When I was a teenager, I pretty much had no idea what I wanted to do after high school — and nobody was handing me a roadmap. I went to Monty Tech and took the shop I could get in when starting there as a junior, and luckily it just worked out. Something exploratory and hands-on (like a career camp–or even a career fair–we didn’t even have them back then) could have been a game-changer to have highlighted options to consider. So, for the high schooler who has no idea what they want to do — the upcoming free STEM exploratory day at WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) could change everything.
If you have a high schooler at home, you already know the question that constantly hangs in the air, the elephant in the room: so, what do you want to do? Most of them have no idea — and that’s completely normal. But if there’s even a flicker of curiosity about how things work, about building or creating or problem-solving, it might be worth pointing them toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), or at least exploring a tiny bit more. Here’s a local and free opportunity to do just that!
Engineering and materials science careers are in demand, they’re interesting, and they lead just about everywhere — from medical devices to aerospace to the stuff that makes your phone screen not shatter (pffttt, sometimes).
I don’t talk about this much (don’t want to add pressure on top of pressure for him), but my youngest son is currently working on his PhD in Materials Science at WPI (he started at Mount Wachusett Community College and is now in a supported program at WPI that also has a paid research component). So when he mentioned he’s involved in an upcoming free event for high school students–no brainer, I’m sharing it on my newsletter. The photo above is Adam and his Westminster friends Anna and Kenzie at a FIRST Lego Robotics event back in about 2012, when my friend Tiffany Davis (who had teaching skills and tech knowledge) and me (who is capable of herding cats) decided to create and coach a FIRST Lego League Robotics team. We were the Westminster Gear Bots. By some stroke of luck we decided to introduce our kids to STEM when it was a pretty new acronym.
“FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. FIRST LEGO League teams — made up of students in grades 4–8 — research a real-world problem and are challenged to develop a solution, while also building and programming a robot from a LEGO kit.”— MIT Lincoln Laboratory
The ASM Materials Experience – New England 2026 is a one-day, hands-on STEM program held right on the WPI campus in Worcester. It’s been running for over ten years, it’s led by practicing engineers, and it costs absolutely nothing.
Students get to explore modules like cryogenics, 3D printing, microscopy, shape memory alloys, metal forming, and more — real-world exposure to cutting edge stuff! Lunch is even included. It’s going to be held on Monday, May 11, 2026 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM at WPI’s Washburn Shops, and many schools use it as a daytime field trip.
Space is limited, so if you know a high schooler — or a parent or teacher — who might be curious about engineering or a future in STEM, pass this along. You can learn more and register using the links below. What do they have to lose–it’s a Monday off from school and a free STEM exploratory day at WPI! And if your teenager plans to go, have them look for the tallest guy in the room and say hey to Adam.
ASM Materials Experience: More Information
Download Flyer (to print and leave out for your teenager to see, like it was their own idea)
Register Now! *If the WPI date doesn’t work for your high schooler, there’s information about a future date at Boston University.
