Past Programs

Self-Driving (LEGO) Vehicles: An Introductory Workshop for Adults

April 18, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Autonomous vehicles are coming. Are you ready? Learn how to program a LEGO vehicle to better understand how researchers are programming self-driving cars, and meet MIT’s Leilani Gilpin, who is actively working on the future of transportation.

Science Game Night

April 15, 6:00 - 8:30 pm

Learn about science through board games! Enjoy an evening of science-themed games with your friends and family, and see how your science knowledge stacks up to others.

The Hackable Museum

April 14, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

When museums make their collections assesible, it opens up myriad possibilities to create games, toys, designs, and other creative uses. Come for an evening to talk about and demo museum APIs and collections databases with museum hackers from various institutes around Cambridge and Boston.

Livecoding Sinusoidal Traversals through Sound Sorted in Space

April 12, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Join Jason Levine, computational artist and musician, in an exploration of live coded music. Learn about Levine’s process and create your own improvised algorithmic composition during this special, one-time workshop.

Combining Livecoding and Real-time Software for Musical Improvisation

April 10, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Jason Levine, musician, performer, and computational artist will discuss his path through computer science and music technology to build his vibrant career and artistic practice.

Science on Saturday

2018 Programming

Science on Saturday is a free, 60-minute presentation with fun demonstrations in which students can volunteer.

Book Talk: Sunburst and Luminary: An Apollo Memoir

March 14, 6:00 - 7:30 pm (New date)

Meet author and MIT I-Lab computer scientist Don Eyles, and get a glimpse into a complex story never before told from an Apollo insider — the development of the onboard software for the Apollo spacecraft.

Feb Fest

February 19–24, 2018

Enjoy February school holiday week at the MIT Museum with hands-on learning activities and demonstrations each day.

Citizen Science Fair

February 24, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Meet researchers from a number of local organizations, and discover how you can participate in “citizen science” research projects that enlist the public’s participation in data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Big Data Justice

February 20, 2018, 6-8 p.m.

Numbers can be overwhelming, powerful, manipulative, intriguing ... and what about big data?

Authors' Talk

February 6, 2018, 6:30-8 p.m.

Join MIT Professor Neil Gershenfeld, MIT alum Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, and MIT Visitor Alan Gershenfeld, as they discuss their latest book Designing Reality.

MIT Can Talk Oratory Competition

February 3, 2018, 1-2 p.m.

Watch MIT students, staff, and community members compete for over $1000 in cash and prizes as they each share a five-minute talk about “Taking Risks.” Vote for your favorite competitor and hear tales by local storytellers.

Artists’ Talk: Boston Coastline: Future Past

January 6, 2018

Hear from artists Catherine D'Ignazio and Andi Sutton as they share insights on their installation Boston Coastline: Future Past, part of our Big Bang Data exhibition.

Bringing Kepes into Focus

December 6, 2017

How does one interpret another artist’s intention? Hear about the challenges photographer Charles Fendrock faced while printing vintage, never-before-printed negatives from the Estate of György Kepes.

Are We The Enemy? The Neuroscience of Conflict and Empathy

November 30, 2017

Join Dr. Emile Bruneau and Dr. Karen Ross to explore how human cognitive habits encourage bias, separation, and conflict.

Friday After Thanksgiving Chain Reaction

FAT Chain Reaction

November 24, 2017

Help build or just observe this massive chain reaction made up of dozens of individual devices designed by teams from all over the country.

Beers and Gears

November 10, 2017

Grab a friend—and a beer—and enjoy an evening of tinkering and building a Rube Goldberg-esque device. We’ll supply the materials you’ll need to construct your link. Then, at the end of the evening all of the devices will be connected to set off one giant chain reaction.

Chain Reaction Contraption Construction Help Sessions

October 2017

Attention F.A.T. teams! Want help designing your contraption for the Friday After Thanksgiving Chain Reaction Event? Have an idea but not sure how to get started? Looking for feedback on your designs?

Girls Day

March 10, 2018, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Each November and March we honor the contributions of women in science and encourage young girls to stay excited about all things STEM.

Big Data 101

October 24, 2017

Join Sandy Pentland, MIT Professor of Media Arts & Sciences, Director of the MIT Human Dynamics Laboratory, and Co-leader of the World Economic Forum Big Data & Personal Data Initiatives for a discussion on big data.

Family FUNstruction

October 14, 2017

Interested in participating in the Friday After Thanksgiving (F.A.T.) Chain Reaction Event? Or just want to try building your own Rube Goldberg-esque machine?

The Comic Book Story of Video Games

October 11, 2017

Join us for a conversation as The Comic Book Story of Video Games author Jonathan Hennessey and MIT Game Lab Creative Director Philip Tan explore the groundbreaking history and social im

Using Digital Tools to Explore American Political Divides

October 10, 2017

Join Nabeel Gillani, graduate student and research assistant in the Laboratory for Social Machines at the MIT Media Lab for an exploration of ways to see past our differences and understand the humanity of the opposing side.

Empathy for Conflict Resolution

October 3, 2017

Join MIT Professor Ceasar McDowell in a salon-style conversation on interpersonal conflicts, including how empathy can be used to overcome tribalism, and creating human connections across lines of ideological division.

The Enemy – From Concept to “Virtual” Reality

September 26, 2017

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at The Enemy, a cutting edge Virtual Reality (VR) experience that explores three international political conflicts.

Living in the Future

Saturday, September 16, 2017

How do today's technologies reflect what we've seen on the big screen?

Both/And: A Quantum Physics Play

Spring/Summer 2017

Both/And, an inventive one-act play is part comedy, part poetry, and all inquiry into a major scientific experiment taking place right now.

Food for Thought

July 18, 2017

Prepare your taste buds for a night of food, science, and culture during this two-part evening! Join the MIT Museum as we make our way around the block in a progressive dinner adventure that could include freshly brewed coffee, sticky buns, tacos, local wine, burgers, or sake!