"WEHAVETHEOPPORTUNITY TOCREATETHEFUTUREAND DECIDEWHATTHAT'SLIKE"

MaeJemison,formerNASAastronaut,engineer, physician and the first black woman to travel intospace,saiditbest.Itisimportantforour youthtoknowthoseexactwords.Onewaythe clubshelpshapethisisbytinkeringwithSTEM projects. Framingham members have been thinking outside the box and experimenting with different mediums through our STEM programming Here are some of the newest STEMprojectstheyhavebeenworkingon.

ShootingforLove!Valentine’sRocket

In February, there was love skyrocketing all month long! 30 members in the Framingham Clubhouse signed up to design and put togetherValentine'sRockets.Thiswasagreat lessononairpressureandchemicalreactions. Whenitwaslaunchtime,theyaddedanalkaseltzer tablet to the water. The reaction was explosive! Some member's rockets did not shootupandasagrouptheydeterminedthat iftheirmeasurementswereoff,therocketwill notshootup.Itwasgreattrialanerrorproject.

ExperimentingwithEpoxyResin

Lately, our social media accounts have been flooded with art inspired influencers and their epoxy resin art pieces. Members wanted to experiment on their own. They love hands on learning projects, especially when they are gooey!AcomponentintoSTEMprogrammingis experimenting with different mediums such as epoxy resins. They have been exploring their engineering sides by designing their own cup holders, keychains, and so much more. Members have to make sure there is functionality in their object. While having fun creating their object of choice, members practicetheirscienceskillsbymixingmediums together and their mathematical skills by pouring the correct amount of fluids to create the final product!

Lighting up the way! Candle-making

Using the sense of smell is a large component to candle making Right in time for Mother’s Day this Spring, members have been experimenting with fragrance oils in order to make the perfect smell for their custom candles They mix and match scents to get the best scent. Once it is mastered, they experiment with how different materials react to different temperatures. For example, when the wax is heated up it turns into a liquid. Then when it starts to cool down it turns back into a solid. About 40 members created their own custom candle

STEM education is a critical part of our members experience at the Clubs. This programming provides youth who might otherwise not have access to STEM experiences with simple, fun, hands-on activities. Exposure to science, technology, engineering and math is critical during the teen years, when young people’s natural curiosity drives interest and builds capacity for success in these disciplines.