Photo: Jay Willett/WBZ NewsRadio
EVERETT, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Pioneer Charter School of Science in Everett hosted a Museum of Science Design Challenge on Friday.
At the event, students created cold packs for medicine coolers. The challenge was similar to ones shown in the exhibit halls at the Museum of Science in Boston.
Director of Professional Learning for the Museum Shannon McManus explained how exactly the students were creating the packs.
“They explore with potassium chloride how many grams are going to affect the change in temperature,” McManus said. “They can use that information to figure out how much potassium chloride they should use in their cold pack when they go to finally design the medicine cooler.”
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll was present at the event to watch the experiments unfold.
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Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler was also there, saying how excited he was for students to be getting hands-on work like this.
“It means everything,” Tutwiler said. “We’re bringing into classrooms opportunities for students to have hands-on applied experiences.”
Many of the students had a blast with the challenge, talking about how fun it was to be working directly on these experiments.
“I like the hands-on feeling, like doing experiments like this, it’s very fun to do,” one student said.
This challenge was part of 2025 Mass STEM Week, with Governor Maura Healey explaining just how important it is for students to learn about STEM.
“STEM education is critical to our future. Massachusetts students are the next generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders who will drive our economy forward,” Healey said. “STEM Week is about inspiring young learners to see themselves in these fields and to understand the skills they’re building today open doors to opportunities tomorrow.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jay Willett (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.