Workshops

Engage in MIT’s hands-on, minds-on learning ethos rooted in problem solving and creative thinking. Students will explore science and engineering challenges under the guidance of a museum educator. Available for groups of ten or more with three-week advanced registration. Sessions are 90 minutes in length. Choose from one of the topics listed below.

Workshops are available Tuesdays (start times 10am, 12pm), Wednesdays (start times 10am, 12pm, 3:15pm) and Fridays (start time 10am).

Student Groups (Grades 5-12, college undergraduates)

$14 per student with $300 minimum. One adult chaperone for every ten students is required and admitted free. Additional adults pay $14.

One-on-one aides and/or paraprofessionals necessary for individual students are admitted at no charge.

Cambridge Public Schools are admitted for free in line with our Cambridge Resident Membership program. Discounts are available to local public school districts serving low-income students. Please complete the online booking request and our staff will contact you to discuss pricing.

Reserve your group workshop visit.

WORKSHOP OPTIONS

Automata

Explore and experiment with mechanical motion 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.

Standards: 7.MS-ETS1-4, 7.MS-ETS1-7(MA), 7.MS-ETS3-4(MA), NGSS MS-ETS1-4, NGSS Practice 6

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.

Standards: 7.MS-ETS1-4, 7.MS-ETS1-7(MA), 7.MS-ETS3-4(MA), NGSS MS-ETS1-4, NGSS Practice 6

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 9-12.

Standards: HS-ETS1-6(MA), NGSS HS-ETS1-2, NGSS Practices 3, 4,
and 6

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 9-12.

Standards: HS-LS1-6, NGSS HS-PS4-5, NGSS Practices 2, 7, and 8