MCLA to Celebrate STEM Week with Virtual Programming

NORTH ADAMS — MCLA and the Berkshire STEM Network will offer virtual programming for local public-school students, K-12 educators, and the general community during Berkshire County STEM Week on Oct. 18-22.

A complement to the statewide STEM Week initiative, Berkshire County STEM Week’s theme is “See Yourself in STEM.” Free and open to the public, the week will feature a series of virtual panels, workshops, speakers, tours, and information about opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields in the Berkshires and beyond.

Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV) will be the platform host for the week’s series of events. Community members can access programming on cable access or at www.pittsfieldtv.org. See a full program schedule at www.mcla.edu/stemweek.

Each day of Berkshire STEM Week is theme-based:

• Monday, Oct. 18: Food, farming, and sustainability, with contributing programming sessions from Berkshire Grown: “How to Keep Farmers Farming,” fall owling with Williams College, organic agriculture by Full Well Farm, and a live Zoom session with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts;

• Tuesday, Oct. 19: Careers in STEM, with programs in building trades, nursing, mental health, and design technology;

• Wednesday, Oct. 20: STEM in business, with sessions from Berkshire Innovation Center partners; and

• Thursday, Oct. 21: STEM education, with programs from Flying Cloud Institute, the Berkshire Museum, MCLA, Berkshire Community College (BCC), and Williams College, as well as the MassHire Berkshire Career Center’s virtual job fair from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. Employment opportunities include STEM and manufacturing careers as well as internships and jobs for youth. The program also will have educational resources. An in-person STEM Café will be hosted in the Connector at BCC.

The week will also include all three episodes of “Project Frontline” by Boyd Studios, an internship and job-information session by General Dynamics for MCLA and BCC students, a STEM education panel hosted by Berkshire Innovation Center with educators and students, and in-person STEM family programs at Berkshire Museum on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Flying Cloud Institute will also offer STEM art kits for families participating in Berkshire STEM Week.