WINTER NEWSLETTER
December, 2019
In this newsletter...

  • Letter from the Director
  • Program Report | Engineering and Manufacturing Workforce Partnership Seminar
  • Program Announcement | Engineering Machine Design Contest and Championship
  • Upcoming Events and Opportunities
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Over the past year, the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence has spent significant time building a new strategic plan, which serves as a guide as we:
  1. Engage in outreach and relationship building between industry and education,
  2. Facilitate the development of educational tools and resource to promote real-world thinking and foster connections between students and industry, and
  3. Provide a student-centered approach to industry, education and workforce.

Our activities are compassed by an engaged and supportive advisory council representing over 20 members from different industry and academic institutions. We offer a variety of engineering and engineering technology programming to meet the needs of our many stakeholders:


  • Our middle and high school Engineering Machine Design Contest is a cost effective STEM, project-based competition which inspires combining theory and practice to design and build a complex machine, performing a simple task.

  • Advanced Career is a high school project-based career pathway curriculum, which students utilize the engineering design process to solve real-world problems and teachers are trained to deliver content to all levels of student learning capacity.


I am excited about what our future holds, where the Engineering Center of Excellence is headed and sharing our journey with you. We are looking forward to new opportunities, while cultivating existing ones. Whether you find engineering and engineering technology interesting, enjoy education and industry collaboration, or are just looking for a partner with mutual initiatives, let us work together for a greater good.

All the Best,
Jason Bruns
Director of the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence
PROGRAM REPORT
Engineering and Manufacturing Workforce Partnership Seminar
Twice a year, the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence collaborates with the Minnesota State Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence to offer a free seminar and networking opportunity called the Engineering and Manufacturing Workforce Partnership Seminar. The purpose of this program is to provide thought leadership for workforce stakeholders and is a forum to network, collaborate and learn about innovative workforce solutions.
In September, Jeff Miller, the Career Pathway Director for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, shared how to become involved with secondary and post-secondary educational partners through work-based learning strategies. All of the participants said they would recomend this program to others and indicated that it:
  • Enhanced their professional expertise;
  • Increased their knowledge of work-based learning strategies to assist in decision-making; and
  • Provided information that could be applied to practice.

What did participants say they liked most about this program?
  • “Great group representing manufacturing. A key group that can make things happen.”
  • “The relaxed environment for networking.”
  • “Content of the presentation impacts my professional field.”
NEXT SEMINAR
Friday, February 21, 2020
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Hiring the Right Education Level to Meet Your Needs
FREE LUNCH INLCUDED!
Hosted at Hennepin Technical College.
PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Engineering Machine Design Contest and Championship
We are excited about the growth we have observed this year with the Engineering Machine Design Contest, which includes:
The contest is an opportunity for teams of 3-10 students to design and build a complex machine using everyday objects with the guidance of a coach. The completed machine will use multiple steps to complete a simple task. The contest theme for 2020 is Space Explorations! We look forward to seeing how this year's theme is interpreted by teams and conveyed in their machines.
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.

Regional competitions will take place in February and March with the Championship event in May. The venue for the Midwest Championship will be announced soon!

Let us know if you are interested in serving as a judge, starting a team, hosting a regional contest, or sponsoring the program through in-kind or cash donations!
UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES




February 17 | Regional Engineering Machine Design Contest, St. Ansgar, IA


February 28 | Regional Engineering Machine Design Contest, Chippewa Falls, WI




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