MCLA Offers Stem Family Math Program04:53PM / Monday, February 02, 2009
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and the Berkshire STEM Pipeline, in collaboration with the Western Mass Society of Architects, will offer a free family math program, “Designing our Green Community,” Feb. 17-20, at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, during the February school break.
The program is open to central Berkshire students and their families in grades 6 through 8. Participants will meet Tuesday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon to create a scale version of a green community using recycled and green materials. The finished model community will be showcased at Reid Middle School on Friday, Feb. 20, from noon to 3 p.m.
Architect Erika Zekos, Western Massachusetts program coordinator for Learning By Design, a statewide K-12 architecture and design education program of the Boston Society of Architects, will provide curriculum development. Joe and Tina Maffuccio will be the lead educators.
Students and their families will participate in a community visioning process as they consider uses for a given community site, develop solutions for real-world community problems, and communicate their ideas and how they potentially could help our neighborhoods move toward a healthy, strong and sustainable economy with a high quality of life. Students will learn to read and use aerial maps and scaled drawings, and then set to work tackling a local design issue. Kits will be supplied so the students to encourage them to continue to work on their projects at home.
“Designing our Green Community” is part of the Berkshire STEM Pipeline STEM Family Program, of which MCLA is the lead partner. The STEM Pipeline Fund is a workforce development initiative designed to increase student interest in STEM subjects. The goal of the STEM Pipeline is to build a pipeline between higher education, PreK-16, businesses, and non-profit agencies for the improvement of science, technology, engineering and math education, and is aligned with the Berkshire Compact for Higher Education.
“Designing our Green Community” is free and open to central Berkshire students grades 6-8 and their families. Pre-registration is required, capacity is limited. Contact Lisa Provencher at 413-662-5525 or e-mail lisa.provencher@mcla.edu . |
