Past Programs

MIT Can Talk Oratory Competition

February 2, 2019, 1-3 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 in the theme of "Back to Square One.” Vote for your favorite competitor and hear tales by local storytellers.

Teen Science Café: AI&U

December 15, 2018, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

An exciting event connecting local teens with scientists and each other. Get a sneak peek into the future of AI and its impact from researchers.

Addiction: Facing the Opioid Epidemic in Massachusetts

December 6, 2018, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Join us for an important discussion on the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history.

FINAL!! Friday After Thanksgiving (F.A.T.) Chain Reaction

November 29, 2019, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

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

Hops & Knots

November 17, 2018, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Grab a friend—and a beer—and enjoy an evening of tinkering, knot-tying and building a Rube Goldberg-esque device.

Girls Day

November 2, 2019

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

Family FUNstruction

October 20, 2018, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Get the ball rolling with a night of Family FUNstruction! Develop your own Rube Goldberg-esque contraption, then at the end of the evening, link your contraption with others to form one mega-chain reaction.

Soap Box Series

Fall 2018 - October 10, 17, 24, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Join us for one or all three evenings in lively conversation about the brain!

Synaptic Stories

September 20, 2018, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Join us for a night of storytelling as we delve into the deepest realms of the mind, wade through our internal wiring, and discover what makes us unique.

Living in the Future: Brains!

September 14, 2018, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Where science fiction meets science reality

Cerebral Cinema Series

August 14, 2018, 6:30 p.m.

Join us for our Cerebral Cinema series. Hear from researchers and then compare real science to depictions on the big screen.

Robots Send-off

August 10, 2018, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Bid a fond farewell to our robots as they come off view for a brief hiatus.

Both/And: A Quantum Physics Play

Summer 2018

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

Mind Myths

July 20, 2018, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Join us for an evening of short presentations and fast-paced, conversations about the mind. Leading researchers and fellow brain enthusiasts will share insights and bust a few long-standing myths.

Brainy Trivia

June 26, 2018, 7:00 p.m.

Join us for a night of science trivia and short talks by science researchers. See how you'll fare with categories ranging from anatomy to artist-scientists. Sign up as a team—6 people maximum—or come and make new friends.

image of neurons, credit: Jeff Lichtman, Joshua Sanes, and Jean Livet, Brainbow, 2007.

Neuroscience Paint Night

April 17, 2019, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Create a painting of cerebral cortex neurons and hear about Eyewire, a cutting-edge, video game-based citizen science project.

Spring into Science Saturday

Spring 2018

Learn from MIT students as they "show and tell" the amazing work they are creating on campus.

Teen Science Café: Mindful Matters

May 12, 2018, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

An exciting event connecting local teens with MIT scientists and each other.

Cambridge Science Festival

April 12 - 21, 2019

Every April, as part of this city-wide festival, enjoy performances, learn about cutting-edge research, and meet scientists and engineers of all kinds.

Iron Builder "Chain Reaction Link" Competition

April 21, 2018, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Have you built awe-inspiring chain reactions and delighted your friends? Or, want to challenge your building skills? Then register your team and compete for Chain Reaction glory! Teams will receive a box of materials, building prompt, and have two hours to impre

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

April 18, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

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 14, 2019, 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, 2018, 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.