ACEC/MA STEM Task Force Opportunities

We update this page periodically with new opportunities for our members to promote engineering, land surveying, and related careers to K-12 students. Please check back for new opportunities.  This page is updated as of 12-18-24.

ACEC/MA STEM Task Force: Short monthly zooms on opportunities to promote engineering & land surveying to K-12 Students with more about the leads below. Contact us to join the ACEC/MA STEM Task Force.

Upcoming 2025 Opportunities for your firm to promote STEM careers:

MassHire Job Fair with Everett High School on 1/30/24

1:30 PM start time; employers should arrive by 1:15 PM.

More:  https://masshiremetronorth.org/

• MassHire seeks employers who are actively hiring for full and part time work. Any industry is welcome! The students attending are eager to work! The fair will be held at Everett High School.   
• Sign up by email with Meagan Yeku, Senior Manager of Youth Employer Partnerships at MassHire  Myeku@masshiremetronorth.org

MassHire Career Fair with Burlington High School on 2/4/25

12 noon - 1 PM. https://masshiremetronorth.org/ 

• Open to firms that can talk about entry level careers in their company-STEM companies are welcome! MassHire is are also looking for folks from organizations that offer educational or work experience for the students like internships or apprenticeships. Firm Participants will each have a booth and what firms do with it is up to them.  Some firms bring flyers, pamphlets, posters. Others bring activities for the students or a sign-up sheet for internship interest.
• Sign up by email with Meagan Yeku, Senior Manager of Youth Employer Partnerships at MassHire  Myeku@masshiremetronorth.org
• Or sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-4MP-u2LYPzas9RIRRl_wBbkU9Ys_MqdnuMSSXDqr7lC7Pw/viewform

Westport Middle-Senior High School's Career Day on 1/22/2025

Career Day will offer students an opportunity to explore a variety of occupations during this informational fair (booth style event).  Career Day will be held at Westport Middle – Senior High School, and is designed to expand career awareness, encourage students to engage in further career exploration activities, and increase their ability to be college and career ready. Close to 500 students from grades 8 through 12 will participate in the event. They will be given sample questions, intended to help them have meaningful conversations with professionals.  Volunteers are encouraged to bring a tablecloth, visual aids, signs, tools of the trade, works in progress, literature, and interactive activities to enhance the discussions. The event lasts from 8:00am to 11:00am., with check in starting at 7:15am.

Quincy High School STEM Fair 2025 - 2/5/2025, 5:30 - 8:30 pm 

Volunteer judges will be asked to judge approximately five projects using a provided rubric but will be encouraged to look through our entire showcase of student projects that evening.  There will be many displays from a variety of fields that our staff and students are already very proud of.  For those feeling in need of a quick refresher on the judging, there will be a brief training session available that evening, as well as some refreshments prepared by the students of the Quincy High Culinary Department.  More Info

Greater Lowell Technical High School Outreach - ACEC/MA Working Group

ACEC/MA President Dawn Connelly is spearheading a new STEM Working Group for outreach to local technical high schools to see how ACEC firms can help grow interest in the engineering industry. The group is focusing its first outreach efforts on Greater Lowell Technical High School. Contact Us for more info.

MassHire Metro North Workforce Board - to Find High School and College Interns + other resources

ACEC/MA's STEM Task Force hosted a representative of STEM Programs at the MassHire Metro North Workforce Board   who discussed how to contact local Workforce Boards and STEM Networks in each region of the state to find and host high school and certain college interns.  

Below are some resources with information on how to contact local Workforce Boards and STEM Networks in each region of Massachusetts. As a more in-depth example of what an employer's role might look like in a high school internship, MassHire provided the Employer Host Handbook that has been adapted from the state. 

Action: Check out the resource materials, If any firms in the Metro North region are looking to get involved, they can connect with  Meagan Yeku, Senior Manager of Youth Employer Partnerships at MassHire  Myeku@masshiremetronorth.org 

Career Center and Workforce Area Map
MassHire Workforce Boards are able to apply for a number of state grants focused on career and workforce development for local youth, and can be a good place to start when searching for local internship programs to take part in. Use this map to help determine what MassHire region you are located in. Note that this is just an image, and actual MassHire Workforce Board contacts are accessible under the next heading of this email.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/career-center-and-workforce-area-map

Connect With Your Local MassHire Workforce Board
Use this guide to contact your local Workforce Board. Be sure to double-check your region with the Workforce Area Map listed above!
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/connect-with-your-local-masshire-workforce-board

Regional STEM Networks
In many regions, STEM Networks work directly with local K-12 educators and have school contacts. If you are looking to get in contact with a specific local school, reaching out to your regional STEM Network Director is a great place to start.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/regional-stem-networks

Applied Learning HUB - Industry- Applied Learning Student Showcase – May 9, 2025

May  9, 2025, 8:30 AM — 12:30 PM at The TRACK at New Balance, 91 Guest St, Boston, MA 02135

Registration Opens in March 2025 here: https://one8appliedlearninghub.org/volunteer-opportunities/

• Support and inspire the next generation of professionals
• Connect students’ learning with the problems you solve every day.
• Give students feedback on their Applied Learning projects.
• Increase motivation, persistence, and achievement for ALL students.
• Students from across Massachusetts (grades 5-12) will gather to share their Applied Learning projects with industry professionals like you. Here’s what you can expect from the experience:
• The day will kick off with a short briefing and grab-and-go breakfast so you can meet your fellow judges and be ready to confidently engage with students.
• You’ll interact with teams of students as they share their projects, offer suggestions, and share more about your own career.
• The Showcase will close with a celebration of winning teams, and of everyone’s achievements!

Engineer Your Future: BSCES Outreach Activities: 

Sign up to be a judge, mentor, or volunteer for these upcoming events at least 2 weeks before the dates shown below. Advance CORI checks required:

• ​Future City in January 2025
• Model Bridge on February xx, 2025

Massachusetts Science + Engineering Fair (MSEF)

Start here:  https://scifair.com/

Support and inspire local students! Student participants are thrilled to meet STEM professionals, often for the first time, to review and discuss their projects. Regardless of placement, students benefit from the invaluable experience of presenting their work.

What is the judging experience like?

• Over several hours, each judge reviews 4-6 projects which includes a student presentation and Q&A session. Each student is judged multiple times.
• Judges utilize a rubric (with point allocations) that guides their assessment
• Judges commit to providing a rigorous, yet encouraging, interview process for students

High School State Fair Judging - April 4, 2025 at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro

• Judges must hold a graduate degree and/or have 5+ years working experience in their selected subject category
• Subject Categories include but aren't limited to: Biology, Chemistry, Behavioral Sci, Earth/Space Sci, Engineering, Math, and CompSci.
• Judges are required to attend a virtual orientation session: TBA.

Register to be a judge: https://msefhs.zfairs.com/app/user/new/Judge/

Middle School State Fair - May 10, 2025 at Clark University Worcester

• Judges must be in a STEM field
• College students majoring in a STEM field are eligible to judge 
• Judges must watch an orientation video in advance

https://msefms.zfairs.com/app/user/new/Judge/

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts – STEM Fest (Waltham) on May 3, 2025

More info: https://www.gsema.org/en/sf-events-repository/2025/stem-fest--waltham-.html

Its a STEM takeover at camp! Explore fun hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math challenges throughout Camp Cedar Hill. Local partners will be stationed all throughout the camp property, so you can use your map to choose your own adventure and decide what areas and topics to explore! Meet with STEM professionals while digging deeper into topics you love or discovering new ones that you may not have previously known about!

STEM Fest is GSEMAs premiere STEM event of the year, and is open to ALL Girl Scout levels with activities and experiments created and designated specifically for different ages. A patch and swag are included. Check back regularly for an updated list of partners and activities!

One8 Applied Learning Hub (formerly Mass STEM Hub) Volunteer Opportunities

ACE Mentor Program: 

Founded in 1994, the ACE Mentor Program of America (ACE) is a free, award-winning, afterschool program designed to attract high school students into pursuing careers in the Architecture, Construction and Engineering industry, including skilled trades. ACE is a federation of more than 75 affiliates (chapters), operating in 38 states and Canada, and largely based in metropolitan areas. A national office supports the affiliate programs.

• Set Up a Virtual or In-Person Class Visit:  Engage a group of children in a rewarding engineering experience. More on Discover E >

General Resources for your firm to promote STEM careers:

Engineer Classroom Visit Presentation Module to Promote #STEM Careers:  As your firm explores STEM activities to provide for K-12 classrooms in 2024, check out this resource from ACEC/MA's Leadership Education Committee: a Module you can use for classroom visits in your community: More >

- Check Out DiscoverE  for more resources and ideas.

For Land Surveyor Visits to Classrooms: MALSCE's PPT on the Land Surveying Profession - You can download this and adapt for school and college presentations. This is a large file that will take a minute to download.

- More about Land Surveying with Resources for Classrooms on Be a Surveyor

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Massachusetts Department of Education Resources

Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Advisory Council is established by M.G.L. Chapter 6, Section 218 to expand access to high-quality STEM education for students across the Commonwealth.

Regional STEM Networks
Created in 2004, the state’s Regional STEM Networks serve as hubs for connecting educators, community leaders and industry partners to further excite and energize students about opportunities in STEM subjects.

Metro North Workforce Board Seeks STEM Employers for HS Interns: No employer cost, completely grant funded; interns work about 100 hours in Spring or Summer More >

Engineer Your Future: BSCES Outreach Activities: 

Sign up to be a judge, mentor, or volunteer for these upcoming events at least 2 weeks before the dates shown below. Advance CORI checks required:

• ​Future City in January 2025
• Model Bridge on February xx, 2025

- - - - 

ACEC/MA STEM TASK Force: Short monthly zoom on opportunities to promote engineering & land surveying to K-12 Students. Contact us to join the ACEC/MA STEM Task Force.

older events: 2025 dates TBA

Geek is Glam STEM Event - the GIG - Sunday, October 13, 2024 at WPI, Worcester

Host:  Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts

Sunday, October 13, 2024, 9 AM - 5 PM @ Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

For Girls in Grades 4-8 - a key time to reach these students with fun engineering projects and basic career info. The Girl Scouts are seeking adult volunteers to lead workshops, demos and more.  

Sign up google doc: https://forms.microsoft.com/r/RhzjWgS5Hn?origin=lprLink

More Info: https://www.gscwm.org/en/discover/activities/special-events/Geek-Is-Glam.html

​Weston & Sampson (Hillary Lacirignola, Julie Carreiro) - High School Internship

• Weston & Sampson developing structured format for high school interns this summer.
• Format exposes interns to all different departments and fields within the company.
• Daily activities will be non-billable work, mostly shadowing staff on everyday tasks.
• Loaner laptops will be provided to all students.
• Interns will be compensated in the form of OSHA 10 Certification, Gift cards for gas, Weston & Sampson Gear.
• Additional compensation is available through the MetroNorth Workforce Board. Weston & Sampson offers to help with paperwork submission.

Lesley Ellis School - Arlington, MA – Middle School Science Fair Judging

Thursday, April 4, 2024   8am-3:15pm (lunch and refreshments will be provided)

Format: The judges would listen to student presentations (by grade level) in a gallery walk format and fill out a judging form for each student. At the end of each grade level, judges would meet to decide on awards to give to the top 3 students, as well as any honorable mentions.

Sign Up: Fill out the Google Form (https://forms.gle/JYbWD3x8zqLRjkWj8) 

Questions: Please email 7th/8^th grade science teacher Elizabeth Manser (emanser@lesleyellis.org) or Pascale Grossnickle (pgrossnickle@lesleyellis.org) for any questions!

 - - - -

General Resources for your firm to promote STEM careers:

Engineer Classroom Visit Presentation Module to Promote #STEM Careers:  As your firm explores STEM activities to provide for K-12 classrooms in 2024, check out this resource from ACEC/MA's Leadership Education Committee: a Module you can use for classroom visits in your community: More >

- Check Out DiscoverE  for more resources and ideas.

For Land Surveyor Visits to Classrooms: MALSCE's PPT on the Land Surveying Profession - You can download this and adapt for school and college presentations. This is a large file that will take a minute to download.

- More about Land Surveying with Resources for Classrooms on Be a Surveyor

- - - - -

ACEC/MA STEM TASK Force: Short monthly zoom on opportunities to promote engineering & land surveying to K-12 Students. Contact us to join the ACEC/MA STEM Task Force.