Chicago Public School 6th, 7th and 8th graders - the first competition of the Chicago Junior Mathematics League is coming up on Saturday, November 16 at UIC.  The Chicago Junior Mathematics League is sponsored by the Chicago Public Schools' Office of Mathematics in order to encourage students to challenge themselves mathematically.  You need to sign up in advance so contact Jason Major at jfmajor@cps.edu if you are interested. Additional information can be found at http://cjml.org/.

Do you know any teens between the ages of 13 and 18 who would like to make stuff?  Well then they might be interested in this contest:  The Wanger Family Fab Lab at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago is excited to announce a youth contest hosted on the website Instructables.com. We are challenging teens to design something new to improve their rooms. Winners will receive various items related to making, including a 3D printer! 

The deadline to submit entries is December 2nd, and five Chicago local finalists chosen after that date will be invited to the Fab Lab at MSI to make their designs real. Enter at http://www.instructables.com/contest/improveyourroom/.

Dan Meyer

Fab Lab Manager
Wanger Family Fab Lab
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

The Art of Science Learning project at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago seeks to spark innovation and creativity in education and the workplace by integrating arts-infused learning methods. MSI is one of only three Incubators for Innovation nationwide in this National Science Foundation-funded project that aims to change how people think about science education.

Over the course of a year starting in January 2014, a diverse group of scientists, artists, engineers, educators, business professionals, high school and college students, and community leaders will meet at the intersection of art, science, creativity. Utilizing a newly designed, arts-infused curriculum, participants will:

• Learn innovation skills applicable to any work setting.
• Practice creativity, collaboration and communication skills through the visual and performing arts.
• Work in cross-disciplinary teams to create STEM solutions to address the urban nutrition crisis in Chicago.
• Create new STEM learning programs inspired by the arts.

From January to December 2014, the program will include 14 to 18 workshop sessions and additional time working as innovation teams. Sessions will be held at the Museum of Science of Industry on Saturdays and will last between 4 and 7 hours. Overall, participants can expect to devote up to a total of 150 hours on the project. This program is tuition free, and all participants will receive certification as an innovation fellow as well as many other benefits.

Not only is The Art of Science Learning a unique opportunity to learn innovation and creativity from nationally recognized experts, but it is a chance for each participant to help change the way science, art, creativity and innovation come together to change the world.

If you want to be a part of The Art of Science Learning project in Chicago, please fill out the application.

Chicago-area students are invited to the Museum of Science and Industry for its Saturday Science Club program. Get ready to investigate, experiment and play with a wide range of hands-on science activities as we work together to create exciting new curriculum. 

The fall session is being offered at no charge because they will be piloting new activities and experiments. They are offering two programs with a special Family Day on Dec. 7. Programs are:

Beta Labs: Grades 3 - 5
10 a.m. to noon
Oct. 12, Oct. 26, Nov. 16 and Nov. 23
Family Day on Dec 7

Beta Labs: Grades 6-8
10 a.m. to noon
Nov. 2, Nov. 9, Nov. 16 and Nov. 23
Family Day on Dec. 7

There is no cost for this program. Parents must attend a mandatory orientation at the Museum held on the first day of science club.

You MUST submit an application.  Space is limited, and submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Click here for complete details. 

The 30th annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival 

October 25 - November 3, 2013

The Chicago International Children's Film Festival is the largest festival of films for children in North America, welcoming 25,000 Chicago-area children, adults, and educators each year, and featuring over 250 films from 40 countries. The Festival screens a wide range of projects, from live-action and animated feature films to shorts, TV series, documentaries, and child-produced works. One of the most unique festivals in the country, the Chicago International Children's Film Festival showcases the best in culturally diverse, non-violent, value-affirming new cinema for children, and is one of the only Academy Award qualifying children's film festivals in the world.

Schedule and tickets are available now.

Are humans animals? Not long ago, the question produced a predictable standoff. Now it is the start of a fascinating conversation.

The 24th Annual Chicago Humanities Festival will take this new exchange of ideas out of the academy and into the public. We will explore what it means to think about culture biologically, about biology culturally, and about the human-animal relationship beyond the science/humanities divide. In presenting the most cutting-edge work on this subject, Animal will give us a whole new perspective on our world and ourselves. Most important, though, it will give us new answers to the oldest and most fundamental question in the humanities: What makes us human?

Mark your calendar for the following dates:
Sunday, October 13: Morry and Dolores Kohl Kaplan Northwestern Day
Sunday, October 20: 7th Annual Hyde Park Day
Friday, November 1 - Sunday, November 10: Downtown

Tickets will go on sale to CHF Members on Tuesday, September 3 and to the general public on Monday, September 16.

NIU STEMfest  is being held on October 19th this year.  STEMfest offers several opportunities for individuals and groups to show off their science skills. For students in grades K - 12there is a science video contest.  The video must explain a concept, topic, idea, phenomena, or theory in any of the STEM fields.  Students in grades 6 - 12 can enter the STEM Teen Read Science Fiction Contest.  The STEM Teen Read Science Fiction Contest is looking for original works of short fiction that use fictional characters and situations to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM). The short story should introduce the reader to interesting characters and help the reader understand a STEM concept. See the NIU STEMfest web  site for complete details, rules and entry deadlines for both contests.