Newsletter

Letter from the Director

I think spring has now sprung upon us. At least during my evening walks, the birds are telling me that it is finally here!

What a busy time of the year that we just completed! Our Engineering Machine Design Contests were in full swing in March and April. 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 machine will use multiple steps to complete a simple task. Teams showcase and exhibit their machine at a regional contest with the opportunity to advance to the Engineering Machine Design Championship. Teams are scored on a Team Journal, Team Presentation, and Machine Design and Operation. Students are able to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) principles while having fun in a collaborative environment. This year we have added more event locations along with Siemens being a corporate sponsor, assisting economically challenged participants. This is a great resource to have students, industry, and academia come together!

The Engineering Center continues to work hard to supply new and innovative experiential engineering learning opportunities. The NEW Reverse Engineering Challenge is a same-day opportunity for teams of 3-5 students to explore engineering and 21st Century Skills while identifying a solution to a proposed challenge. Teams will be given a challenge scenario and a product or device, disassemble and examine in detail the product or device, identify technology from the product/device that can be used to solve the given challenge, create a proposed solution using that technology and present their solution to others. Teams are scored on teamwork, team presentation, and proposed solution. Through this challenge, students are able to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) principles while having fun in a collaborative environment. Like all of our activities, this is a low-cost or affordable experience for students, inspires an interest in engineering and related career pathways, and equips students with skills that will help prepare them for future careers.

Now with us being able to be in-person, other events that we support were also very active. I serve as the treasurer for SkillsUSA Minnesota and supported the State Leadership and Skills Conference in April. At this conference, students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting, and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by the industry. Leadership contestants demonstrate skills including extemporaneous speaking and conducting meetings by parliamentary procedure. The competitions are open to the public and free of charge. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. A nonprofit national educational association, SkillsUSA serves middle-school, high-school, and college/postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. 

It is a busy time of the year engaging industry, enhancing education, and inspiring students. These are the best times of the year when the planning comes together and execution happens. We look forward to continuing our outreach efforts of supporting the engineering and engineering technology workforce of tomorrow and we hope you will join us.

All the best,

Jason Bruns

Director

The first-ever Reverse Engineering Challenge was hosted at Minnesota State University, Mankato on April 22 in conjunction with the Engineering Machine Design Championship. Teams of two to five 5th-12th grade students were given a challenge scenario, which included an item they had to disassemble and repurpose. Teams presented their challenge solution to a panel of judges. Thirty-five teams from Minnesota and Wisconsin competed in this fist of its kind event.

The winners were:

• Junior Division, 1st Place | Team TMB 7th Grade from Tracy Public School
• Senior Division, 1st Place | Team Batman from Anoka High School

The next Reverse Engineering Challenge will be on Monday, August 8, 2022, at St. Cloud State University hosted in conjunction with the Minnesota 4-H Engineering Design Challenge.

Congratulations to the 2022 Engineering Machine Design Champions! The Senior Division champions were the Pius XI team from Pius XI Catholic school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Junior Division champions were the St. John STEM Club team from St. John Lutheran School in Elk River, Minnesota.

The championship event was held in conjunction with the first-ever Reverse Engineering Challenge on April 22 at Minnesota State University, Mankato. There were 28 Engineering Machine Design Teams from access Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin with an estimated 400+ people in attendance.

The event was sponsored by Siemens, Electrical Consultants, Kato Engineering, and American Engineering Testing.

One coach shared, "We found this coopetition [the Engineering Machine Design Contest] to be low cost and high value for the students that participated. They gained skills in working collaboratively, became problem solvers, experienced real interview experiences, and learned to present as a team. This opportunity highlighted skills in some of my students that sometimes get overlooked and created a sense of pride in them. I'm already looking forward to next year's competition and hope to see even more teams there!”

During the 2022 Engineering Machine Design Contest season, there were seven Regional Contests and nearly 80 teams in total! The 2023 theme will be announced in September.

The next Engineering and Engineering Technology STEM Educator Workshop will be Thursday, September 22, 2022, from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. This is a free virtual, professional development event.

The last workshop featured several university faculty sharing their current research to promote and further engineering education. This included faculty from Iron Range Engineering and Twin Cities Engineering of the Minnesota State Mankato system sharing their upcoming research presentations for the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) national conference which is being held in Minneapolis this year.

The faculty and topics were:

• Dr. Rob Sleezer – “The Impact of Project-Based Engineering on Engineering Stress Culture”
• Dr. Elizabeth Pluskwik & Dr. Lauren Singelmann – “Machine Learning Analysis of Student Written Work to Assess Motivation”
• Dr. Rob Sleezer – “Orange is the New Engineering: Reflections on Teaching Engineering in an Incarcerated Setting”

The presentations and workshop recordings are available on our website.

The next Engineering Workforce Partnership Seminar will be Tuesday, November 8, 2022, from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm. This is a free professional development event with virtual and in-person participation options. In-person locations to be announced.

The last seminar featured the Minnesota Department of Corrections and DEED (Department of Employment and Economic Development) who shared general information about the incarcerated population. The speakers highlighted the general programming and education opportunities within facilities for the workforce (and life) preparation and shared ways to help employers understand the benefits available and ways to attain this skilled workforce.

The presentation and seminar recordings are available on our website.

On Friday, April 22, 2022, at Minnesota State University, Mankato, the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence was proud to organize the first Minnesota State Engineering & Engineering Technology (MEET) Conference. At this conference, we looked toward building a shared vision for strengthening Minnesota State Engineering and Engineering Technology programs through innovation, partnership, and mutuality. 

Michael Ruby, President of Microban International, Ltd., was our inspiring keynote speaker, he showcased successful examples of competitive collaboration with key elements that need to be in place along with pitfalls that need to be avoided. The conference recording and presentation slides are available on our website.

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.

To learn more about Engineering and Engineering Technology Occupations in Demand visit our Labor Market and Careers and Education resources.

General Opportunities

The Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence Advisory Council is instrumental in helping to make the decisions that shape our work. This quarter we would like to spotlight two of our members and the reasons they chose to serve on our council.

Cary Komoto, Ph.D.

Dean of STEM

Normandale Community College

I am excited to serve on the Advisory Council because I like how it brings together higher education institutions with industry partners and other stakeholders to help determine the best ways to serve students and industry. Students benefit from knowing what types of jobs are available in business and industry, along with knowing their expectations. Businesses and industries benefit from helping influence the future workforce.

Steve Kalina

President

Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association

Steve Kalina is the President of the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association. MPMA is a non-profit trade association bringing together Minnesota manufacturers to solve challenges that face our industry. Steve joined the Advisory Council to assist the Center with the excellent job they’re already doing in educating young people about rewarding careers in engineering and manufacturing.

A MEMBER OF THE MINNESOTA STATE SYSTEM AND AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY UNIVERSITY. THIS DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE IN ALTERNATIVE FORMAT TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES BY CALLING THE MINNESOTA STATE ENGINEERING CENTER OF EXCELLENCE AT 507-389-1201(V), 800-627-3529 OR 711 (MRS/TTY).