The Boston University and New England Sections of the Optical Society of America will be hosting a Family Optics Day in September. This event will include demonstrations of optics and hands-on activities for future scientists and engineers. Optics!! Science!! Hands on activities!! Take Home Crafts!! Free Food!! Optics Professionals - bring your friends and family to explore the technology we use everyday. Science Teachers - Let us share our science and offer ideas that you can use in the class room. Anyone - optics is all around us so let us show you how to find it and how it works.     Saturday, September 17th, 11:00am - 2:00pm @ Boston University Photonics Center (9th Floor) 8 St. Mary's Street, Boston MA

UPDATE: Report from the June 7th meeting.

Bryan W. Vought of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is looking for individuals working the Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) fields to meet in Sturbrige MA on June 7th. The State of Massachusetts is working to improve the number of students entering STEM fields and this meeting will collect comments from those of us working in STEM to be forwarded to educators.

NES/OSA attends the Newton School’s Cabot Invention Invasion celebrating the spirit of discovery, curiosity and innovation

The NES/OSA attended the Massachusetts State Middle School Science & Engineering Fair at Worcester Technical High School on June 6th , 2009. The NES/OSA has been supporting this event for 7 years with money for operations and awards with the assistance of an OSA activity grant. This year’s fair featured an Expo for contributing organizations. Local members Bruce Irving, Aziz Mahfoud-Familia, Mark Hutcheson, Barbara Darnell and Groot Gregory provided Optics Demonstrations during the lunch hour Expo. The hands on demonstrations included polarization, fluorescence, refraction and laser communication. The giant kaleidoscope again was a big hit with younger kids and parents. In addition to the demonstrations, SPIE career CDs and SPIE/OSA posters were given to teachers, parents and students.