare the next generation of innovators.

MAP is partnering with the Million Girls Moonshot to connect afterschool and summer programs with resources to improve STEAM programming and increase access across the country.

Click here to learn more!

Data Jam Competition

Students in grades 6-12 attending school in the Northeast U.S. are invited to participate in The Data Jam competition, a competition sponsored by the U.S. Shelf Long Term Ecological Research Program funded by the National Science Foundation. In this competition, teams compete against each other in creatively presenting data for public audiences. Students can create graphics, a play, a song, or make another other creation to describe and explain trends in data they have analyzed! 

Interested in leading a team? Learn more at the Data Jam website. 

Are you ready for this year’s NASA TechRise Student Challenge? From researching Earth’s environment to designing experiments for space exploration, schools are invited to join NASA in its mission to inspire the world through discovery. If you are in grades 6-12 and attending a public, private, or charter school within the U.S., you are eligible to compete in this year’s challenge. Team up and develop a science or technology experiment idea for this year’s NASA TechRise flight vehicle – the high-altitude balloon! 
 
The High-Altitude Balloon will offer approximately four to eight hours of flight time at approximately 70,000 to 95,000 feet and exposure to Earth’s atmosphere, high-altitude radiation, and perspective views of our planet. 

A total of 60 winning teams will be selected to build their proposed experiment. Each winning team will be awarded: 

  • $1,500 to build their experiment 

  • A flight box in which to build it 

  • An assigned spot to test their experiment on a NASA-sponsored flight 

  • Technical support during the experiment build phase from Future Engineers' advisors, who will help students learn the skills they need to turn their experiment idea into reality. 

Teams should submit their experiment ideas by the challenge deadline on November 1st, 2024. Winners will be announced by January 21st, 2025. 


To learn more about this opportunity, visit NASA TechRise Student Challenge page. 


Questions can be submitted to support@futureengineers.org 

Resources for Programs

Career Exploration with Illumina

Illumina offers a number of free resources for educators and families to introduce genomics and life sciences to young people. From DIY DNA Extraction Kits to short career profile videos and study guides, ready-to-implement resources are available at www.dnaday.org. 

As summer begins, and even in preparation for the next afterschool season, introduce students to careers as Biotechnicians, Genetic Counselors, and AI/Deep Learning Engineering. 

Maryland Out-of-School Time College and Career Readiness Toolkit:

MAP’s colleagues at the Maryland Out-of-School Time Network have created this comprehensive guide to help middle and high school out-of-school-time programs get laser focused on building 21st century skills and supporting young people as they navigate through the complex world of planning for their advanced education and careers. They have units on: 

  • Overarching principles of career and college readiness 

  • Guiding youth through college and career decisions 

  • Foundational skills for college and career readiness

Building the STEM Workforce: Quickstart Toolkit

This Quickstart Toolkit outlines strategies for short-term changes that can help libraries accelerate their progress as STEM equity leaders — no matter how far they’ve already progressed in that journey.

Career Connected Learning Continuum Framework

This framework highlights the “Career Connected Learning” as a continuum of awareness, exploration, preparation, and work experiences developed through strong public and private partnerships. Participants develop, apply, and are assessed on academic, technical, trade, and entrepreneurial skills that support their future career success.

Click here to learn more!

Project Brainy

Project Brainy is a six-session neuroscience-based curriculum designed for out of school time (OST) programs. The curriculum enables middle-school students to build social-emotional skills, engage in interactive STEM learning and increase literacy. Summer and fall 2024 OST programs are invited to apply to participate in a research project to study the implementation of the curriculum. Selected programs will receive training and ongoing support on the curriculum and a $1,500 participation stipend. 


Learn more and apply here by August 2nd to engage in summer programming!

Fall 2024 Data Detectives Club program opportunity

Funded by the National Science Foundation, Data Detectives Clubs provide data activities and challenges based on a science adventure novel called Pandemics! The novel follows two middle school students who travel through time and space to learn about past and present epidemics including measles, smallpox, Ebola, and COVID. Each chapter is accompanied by hands-on activities like exploring real-world disease data, a card game on disease transmission, and a vaccination simulation game. The project has engaged over 1,000 youth in more than 60 clubs over three years, showing significant positive impact on all outcomes.


To apply to host a Data Detectives Club this fall, please fill out the following form by August 15th: www.milliongirlsmoonshot.org/special-opportunities/fall-2024-data-detectives-club-program-opportunity

STEM SPOTLIGHT

Flying Cloud Institute

Check out our PSA on the importance of STEM learning in afterschool, featuring the Flying Cloud Institute’s Makerspace and Girls Science Club programs.

Professional Development Opportunities

ACRES: Info Session about Micro-credentials and Digital Badging 

Tuesday, July 23rd 2:00 - 3:00 pm EST / 11:00 am- Noon PST 

ACRES (Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM) is excited to offer additional Information Sessions about STEM micro-credentials, which are competency-based, digital badges for afterschool and out-of-school professionals offered through the National Afterschool Association. These sessions are free, live, interactive, and one hour in length.  You will learn about what Micro-credentials are and how to apply for them. PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM, choose the date that works best for you, and we'll reach out to you with the Zoom link. FMI contact acres@mmsa.org (Note: It isn’t necessary to attend more than one informational session as the content is consistent.)  

Make Math Engaging 

Thursdays: 8/22, 9/5, 9/19/2024 1:00 - 3:00 pm EST / 10:00 am- Noon PST

Are you looking for fun ways to help youth build number sense and problem-solving skills? Math can take on new meaning when it is integrated into daily routines in our afterschool programs. In this module, afterschool educators will explore and practice strategies for making math engaging and accessible.*The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend. Completion of the Asking Purposeful Questions module is a prerequisite for this module. REGISTER HERE Code: AC358MP (Coach Becky T)

Asking Purposeful Questions

Mondays: 9/9, 9/23, and 10/7/2024 at 1:00- 3:00 PM EST / 10:00 AM - Noon PST

Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop their reasoning through the questions we ask them? This module is a great way to train staff on how to facilitate STEM learning. Experienced educators also love being part of a cohort as a way to connect with other educators across the country, to learn new lesson plans, and to reflect on practice.  This is our introductory module and a prerequisite to other opportunities. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend. REGISTER HERE Code: AC441PQ (Coach Becky T)

Facilitating Engineering Practices

Tuesdays: 9/24, 10/8, and 10/22/2024 at 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM EST / Noon - 2:00 PM PST

Engineering has become a staple of STEM programming for youth. How can we confidently bring engineering into our programming and support youth as they engage in problem solving? In this module, participants gain first-hand experience with engineering by solving a design problem. They examine the components of the engineering design process and discuss ways to model the process with youth.

*The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend.REGISTER HERECode: AC423EP (Coach Emma C)

Check out our STEM Opportunity Library- a list of afterschool, summer programs, internship and job opportunities for youth in Massachusetts! By increasing awareness of existing programs, we hope to increase access to STEM programming and encourage students to explore opportunities for STEM careers.

This library is intended to be living document. If you know of a program or opportunity that isn’t listed, please contact claire@massafterschool.org so we can add it to the list!

Free Curriculum and Classroom Activities

  • Supported by the Mott Foundation, Mizzen is available at no cost to afterschool professionals! Encourage partners to download the Mizzen By Mott app to access STEM activities at your finger-touch! You’ll find it in Mizzen here.

    Featured Activities & Playlists

    Mizzen Playlist: STEM Activities for K-5th Grade in Small Groups - This playlist is a great mix of engineering and science activities that are easy and fun for small groups of students.

    Mizzen Playlist: Science Notebooks for 3rd - 12th Grade - Keeping a notebook can help your students think and act like scientists and engineers. Sample these easy-to-implement strategies and lessons to bring science notebooking into your program.

    Mizzen Module: S.INQ Up Earth and Space for 6-8th Grade - Earth and Space is an inquiry and exploration-based curriculum that uses hands-on activities focused on the relationships between the earth, the so

  • First Woman Camp Experience: Hands-on activities that accompany NASA’s “First Woman” graphic novel series

    James Webb Space Telescope STEM Toolkit: Virtual and classroom resources related to the James Webb Space Telescope.

    Sun STEM Toolkit: Virtual and classroom resources related to the sun.

    Sustainable Aviation STEM Toolkit: Virtual and classroom resources related to aviation.

    NASA Coloring Pages: Color and learn about some faraway worlds with these coloring pages.

    NASA for Students Grades K-4: Fun activities centered around all things NASA. Games, puzzles, color, and more.

    Space Place Art Challenge: Space Place monthly art missions. Draw, color or paint the subject of the month.

  • Camp Goldie Blox offers free resources and online videos for STEAM programming! https://goldieblox.com/pages/steam-at-home