Workshops

Students will engage in MIT’s hands-on, minds-on learning ethos rooted in problem solving and creative thinking to explore science and engineering challenges under the guidance of a museum educator. Available for groups of ten or more with two-week advanced registration. Choose from one of the topics listed below.

Workshops are available for:

Student Groups (Grades 5-12) organized by school or after-school program

Available Tuesdays (start times 10am, 12pm) and Wednesdays (start times 10am, 12pm, 3:15pm)
$12.50 per student with $250 minimum
One adult chaperone for every eight students is required and admitted free. Additional adults pay the Group Adult admission rate ($14).

Youth Groups (Ages 10-18, self-organized or by tour company)

Available Tuesdays (start times 10am, 12pm) and Wednesdays (start times 10am, 12pm, 3:15pm)
$15.00 per youth with $400 minimum
One adult chaperone for every eight youth is required and admitted free. Additional adults pay the Group Adult admission rate ($14).

Reserve your group workshop visit.

WORKSHOP OPTIONS

Automata

Explore and experiment with mechanical motion using maker tools to create your own whimsical kinetic sculpture. This workshop will integrate engineering, art, and play as participants collaborate to bring their mechanisms to life. Designed for students in grades 5-8. Sessions run 60-75 minutes in length.

Ro-paw-tics

Get creative with circuitry by creating your own pet robot. Use maker tools, mechanical engineering, and your own imagination as you work together to build, test, and iterate on your own programmable critter. Designed for students in grades 5-8. Sessions run 60-75 minutes in length.

Space Pop-ups

How is origami used in space? Find out in this hands-on workshop as you create your own pop-up cards! Explore geometry, spatial reasoning, and aerospace engineering while putting your creative skills to the test. Designed for students in grades 5 - 8. Sessions run 60-75 minutes in length.

Catching Physics in the Act

The splashing of water, seemingly a quick and simple event, is studied in many labs around MIT. Inspired by the works of Berenice Abbott and Harold “Doc” Edgerton, participants will use high-speed photography and video to slow phenomena down, and discover patterns and mathematical relationships that we can use to solve real world problems. Designed for students in grades 7-12. Sessions run 75-90 minutes in length.

Note: this workshop is currently only available on Wednesdays, but will be offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after April 1.

Image: Berenice Abbott, A Bouncing Ball in Diminishing Arcs, 1958.

Exoplanet Mystery

NASAs newest space telescopes TESS and James Webb, are discovering new exoplanets daily. Workshop participants will step into the role of an astronomer and using physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, decode signals to unravel these planets’ mysteries. Designed for students in grades 7-12. Sessions run 75-90 minutes in length.

Note: this workshop is currently only available on Wednesdays, but will be offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after April 1.