Massachusetts Kicks Off 2026 STEM Week, With Nearly $465,000 in Design Challenge Grants Reaching 10,000+ Students
Massachusetts opened its 2026 STEM Week in Boston, in Suffolk County, on October 19, with a kickoff event at the Museum of Science where Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Education Secretary Steve Zrike and other officials joined students for an engineering design challenge. STEM Week runs October 19-23, 2026, under the theme 'STEM starts now,' the Executive Office of Education announced in a press release dated October 19.
Announced alongside the kickoff were nearly $465,000 in STEM Week Design Challenge grants to seven nonprofit organizations, expected to engage more than 10,000 PK-12 students across Massachusetts in hands-on STEM learning and career exploration. 'We want every student in Massachusetts to have the chance to get excited about STEM and see how it connects to the world around them,' said Governor Maura Healey.
The seven grantees' projects include the Blackstone Valley Hub for Workforce Development, which will have about 600 high school students tackle real-world biomanufacturing challenges; the Museum of Science's Engineering Careers Exploration, expected to reach about 300 educators and 3,000 students, with a new Accessibility Careers Exploration in development; the Wade Institute for Science Education's water-engineering challenge, reaching roughly 5,000 middle school students through about 100 educators; and the Space Consortium's Space Exploration Design Challenge, expected to reach more than 1,000 PK-12 students. Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, the Work-Based Learning Alliance and the YMCAs of Massachusetts will run robotics, sustainable aquaculture design and green-facility design challenges.
Education Secretary Steve Zrike said the Design Challenges aim to expand access to applied STEM learning and increase participation among students who have historically been underrepresented in STEM, including students of color, girls, low-income and first-generation students, English learners, and students with disabilities, while also supporting educators with professional development and resources. During STEM Week, child care providers, schools, colleges, employers and community organizations across the Commonwealth provide hands-on learning experiences and introduce learners to STEM professionals and careers.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Boston 的科学博物馆（Museum of Science）临 Charles River 外景（资料图），Daderot 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: The Museum of Science in Boston on the Charles River (file photo), by Daderot, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
