MCLA Marks Berkshire County STEM Week with Programming for K-12 Students and the Community

NORTH ADAMS, MA—For Berkshire County STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Week, Oct. 19-23, MCLA and other county partners will offer virtual programming for local public school students, K-12 educators, and the general community. 

A complement to the statewide STEM Week initiative, Berkshire County STEM Week’s theme is “See Yourself in STEM.” Free and open to the public, the week will feature a virtual series of unique panels, workshops, speakers, virtual tours and information about opportunities that exist in science, technology, engineering and math in the Berkshires and beyond.  

MCLA will offer three programs during the week: “Fun with Physics,” a workshop for middle and high school students on predictive motion; an ecology session for educators conducted by Professor Eric Doucette; and an ornithology presentation by Professor Daniel Shustack on the migration behavior of the dark-eyed junco. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Adams Community Bank will host a college planning webinar with admission professionals from MCLA, Berkshire Community College, Williams College and Pittsfield High School as a support for local high school students and their families as they navigate the college application process. 

Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV) will be the platform host for the week’s series of events, and community members can access programming on cable access or at www.pittsfieldtv.org. See a full program schedule at www.mcla.edu/stemweek. 

Each day of STEM Week will kick off with “Live at the BIC (Berkshire Innovation Center),” featuring award-winning host Jeremy Brisiel introducing viewers to local innovation partners. Berkshire Community College faculty and students will share a virtual lab tours, Williams College seniors will conduct an astronomy workshop, and Dr. Mark Sprague and Dr. Ashley Miller of Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates will conduct an orthopedic surgery demonstration. MassHire will also run a virtual STEM Job Fair from Wednesday, Oct. 21-Friday, Oct. 23, and the Berkshire Museum will offer “Be a Chemist,” a live virtual event where students can conduct safe experiments with items in their kitchens. Hancock Shaker Village will offer a virtual tour, and General Dynamics has developed a website for students featuring 15 different at-home science experiments suitable for every grade. 

Learn more about regional events managed by the regional STEM networks across the Commonwealth in collaboration with local museums, nonprofits, schools, and local business partners at www.massstemweek.org.