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

Friday, March 26, 2021
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Virtual Event

Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology is the host for the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence’s virtual Regional Engineering Machine Design Contest for 5^th through 12^th-grade students on Friday, March 26.

According to an event preview, the Engineering Machine Design Contest is an opportunity for teams of 3-10 students to design and build a complex machine using everyday object with the guidance of a coach. The completed machines will use multiple steps to complete a simple task.

Student teams will compete in either the junior (5^th-8^th grade) or senior (9^th-12^th grades) divisions of the contest.

This year’s theme is “Driving Change Through Transportation,” which is aligned with the Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure Engineering Grand Challenge. Although teams are not required to design a machine related directly related to the grand challenge, they are encouraged to use the Engineering Grand Challenge as an inspiration point and connection to real-world problems.

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 virtual 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 14,604 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 30 colleges and seven universities.