dynaMIT

Creating STEM discovery opportunities with dynaMIT

dynaMIT is a free summer program at MIT where 80 Massachusetts middle school students can explore their passion for science and engineering through hands-on activities. Our program is completely free for our students, as we seek to encourage students’ love for STEM without the pressures of finances burdening their access. We are currently fundraising to support student meals, program materials, and mentorship for participants. dynaMIT’s mission is to provide students from low-income families with an opportunity to discover their interests in STEM and feel a sense of belonging in these spaces.

Many students come into our program with little background in STEM extracurriculars or knowledge outside of what is traditionally taught in school. All of our activities focus on either fun, hands-on learning where students can build curiosity and interest towards science or project-based learning where students can build the problem-solving, perseverance, and creativity needed to thrive in STEM!

For example, we often utilize STEM building challenges to motivate students to apply the knowledge they just learned. For example, during Earth and Space, the students took part in a Paper Rocket Challenge and Water Filter Challenge where they had to plan and implement their ideas on how to build the best rocket utilizing learned engineering principles and on how to build the best water filter using limited materials. Furthermore, every year, a major component of our program is in coding a mini-project using Scratch-based code. This past year, we also introduced the use of Makey Makey boards which are physical circuit boards that can turn anything into controls for their project. Through this project, students learn how to plan and implement their ideas in a team as well as gain technical skills in coding.

Other activities try to introduce students to more advanced topics in a fun and interesting manner with interactive and hands-on demonstrations / experiments. For example, in Biology, we experimented with small, handheld microscopes to visually examine microscopic slides and spot components like plant nuclei. In Chemistry, the students made popping boba where students learn about the chemistry behind spherification. In Physics, we taught students about plasma through fun demonstrations where they could see and create plasma.

Suggested Donations

● $25: Provides snacks for a student throughout the program

● $50: Covers a full week of lunches for one student

● $100: Covers meals and program materials for one student during the program

● $250: Supplies hands-on STEM materials for an entire day of activities

● $500: Supports meals for all students for one full day of the program

● $1,000: Funds a full day of programming, including meals and educational materials

● $2,500: Covers a significant portion of program supplies for all 80 students

● $5,000: Helps fully fund core program costs, including food and hands-on learning materials across the two-week program

Incentives

To thank our supporters, we offer recognition opportunities and small perks. You will be recognized through acknowledgments during our presentations, as well as logo placement on t-shirts provided to participating students. Additional recognition opportunities, such as mentions in program materials or on our website, may also be available depending on the level of support!