Engage Your Students in our 2025 STEM Challenge:
H2Whoa! Hydroengineers at Work
A STEM Week Design Challenge for Grades 5-8 Educators
This fall, bring real-world problem-solving into your classroom! In this Challenge, students will step into the role of engineers, tackling the global challenge of access to clean water. Using nature as their innovation inspiration, limited materials, and a set budget, they’ll design, test, and refine prototype systems to capture and filter water as they build their engineering skills. While the materials are designed for grades 5-8, this Challenge is adaptable for all grades.
Participating educators will receive everything needed to bring the challenge to life:
- A Challenge workshop for teachers (choose from an in-person session at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment or a virtual Zoom session).
- A classroom materials kit, available at multiple pick-up locations across Massachusetts (North Adams, Amherst, Quincy, and Plymouth).
- A curriculum packet with unit introductions, material lists, lead-up investigations, design challenge guides, and multimedia resources to support the implementation of the Challenge.
- Access to activities and extension resources, such as the STEM Challenge Virtual Showcase, to share your students’ work.
The Challenge allows teachers to utilize grade-level-appropriate science and technology concepts that address the MA STE Standards while giving you tools to integrate inquiry-based, project-driven learning into your classroom. You’ll gain new strategies, deepen your content knowledge, and experience the challenge firsthand before using your skills to guide your own students through it.
This Challenge is easily adapted to a variety of classroom cultures across the state. The target audience is middle school students, but the Challenge will be open to any school interested within Massachusetts.
Opportunity for Teachers at Low Income Schools:
In support of the H2Whoa! STEM Challenge, there are a limited number of free field trips to the Hitchcock Center for the Environment available to teachers at low income schools! If you are interested in this program, be sure to designate that your school is eligible when you register.
Registration Information:
Please note: Any Massachusetts educator who signs up for the Challenge is eligible to receive a materials kit. While we welcome out-of-state participants to join in this Challenge, we will not be able to provide non-Massachusetts educators with a materials kit. The Curriculum Guide will be available for any teachers participating in the Challenge.
Cost: FREE
In-Person Challenge Workshop for Teachers: Saturday, November 22nd, 2025 (8:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET), Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Amherst, MA
Virtual Challenge Workshop for Teachers: Tuesday, November 11th, 2025 (9:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET)
Challenge Collaborating Partner: Hitchcock Center for the Environment
Participants must pre-register for the workshop and the Design Challenge.
This year’s STEM week focuses on “STEM starts now” – at any age you can learn about STEM, from our youngest learners to adult learners, and STEM educational opportunities and jobs are here at this very moment in Massachusetts.
STEM Week (October 20th – 24th) is organized by the Executive Office of Education and the STEM Advisory Council in partnership with the state’s Nine Regional STEM Networks.