Minnesota STEM Ecosystem News
Throughout the day, teams participated in formal judging sessions, demonstrations and design reviews with industry professionals and educators.
Hundreds of student innovators from Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin compete at the 2026 Engineering Machine Design Contest (EMDC) Championship in Mankato, Minnesota
The 2026 Engineering Machine Design Contest (EMDC) Championship, hosted at Minnesota State University, Mankato on April 17, brought together hundreds of student innovators from Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin for a full day of engineering, creativity, and competition. This year’s theme, “Engineering Across Eras: Innovating Industrial Engineering Through Time,” challenged students to explore how engineering has evolved across historical periods. Teams incorporated elements from different eras—blending past innovations with modern technologies—to tell compelling engineering stories through their machine designs.
Coolest Projects Returns to Minnesota
On April 11, 2026 at the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Raspberry Pi Foundation hosted the Coolest Project Showcase. This annual event celebrates young digital creators and the amazing things they make with technology. There is a worldwide Coolest Projects online showcase every year, as well as Coolest Projects in-person events around the world- and right here in Minnesota!
Participants can share their projects with family, friends, and their coding community, get fun swag and certificates to celebrate their achievements, and try hands-on coding activities at the event.
As Minnesota continues to build a globally competitive innovation economy, partnerships like this one will play a critical role in preparing students for careers in high-demand STEM fields.
Building Public Private Partnerships that benefit Minnesota Learners
Made possible by a generous donation from Medtronic, the Minnesota STEM Ecosystem is providing immersive virtual reality (VR) tools for STEM career exploration and learning throughout the state. This marks the second donation from Medtronic to support Minnesota STEM learners. Through this growing public-private partnership, Medtronic has now contributed more than $60,000 worth of Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets to Minnesota’s STEM education efforts.
The Minnesota STEM Ecosystem was honored to host two international delegations this Spring [2025] as part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)—highlighting Minnesota’s leadership in public-private partnerships, STEM education, and workforce development.
HOT off the Press: Quarterly Newsletter!
Check out the quarterly newsletter to learn more about the Minnesota STEM Ecosystem’s programs and upcoming events!
Partnership Grants!
The Minnesota STEM Ecosystem is proud to announce the award of more than a dozen Partnership Grants to STEM education and workforce development initiatives across Minnesota totaling more than $700,000.00. As part of the investment from the Minnesota Legislature, the Minnesota STEM Ecosystem Partnership Grants are designed to expand access to high-quality STEM learning experiences that align with in-demand career pathways and emerging technologies.
Announcements & Press Releases
On April 15 the MN STEM Ecosystem and SciMathMN hosted STEM Day at the Capitol! From 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the Rotunda and L’Etoile du Nord Vault were transformed into a hub of hands-on, interactive, and student-focused STEM activities. This event was sponsored by Xcel Energy!
As part of the historic investment from the Minnesota Legislature, the Minnesota STEM Ecosystem is proud to announce the award more than a dozen Partnership Grants to STEM education and workforce-focused initiatives across Minnesota totaling more than $700,000.00!
Made possible by a generous donation from Medtronic, the Minnesota STEM Ecosystem is providing virtual reality (VR) tools for STEM career exploration and learning! With the second donation, Medtronic has now contributed more than $60,000 worth of Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets to Minnesota’s STEM education community.
On August 27, the Minnesota STEM Community came together for the 2025 STEM Convening to build collaborations, share insights, and enhance engagement within STEM learning programs across Minnesota.
In 2023, Minnesota was one of 11 states that did not have a statewide STEM network. Over the past year, we have embarked on a mission to close the STEM learning and workforce opportunity gap across Minnesota.
The Minnesota STEM Ecosystem is excited to announce our partnership with High Tech Kids, supporting their expansion of FIRST Tech Challenge teams and facilitating STEM career exploration and STEM internships in several regions.
TIES, in partnership with aiEDU, is teaming up with help from Google to bring information on how artificial education can be leveraged to impact education. The Minnesota STEM Ecosystem and the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence are bringing this opportunity to Northern Minnesota.
On October 14, 2024 at Dean Lakes Education Center, the MN STEM Ecosystem hosted the Statewide STEM Convening bringing together industry, education, government, afterschool programs, museums, non-profit and community organizations to learn, collaborate and share STEM strategies and programs.
