October 12, 2022
Berkshire County STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Week will be held on Oct. 17-22. MCLA and the Berkshire County STEM Network 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.
Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV) will be the platform host for the week’s series of events. Community members can access programming on cable access or at www.pittsfieldtv.org. See a full program schedule at www.mcla.edu/stemweek.
STEM Week programming is robust, thanks in part to the contributing members of the Berkshire STEM Network. Each day of Berkshire STEM Week has opportunities for teachers to use STEM videos for class and in-person events. Monday, Oct 17tth, sessions will include “How to Keep Farmers Farming” with Berkshire Grown, “Fall Owling” with Williams College, “Organic Agriculture” with Full Well Farm, and “A Star Show” at the Williams College Planetarium.
On Tuesday PCTV will air a workshop on “Predictive Motion”, General Dynamics staff will be at MCLA assisting with a science course and the North Adams Public Library will be celebrating STEM Week with an Afterschool STEM Craft at 3:30pm. Wednesday at 11:00am Berkshire Community College will be celebrating its new One Stop Enrollment Center, Berkshire Science Commons, and other new facilities with a Ribbon Cutting event, and at 3:00pm the Berkshire Museum will hold a “Berkshire Backyard Exploration” workshop.
Thursday’s events include one of STEM Week’s premier events, organized by the Flying Cloud Institute, “STEAM Challenge Night,” starting at 4:30 p.m. at Hancock Shaker Village, will include hands-on science, art, and engineering challenges for those in grades K-8 and their families all throughout the Village.
On Friday, at the Berkshire Innovation Center, MassHire will be sponsoring a STEM and Manufacturing Job Fair, in-person from 10 a.m. - Noon. This is an opportunity to meet face-to-face with Berkshire County organizations who have STEM and Manufacturing employment, internships, educational opportunities and training or career pathway programs.
STEM Week will conclude on Saturday, Oct. 22 at Canoe Meadows Community Garden, where Mass Audubon will conduct a Sparrow Migration Workshop as part of its Fall Birding programming series.
Berkshire STEM Week is part of the state initiative Massachusetts STEM Week. For more information and a listing of all statewide program go to www.massstemweek.org.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we’re here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught
by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive
on every level of their lives. In nearly every way possible, the experience at MCLA
is designed to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully
empowered to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 128-year commitment
to public education, we have fortified our commitment to equitable academic excellence.
For 10 of the last 12 years, MCLA has been named a Top Ten College by U.S. News and
World Report. MCLA also appears on the organization’s list of top National Public
Liberal Arts Colleges. Since the list was created, MCLA has risen to #33 as a Top
Performer on Social Mobility and ranks first among all Massachusetts liberal arts
schools, which measures how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell
Grants. Learn more at www.mcla.edu.
