An Extraordinary STEAM Week @ MIT

Four ISM competition winners visited Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the STEAM Festival. Throughout the week they gained a valuable insight into the life of MIT students. 

From April the 28th to May the 4th, four ISM competition winners visited Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Boston, for the MIT-NAE STEAM Festival.  Anastasia Vidyaeva, Elizaveta Barkova, Peter Yashnikov and Donghyeok Kim were fantastic ambassadors for our school and joined over 100 other students for a fun programme of STEAM-based activities.

They experienced unique MIT activities, led by world-leading academics and our students had the opportunity to make new friends from all over the globe. Through a range of workshops, they developed their capacities in leadership and teamwork, whilst experiencing life as MIT students.

Trip Highlights:

Day 1:

Students played detective in an attempt to recover the missing parts of TIM, the robot, over a scavenger mystery hunt tour. In the afternoon they looked at how science, technology and art intersect through the use of innovative gadgets. The day ended with a trip to Boda Borg where they had an incredible time aiming to be quest masters and very nearly broke out of Alcatraz prison.

Day 2:

The morning kicked off with an inspirational lecture from Professor Leia Stirling, who is currently working on wearable technology for a future space expedition.  She talked about exoskeletons and other fascinating research going on in her laboratory. The day continued with a series of workshops involving students pulling apart toys to learn about circuits, as well as them experiencing the physics of photography.

Day 3:

It was a top-secret mission that launched with much colour and fanfare – MIT’s Professor David Wallace showed our students what it was like to take his semester-long iconic capstone engineering class 2.009…in one day! The students’ task was a noble one: To design a product to help anyone regardless of their ability. The students were all mixed up and were led by MIT students currently on the course. This was great fun and the students had incredible ideas. The teachers had a great time too! Whilst running a D&T station (soldering, hot glue and circuits), the teachers  managed to make a working braille electronic keyboard!

Day 4:

This turned out to be a fascinating learning experience. Students saw some of the work MIT students get up to, including projects in the field of robotics and even how the university’s yearbook comes together. Students then had a workshop about 3D printing before going under the sea with a visit to the New England Aquarium. Here, they were able to touch the stingrays and other sea creatures. The day ended with an insightful Duck Tour of Boston, where Donghyeok took over steering along the Charles River!

Day 5:

The final day of STEAM @ MIT Week continued with more workshops. MIT’S Professor Angela Belcher led a lecture on bioengineering and students took a trip to the university’s museum and learnt a thing or two about architecture and mechanics. In the afternoon, everyone clutched onto their  umbrellas and had a tour of Harvard University. Students were shown where notable alumni lived whilst on campus and learned a host of fascinating facts about the college. Students also had plenty of time for shopping for MIT/Harvard apparel. The week finished with an evening celebration, which included a disco (where many dance skills were shown off!)

Overall, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that will be etched in the memories  of our students who were all truly ‘Inspired by MIT.’

Written by Carly Wilding-Reid, STEAM Coordinator