Letter from the Director
Educator Opportunities:
- Centers of Excellence Teacher Training Institute (Virtual)
- Engineering and Engineering Technology STEM Educator Workshop (Virtual)
- Free Curriculum: STEM+Agriculture Career Pathways
Student Opportunity | Workforce Development Scholarships
Engineering and Manufacturing Workforce Partnership Seminar (Virtual)
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Engineering and Manufacturing Workforce Partnership Seminar (Virtual)
Grant Awards and Projects | Carl & Verna Schmidt Foundation STEM Grant
Annual Report
Occupations in Demand
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
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I hope this finds you safe and healthy. It seems that the heat of the summer is upon us! |
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I wanted to share with you some great events that the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence has been doing to help support educators during this COVID outbreak. The Engineering Center was informed that Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators were in need of support as they went into a virtual educational setting. For those of you that do not know, CTE programs are a sequence of courses that integrates core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge and skills to provide students a pathway to post-secondary education and careers. This spring, the Engineering Center hosted multiple virtual meetings for both secondary and post-secondary educators. These forums were led by educators, allowing them to share best practices, virtual curriculum availability and a peer support network. There were well over 100 educators that participated in these forums. Our Engineering Center continues to find ways to assist educators in their ability to deliver quality educational instruction to our future workforce during these trying times.
As we enter into the next fiscal year, I wanted to share with you the Engineering Center's fiscal year 2021 work plan. (The work plan can be accessed here.) I believe it speaks to the Center's strategic, visionary and methodical thinking, as we build towards the future. All of the activities identified in the plan help build our future workforce using engineering and engineering technology programming and organic curriculum. The over-riding theme to the plan is identifying ways to enhance education, inspire students and engage industry. |
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Finally, we just completed our first virtual Advisory Council meeting. If you did not know, the Engineering Center’s Advisory Council is comprised of both industry and academia members. Last summer we utilized a meeting method called Open Space Technology and we repeated that again this year. The goal of an Open Space Technology meeting is to create time and space for people to engage deeply and creatively around issues of concern to them. The agenda is set by attendees with the power and desire to see it through and typically Open Space meetings result in transformative experiences for the individuals and groups involved. We feel this meeting style is very productive, inclusive, innovative and progressive by nature. This is how the Engineering Center of Excellence wants and needs to operate.
We are excited about the work we do and hope you are to. Do not hesitate to reach out to us, to be a part of our network as we support and prepare the engineering and engineering technology workforce of tomorrow.
All the Best,
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Jason Bruns
Director of the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence
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Centers of Excellence Teacher Training Institute | Virtual
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The Minnesota State Centers of Excellence have joined forces to offer the Minnesota State Centers of Excellence Teacher Training Institute as an interactive webinar series for educators. This had originally been planned as an in-person program, but due to COVID-related restrictions it has been reformatted into an online structure. This program is a professional development opportunity for all types of educators teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related courses or out-of-school programs. Webinars will feature ready to implement activities and resources with guidance for implementing in virtual and distance learning settings. This series is designed to help educators inspire interest in students and set them on the right track to pursue career pathways that lead to high-demand (and high-pay in many cases) jobs in Minnesota.
FEATURED ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES:
- STEM+Ag Career Pathway Curriculum,
- Engineering Design Challenges,
- Virtual Industry Tours, and
- Medical Context of STEM: Science with Heart Activities
WHEN: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of Every Month (Sept. 16 - Dec. 2)
WHERE: Zoom
COST: FREE
WHO SHOULD JOIN?
Any STEM Educator working with middle (5th - 8th) and upper (9th - 12th) grades including in-school, afterschool, and beyond the classroom. Educators will have the opportunity to become trained in various STEM curriculum and programs. Attendees will be eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
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Engineering and Engineering Technology STEM Educator Workshop | Virtual
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In this free virtual seminar, the pedagogy of dealing with testing, course objectives, ethics and cheating will be discussed. This event will be conducted in two sessions. Session one will discuss the techniques of organizing testing and how detailed course objectives can assist in being effective. Session two will discuss the importance of emphasizing professional ethics and recognizing cheating in the 21st century. Post-secondary engineering faculty from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and the University of Minnesota, Duluth and industry members will lead the seminar discussions, provide breakout room dialogue and whole group sharing feedback. The outcomes of this seminar are to provide some practical valuable tools that can immediately be taken back to the classroom for implementation. Everyone is welcome to join.
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Course Objectives, Testing, Ethics, & Cheating Seminar
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
8:30 AM - 10:10 AM
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WHO: Secondary and Post-secondary STEM Educators and Engineering Professionals
WHAT: Engineering and Engineering Technology STEM Educator Workshop
TOPIC: Course Objectives, Testing, Ethics & Cheating
WHEN: 8:30 AM – 10:10 AM | Sept. 30, 2020
WHERE: FREE Online Event
Professional Development Hours Available
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STEM+Agriculture Career Pathway Curriculum | FREE
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The Minnesota State Engineering and Agricultural Centers of Excellence are excited to share their newly released and FREE curriculum STEM+Ag Career Pathways for 6th-8th and 9th-12th grade. Utilizing the Experiential Learning Model, the STEM+Agriculture Career Pathways Curriculum focuses on exploring student interest in STEM within the context of careers in agricultural industries. This curriculum is appropriate for in and out of the classroom and is a great fit for science teachers, career and technical teachers, and youth-serving organizations.
Key features of this curriculum include:
- Activity extensions for further learning or increased challenge,
- Reflection activity with each unit,
- Suitable for various STEM-related classroom and programs, and much more!
Download your FREE copy today!
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Workforce Development Scholarships |
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The Minnesota Legislature has provided funding for hundreds of $2,500 scholarships at the 37 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities in the high-demand fields of:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Agriculture
- Early Childhood Education
- Health Care Services
- Information Technology
- Transportation
Eligibility:
- Enrolled in high-demand occupation within eligible program
- 9 credits per term; 2.0 GPA, Minnesota resident
- $1,250 award per term ($7,500 maximum over three years)
- Preference for students in financial need
- Adult students and third year transfer students to state university are eligible
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Engineering and Manufacturing Workforce Partnership Seminar | Virtual
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The upcoming seminar topic is Apprenticeship and Competency-based Education. Join us to learn how apprenticeships can be a great and inexpensive way to fast track your access to the next generation of workforce and how it complements competency-based education. This leads to degree completion and promotes a win-win approach to education and workforce needs. Free professional development contact hours will also be available for those that request it. Everyone is welcome to join.
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Apprenticeship & Competency-based Education Seminar
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
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WHO: Industry, Academia and State Agencies
WHAT: Engineering and Manufacturing Workforce Partnership Seminar
TOPIC: Apprenticeship & Competency-based Education
WHEN: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 | 11:00am - 2:00pm
WHERE: FREE Online Event
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Register by September 11th
Professional Development Hours Available
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Virtual Explore STEM & Engineering Programs |
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Funded by Carl & Verna Schmidt Foundation Grant |
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Amid the current COVID-19 situation, the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence has worked to develop virtual and kit-based experiences for youth this summer. This has been made possible through the generous grant support of the Carl & Verna Schmidt Foundation. With many summer programs announcing cancellations, the Engineering Center redeveloped their normally offered Explore STEM Day Camps into virtual experiences to engage youth in activities that stimulated their intellectual curiosity while engaging with peers. These programs focused primarily on engineering careers and design processes. Seventy-eight percent (78.6%) of parents/guardians reported their child was extremely satisfied with the program and 96.4% reported they were extremely likely to recommend this program to other families. |
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This grant is also funding the development of a series of engineering design challenge modules that will be accessible online and can be used by individuals or groups from 5th grade and up! The modules are being developed in partnership with Minnesota 4-H and are anticipated to be available this fall. |
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Fiscal Year 2020 Engineering Center of Excellence Annual Report |
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It has been an interesting year with the pandemic making so many changes to the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence programming in the spring. But, the team found very clever ways to continue supporting the initiatives and create programming that allows us to reach many more underrepresented students going forward.
The Annual Report outlines the impact and direction of each of the Engineering Center's key programming areas. Collectively, the programming facilitated by the Engineering Center had a direct impact on over 9,250 students, educators, administrators, and industry professionals during Fiscal Year 2020. These numbers do not capture the indirect impact of the Center's programming. Students were the largest group directly impacted, with 6th through 8th grade (48.7%) and 9th through 12th grade (43.3%) students making of the vast majority of that group. Educators were the second largest group directly impacted by the Center's programming, with 9th through 12th grade (52.5%) and 6th through 8th grade (29%) educators being the majority in that group.
We hope you are able to take a few minutes to read through our Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report and learn about how the Center has experienced excellent growth this year and is strategically planning to continue that growth into 2021.
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Occupations in Demand is generated by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and shows current career opportunities across the region. The Current Demand Indicator represents how favorable current demand conditions are for an occupation relative to other occupations in the same region. This data is calculated from the Job Vacancy Survey, Occupational Employment Statistics, and Unemployment Insurance claims. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES |
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