March 24: Minnesota State Mankato to Host 5th-12th Grade Regional Engineering Machine Design Contest

Friday, March 24, 2023
8:00 AM - 2:15 PM
Centennial Student Union Ballrooms

Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato’s College of Science, Engineering & Technology is the host of the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence’s Regional Engineering Machine Design Contest for 5^th through 12^th-grade students Friday, March 24 from 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

This year’s theme is “Transforming Space Technology.” Student teams will compete in either the junior (5^th-8^th grade) or senior (9^th-12^th grade) division of the contest.

The event is free and open to the public and will be held on campus in Centennial Student Union’s ballrooms. The preliminary round is from 10-11:40 a.m., and the final round is from 12:20-1:40 p.m. The Bryan Sellner/3M Presentation and the Award Ceremony is from 1:40-2:15 p.m.

The junior division consists of eight teams from New Century School in St. Paul, Pine Harbor Christian Academy in Cottage Grove and the Worthington Christian School. The senior division consists of eight teams from Blue Earth Area Schools, Central Lyon High School in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Chatfield Public Schools, Choice Technical Academy in Owatonna, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial and New Century School in St. Paul.

According to an event preview, the Engineering Machine Design Contest is an opportunity for teams of 3-12 students to design and build a complex machine using everyday objects with the guidance of a coach. The completed machines will use multiple steps to complete a simple task. The overall goals of this program are to: 

1.      Provide a low cost or affordable option for teams to compete,  

2.      Inspire an interest in engineering and related career pathways, and  

3.      Equip students with skills that will help prepare them for future careers. 

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Media interested in covering the event should contact Joann Jaqua by phone at 507-389-1257 or by email at joann.jaqua@mnsu.edu.)

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 14,482 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 30 colleges and seven universities.