Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine. What are these objects? How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages.

Ocean acidification can affect many marine organisms, but especially those that build their shells and skeletons from calcium carbonate, such as corals, oysters, clams, mussels, snails, and phytoplankton and zooplankton (the tiny plants and animals that form the base of the marine food web). Meet scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and learn how ocean chemistry is changing in this hands-on activity.
Recommended for all ages.

Learn all about Oceans at MIT, a new website providing weekly reporting on the far-reaching ocean research at MIT and WHOI. Staff will be available to answer questions and share interesting stories. In addition, graduate students from MIT's Program in Oceans, Atmospheres, and Climate will demonstrate the physics of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with a Rotating Tank Fluid Experiment.
Recommended for all ages.

Nanotechnology has unique and promising applications to engineer living organisms. Applications of nanotechnology to biology range from body sensors, targeted cancer radiation treatment to plant solar energy harnessing. Discover how nanotechnology can change the way we live through hands on activities, interactive videos and conversations with MIT scientists from the Strano Research Group.
Recommended for all ages.

Workshop: A Family Learning Game Jam - SOLD OUT

Do you want to design games? Are you worried you don't have the technical skills to realize your vision? Not to worry! Game design teams are made up of talented individuals that include researchers, writers, artists, musicians, sound designers, and programmers, among others, each bringing a unique perspective and set of skills to the creative process. This hands-on, non-technical concept design workshop will take you through a rapid-fire design process that can be fun for the whole family. Work with a friend or relative — or we can match you up with someone else! — to create a new game concept by the end of the workshop. Participants should leave this workshop with a paper prototype of a game—boardgame, card game, video game, or otherwise—and feedback to develop it further.
Presented by Learning Games Network
Recommended for ages 8 and up. Family participation encouraged. Limited to 25 participants. Workshop is full. No further registration accepted.

Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine.  What are these objects?  How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages.

Topics in Optics
Optics is fun, and we'll show you why! With a series of 'science tricks' (it's not magic, it's science), the MIT student chapter of the Optical Society of America (OSA) will teach you the fundamentals of optical science. Demos include: holograms, FM radio, glasses-less 3DTV, low-cost microscopy and much more!
Recommended for all ages.

MIT Museum Art & Science Studio Showcase
The MIT campus is a nexus of creativity and innovation. Learn from students and other researchers about the intersection of art and science in their day-to-day work. See the latest projects being developed by the MIT Museum Studio, CoolScienceVideos, DoppelLab and others.

Recommended for teens and adults.

Stop the Suffering! Keep Your Stuff Happy - CANCELLED
Museums aren't the only places where priceless artifacts can be found! Come learn how to care for your own personal and family treasures. MIT Museum staff will discuss helpful proactive suggestions and basic preservation techniques to protect your own 'collection' from mechanical, biological and chemical decay.
Free with Museum admission. Recommended for adults. Program has been cancelled.

Hi-Fi-Sci: Music and Science Animation
Dinosaur Annex presents a ground-breaking concert at the MIT Museum. Five area composers - Peter Child, John Mallia, Kate Soper, Kurt Rohde, and Tamar Diesendruck - premiere pieces which highlight and interpret dazzling animations created by area scientists. With new computer animation technology, scientists can now have their discoveries stunningly visualized, making their work far more accessible and understandable. This unique multimedia experience will feature composers & scientists in dialogue about their work during the performance.

Free admission. Tickets distributed to the first 150 people, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Recommended for all ages.

Dinosaur Annex is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Additional funding is provided by the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Foundation, the Argosy Contemporary Music Fund, the ELB Foundation, the Bridges/Larson Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, IBM Matching Gifts, and many other generous individuals and organizations.

Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine.  What are these objects?  How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages.

MIT Museum Revealed: Robots and Beyond
Robots are a favorite of science museum visitors around the world.  Tour the MIT Museum's unique collection with Debbie Douglas, curator of science and technology, discover some of back stories and even see an artifact or two not on display!

Recommended for all ages. Limited to 25 participants. Tickets available day-of on a first come, first served basis.

Workshop: Paper Bridges - SOLD OUT

Students ages 8 and older try their hands at structural engineering in this bridge-building workshop. Learn about different types of bridges and investigate engineering tricks you can use to change the strength of ordinary materials.
$10 per student (includes Museum admission). Workshop and wait list are full. No further registrations accepted.

Discover the power of paper! See the results of MIT's annual cardboard boat regatta, learn about hexaflexagons, and join OrigaMIT in a paper-folding adventure as you learn a bit about the math behind this ancient art. The afternoon will also include hands-on engineering challenges using nothing but newspaper and paper tape. What kind of structures will you build?
Recommended for all ages.

Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine.  What are these objects?  How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages.

How To be A Science Star
Are you part of a science fair or science olympiad? Perhaps you enjoy conducting science research on your own! How can students like you share their research findings with the public? That's where the Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) comes in! JEI is a free, open-access journal that publishes the research from students just like you. Find out how you can publish your own research, and learn about the scientific efforts of high school students around the country.

Recommended for teens.

Six Years Online
The Resident Teen Ensemble from Central Square Theater, presents a special reading of a new play here at the MIT Museum. SIX YEARS ONLINE is a Youth Underground Community-based Initiative that is dedicated to creating, presenting, and touring theater based on interviews and journal entries investigating the intersections among young people, social media, and shared responsibility.

Recommended for teens.

MIT Museum Revealed: Photography
View the MIT Museum's new photography exhibition Compass Points: Joël Tettamanti with Gary Van Zante, curator of the exhibition. The photographs focus on the impact of human settlement on the landscape, from Asia to the Arctic Circle.

Recommended for older teens and adults. Limited to 25 participants. Tickets available day-of on a first come, first served basis.

You're the Expert
Hosted and produced by Chris Duffy, You're the Expert bridges the worlds of comedy and academia, attracting a comedy audience while providing meaningful content. Each show features an expert in a somewhat obscure field. A group of hilarious comedians try to guess what in the world our expert studies all day long. Afterwards, the expert dissects how wildly wrong (or right) the ideas about her field were. The show ends with an interview where we find out what our expert does and why her field is important. It's funny, it's interactive, and you end up actually learning something.

Free. Cash bar for ages 21+. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine.  What are these objects?  How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages.

Play Day at the MIT Museum
Be a good sport! Play around with video games and more with MIT students, researchers, and spin-offs. This program will feature demonstrations and hands-on activities designed especially for teens.
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - MIT Game Lab
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Learning Games Network
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Orbit Wheels
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Education Arcade, EyeWire

1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Lifelong Kindergarten
Recommended for teens.

Workshop: Multimedia Chain Reaction - SOLD OUT
Join educators from the Lifelong Kindergarten to create a chain reaction using Scratch, LEGO WeDo and MaKey MaKey (see video examples here and here). Open to students ages 12-15, by pre-registration only (opening mid-March). The resulting exhibit will be shown beside other LLK products during the afternoon portion of the MIT Museum Play Day.
$10 per student (includes Museum admission).

Workshop: Unity Basics - SOLD OUT

Unity is a cross-platform engine for making 3D video games. If you've never made a 3D video game before and want to learn how to get started, here's your chance! Educators from Learning Games Network will explain how to use the basic features and maybe a few of the more specialized ones too. This is intended to be a hands-on class, so please bring a laptop! Participants are encouraged to install Unity (click to download free version) ahead of time. No previous experience with Unity or game development is necessary, but you should have some programming knowledge coming in. We'll be demoing code written in C#, but experience with any object-oriented language will do.
Recommended for teens and adults. Pre-registration and advance payment required (includes Museum admission). No refunds. 25 spaces available.

MIT Museum Revealed: Holography
Tour the Museum's popular exhibition, The Jeweled Net: Views of Contemporary Holography, with Seth Riskin, the exhibition curator and Manager of the Museum's Holography and Spatial Imaging Initiative. Engage in demonstrations and discussion about what holograms are and how they work.

Recommended for older teens and adults. Limited to 25 participants. Tickets available day-of on a first come, first served basis.

What High School Science Should Have Been
Remember that awful biology class where you had to memorize a million Latin names? Did you struggle to balance chemistry equations and swear never to do that again? MIT scientists Tyler Dewitt, Raoul Correa, Kate Goldstein, Sabine Hauert, Filippo Menolascina, Tal Danino, and Eben Cross will share their most memorable moments from high school science class and then describe how those lessons continue to shape their research careers! Tonight, allow yourself to flash back to high school, but this time with friends, acquaintances, and drink, to share those science experiences with good humor. For a sneak peak at what to expect, check out Tyler's TEDx talk.
Free admission. Recommended for older teens and adults. Cash bar for ages 21+.

Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine.  What are these objects?  How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages.

Building up to the F.A.T. Chain Reaction
Learn about the MIT Museum's Friday After Thanksgiving (F.A.T.) Chain Reaction and discover possibilities for building "chain-reactive" devices with F.A.T. instigator and kinetic sculptor Arthur Ganson. Arthur will provide an introduction to Rube-Goldberg oriented physics, paying attention to both the engineering and dramatic considerations. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore and experiment with materials supplied by the Museum and are encouraged to bring their own found objects to incorporate into a mini-chain reaction to be built immediately following Arthur's presentation.

Recommended for all ages.

Have you ever wondered how grasshoppers can jump or shrimp move? Did you know that scientists study these animals to help them design better machines. Join The Curiosity Machine and build flying, leaping, and jumping machines inspired by animals. All ages welcome with a signed release form. Students younger than 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

Workshops are offered 10:30-11:30, 12:45-1:45, 2:00-3:00, & 3:15-4:15. Tickets and release forms available day-of on a first-come, first-served basis.

Exploring Innovation: From Idea to Reality
How do inventors come up with their great ideas? What are the next steps once they do have an idea? What is the process of patenting an invention? Learn the answers to these questions and more during this showcase of innovation. Meet some of MIT's amazing researchers and learn about the innovative technologies they are designing, developing, or have taken to commercialization. The afternoon showcase will include short presentations and hands-on opportunities to explore some great ideas. Presenters include the The Karp Lab, Democratech, Gotham Bicycle Defense Industries, Ministry of Supply, Flagship VentureLabs, and the MIT Technology Licensing Office.

Recommended for teens and adults.

MIT Museum Revealed: Undersea Robotics
Dive into our exhibit halls with Kurt Hasselbalch, Curator of the Hart Nautical Collections. Learn about MIT's numerous connections to autonomous underwater vehicle development and nature-inspired robotics.

Recommended for older teens and adults. Limited to 25 participants. Tickets available day-of on a first come, first served basis.

Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine.  What are these objects?  How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages.

Novice and expert slide rule users welcome for a hands-on exploration of the most important engineering instrument of the twentieth century. We'll start by learning (or reviewing!) the basic principles of using a slide rule to do calculations, then try out some real-world engineering calculations from projects like famous bridges, buildings, and spaceships. We'll also look at some special-purpose slide rules for specific applications.
Ages 12+ (knowledge of logarithms useful but not required).

$10 per participant (includes Museum admission). Pre-registration and advance payment required. No refunds.
This program has been rescheduled to Saturday, May 4 at 10:30 a.m.

Soap Box: The Political Life of Cheese
Learn about artisanal cheesemaking in America. Heather Paxson, MIT anthropology professor and author of The Life of Cheese, will lead a discussion about the practical and legal challenges of artisanal cheese production -- especially when working with raw (unpasteurized) milk -- from farm to market. Share your thoughts on consumer choice, public health, and government regulation as they relate to this unique, tasty, and living food.
Recommended for older teens and adults.

Artisanal cheeses generously provided by Central Bottle Wine + Provisions.
This program has been rescheduled to Wednesday, May 8 at 6:00 p.m.

MIT Museum Revealed: A Design Guide
Explore our brand new exhibition, Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things, with MIT Museum Director John Durant.  Learn how thirty-six commonplace objects are actually masterpieces of design: simple, ingenious, and ultimate examples of efficiency of materials and functional aesthetics. 

Recommended for teens and adults. Limited to 25 participants. Tickets available day-of on a first come, first served basis.
This program has been rescheduled to Sunday, April 28 at 2:00 p.m.

Making Movies, Making Science
Challenge your views of the world around you with video screenings from MIT's DV Lab. See what happens when documentary film production takes on a social scientific outlook. Join us for a series of short films by MIT students that offer an innovative, intimate look at the worlds of science and technology both at MIT and beyond. Filmmakers will be available for a Q&A after the screenings.

Recommended for teens and adults. Free admission. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
This program has been rescheduled to Saturday, May 11 at 6:00 p.m.

Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine.  What are these objects?  How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages.

Students ages 10 and older will learn to program a LEGO Mindstorms robot and take a tour of the Robots & Beyond exhibition with a Museum educator. See Attila and Pebbles, two of MIT's experimental robots designed for planetary exploration, and think about how you could use artificial intelligence to navigate unfamiliar environments!
$10 per student (includes Museum admission). Workshop and wait list are full. No further registrations accepted.
This program has been rescheduled to Saturday, April 27.

Discover space science and technology research at MIT! Demonstrations by MIT AeroAstro and the Man Vehicle Laboratory and presentations by MIT researchers throughout the afternoon will introduce you to everything from space suits to supernovas. Explore distant galaxies, extrasolar planets, and the amazing worlds within our own solar system. Presentation schedule:
1:00 p.m. - Dr. Grant Stokes, Asteroids: Fact or Fiction
1:45 p.m. - Dr. Bryce Croll, exoplanets

2:30 p.m. - Michael Sori, Water on Mars

3:15 p.m. - Dr. Robert Simcoe, Cosmic Dawn

Recommended for all ages.
This program has been rescheduled to Sunday, April 21, from 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Talking holograms? Invisibility cloaks? How do today’s technologies reflect what we’ve seen on the big screen? Sit back, grab some pizza and popcorn, and enjoy short clips from the fantastic and futuristic movies of yesterday and today. Then, hear from local researchers about how close we are to realizing Hollywood's hopes for the future! Learn about the real life technology that may or may not take us back to the future.
Recommended for all ages. $10 per person (includes pizza, popcorn, and beverage). Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
This program will be rescheduled for fall 2013.

Mystery Objects from the MIT Museum Collections
Our Collections Staff has assembled a group of mystery objects for visitors to examine.  What are these objects?  How might they have been used? When might they have been invented? Visitors are invited to leave their best guesses, or to tell us on Facebook everything they know (or think they know!) about the Mysteries from the MIT Museum.

Recommended for all ages

MIT, Boston College, and Harvard students come together with the inspiration of Splash to present Splash@CSF, an exciting day of short workshops for middle and high school students.
Click here for details and registration.

Discover space science and technology research at MIT! Demonstrations and presentations throughout the day will bring the exploration of worlds beyond Earth to life:

11:30 - 3:00 - See the BioSuit and find out what it's like to exercise in space with researchers from MIT's Man Vehicle Laboratory.

12:00 - 2:00 - Explore the Moon and the asteroid Vespa with the MIT chaper of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.

1:45 - 2:15 - Hear from Dr. Bryce Croll about the search for planets around other stars and catch a view of our own star with special solar viewing glasses.

Recommended for all ages

Journey back to the Golden Age of Radio for two thrilling tales of the Atomic Age, featuring actors and sound effects artists from the award-winning Post-Meridian Radio Players. See what it took to bring science-fiction tales to life in front of the microphones. The show will include a a double-feature of science-fiction classics in radio form, with actors and live sound effects artists recreating weird and wondrous tales before your very ears! At the end of the performance, audience members can have some hands-on fun with the sound effects artists and sound-making equipment!

Recommended for all ages.
This program will be rescheduled.

Workshop: A Family Game Jam
1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

SOLD OUT | Release form/parental consent (pdf)

Workshop: Stop the Suffering! Keep Your Stuff Happy
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
CANCELLED | Release form (pdf)

Workshop: Paper Bridges
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
SOLD OUT | Release form/parental consent (pdf)

Workshop: Multimedia Chain Reaction
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

SOLD OUT | Release form/parental consent (pdf)

Workshop: Unity Basics
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

SOLD OUT | Release form/parental consent (pdf)

Workshop: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Slide Rules
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Registration | Release form/parental consent (pdf)

Workshop: Introduction to LEGO Mindstorms
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
SOLD OUT | Release form/parental consent (pdf)

Workshops: Splash @ CSF
10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (1 hour sessions)

Details and registration | Release form/parental consent (pdf)