#stemcafe

For the 5th consecutive year, the Cape Cod Science Cafe has been housed in the Cape & Islands Boy Scouts of America’s Wicked Cool Autumn Welcome at Camp Greenough in Yarmouthport, Cape Cod. The science cafe takes over the mess hall and many local STEM stakeholders bring hands-on STEM related activities to share with the attendees ranging in age from grades K-8. While this is a Boy Scout hosted and sponsored event, this one is open to the public. For a $15 fee, students get to carve and take home a pumpkin as well as a woodworking project. All the other activities including fishing, archery, science cafe and more are included in the fee.

 Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

Photo by Brian D’Amico

Those wishing to join us Saturday October 28, 2017 from 1pm-4pm were asked to preregister to guarantee a pumpkin and woodworking project: https://www.scoutscapecod.org/calendar/209/2933-Wicked-Cool-Autumn-Welcome.html

Photo by Brian D’Amico

Cambridge Science Festival’s Science on the Street brought the cool science for the 5th consecutive year! 

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan 

Cambridge Science Festival’s Science on the Street is always up for bringing thematic activities to our events! This year was no exception: They brought their augmented-reality sand table and Cape Cod sea life exhibit.

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

The Barnstable County Sheriff’s outreach team was back on board and brought their fingerprinting kits and chatted with the students about how they use forensic and digital tools solve crimes! 

Photo by Brian D’Amico

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

We actually are responsible for the Barnstable County Sherriff’s Office doing outreach events! Their first one was with us at Wicked Cool in 2016 when we invited them to participate since the 2016 National Chemistry Week (NCW) was forensic science!

Speaking of NCW themes, the 2017  theme of National Chemistry Week was Chemistry Rocks! Our friend from Smithers Viscent and fellow NESACS member, Paul Reibach,brought a thematic activity: An investigative exploration of lava.

Photo by J.L.Maclachlan

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

We had special guests and first time participants, Laura Brothers, Brian Buczkowski and Jason Chaytor from the US Geological Survey coming with a special interactive demonstration of what makes up the sea floor.  

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

Arghhhh! Our friend and archaeologist, Marie Zahn, from the Whydah Pirate Museum, was on hand to lead attendees through simulated archaeological digs for pirate artifacts. The Whydah Pirate Museum houses the world’s only authenticated pirate treasure and they are located right here on Cape Cod!

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

Heard of the Internet of Things (IoT)?  Local engineer and STEM educator, Bradshaw Lumpton, brought a household water use experiment using state-of-the-art sensor technology that excited and delighted the engineer in all of us.

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

You know what’s “wicked cool”? Our friends at Wicked Cool for Kids joined us at the Wicked Cool STEM Science Cafe! What’s cooler than atomic worms? Not much. Not much at all. 

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

PID Analyzers and the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society will used the Happy Atoms kit so kids can build their own molecules,  demonstrate how PID Analyzers are used for quality control measurements of VOC’s in common foods like cereals/drinks, and hosted a student run (grades 5 and 7) “ultimate slime station”. New handouts include activities to do at home and resources for homeschoolers. 

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

Photo by J.L. Maclachlan

The cafe part of the science cafe! The mess hall cooks mades these delicious cookies and kept the trays full for three hours! Hot chocolate and fresh pressed cider not pictured.

Wicked Cool STEM Cafe organizers Jennifer Maclachlan and Jack Driscoll.