FORSE 2020-2021 Partnerships Announced

Now in its fourth year, our FORSE program will look quite different than previous iterations. This year, we are bringing our stellar mentoring and STEM enrichment online as the COVID-19 public crisis necessitates virtual learning. FORSE partners for the 2020-2021 school year include Bdote Learning Center, Highwood Hills Elementary School and Little Women of Color. Help FORSE connect all Minnesota students to the world of STEM on Give to the Max Day 2020!

Rob Meyer Joins MAS Board of Directors

We are thrilled to announce the addition of Rob Meyer to the Minnesota Academy of Science Board of Directors. Meyer, the prize administrator of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, will apply his extensive background in science communications to provide vital support our mission of advancing STEM in Minnesota.

"Mr. Meyer's passion for making STEM discoveries accessible to the public makes him an excellent fit for our Board of Directors," said Lara Maupin, MAS Executive Director. "We look forward to learning from him and benefiting from his expertise as we look for new ways to engage Minnesotans of all backgrounds in exploring STEM.

An Edina native and journalism graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Meyer has been an administrator for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation since 2012 when the awards were founded by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. The Breakthrough Prizes remain the largest science prizes in the world at $3 million per award. They are presented annually to exceptional researchers in the fields of Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences, and Mathematics during a globally broadcast ceremony.

"I'm excited to be joining MAS," Meyer said. "Promoting science and a culture that values evidence-based knowledge is more important than ever. Especially vital is sharing with young people the awe-inspiring structure of nature as it is unveiled through scientific discovery. These principles are important whether one wants to pursue a STEM career or simply to become a well-informed member of society."

2020 Minnesota State Science Bowl Goes Virtual

Science Bowl provides an engaging, fun way for students to socialize while sharpening their STEM skills! This year's virtual Science Bowl will not require students to travel, so now is the perfect time for schools from across Minnesota to try out the event. Full scholarships may be available.

During Science Bowl, students work in teams to solve problems and quickly answer questions from all branches of science and mathematics. These one-day competitions run in a fast-paced, Q&A format, similar to Quiz Bowl or Knowledge Bowl. In the virtual format, teams compete simultaneously in the initial rounds, with high scorers advancing to the elimination rounds for the championship.

Student who participate in Science Bowl:

☑️ expand their STEM knowledge
☑️ gain confidence in their abilities
☑️ strengthen critical teamwork skills
☑️ have fun with their friends

Any current public, private, or home school team is welcome to participate. Teams of home-schooled students will be considered to belong to a school as long as they are part of an official home school association. If you're a teacher or parent, learn more and register your team(s) here. To pick up some great tips for deepening your students' engagement with STEM through Science Bowl, check out this video interview with Wayzata High School's coach Amanda Laden.

This year, 40 high school teams and 24 middle school teams of 4-5 students may compete. The top high school team and top middle school team from Minnesota win all-expense-paid trips to Washington, D.C., to compete in the National Science Bowl, circumstances permitting.

Support MAS on Give to the Max Day: November 19, 2020

Exciting news! This year, the impact of your Give to the Max day gift will be doubled, thanks to a matching fund from a member of our Board of Directors. Early giving is now underway, so donate today and check it off your list. In 2019, we raised over $4,000 on Give to the Max Day! This year, we are running two campaigns in support of our STEM programs:

Campaign 1: Virtual mentoring and STEM supplies for our FORSE program for students under-represented in STEM. Thanks to our matching fund:
$10 provides postage for mailing STEM materials to students
$25 provides materials for scientific experiments
$50 provides a coding kit for a student in need
$100 provides start up funds for a coding club at one of our partner schools

Campaign Two: Scholarships for Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair and Science Bowl to ensure that all students in Minnesota have the opportunity to participate in these programs. Thanks to our matching grant fund:
$50 provides a full program scholarship
$100 provides two full program scholarships

MAS Receives Grant from Howmet Aerospace Foundation to Build Virtual STEM Networks

We're pleased to announce that MAS has received a $20,000 grant from the Howmet Aerospace Foundation to support underresourced students and educators virtually during the COVID-19 health crisis. "In this time of unprecedented challenges in education, Howmet's support will enable MAS to make a critical impact on STEM education for many Minnesota students," said MAS Executive Director Lara Maupin.

Support from Howmet Aerospace Foundation will connect underserved students with STEM professionals and graduate students for e-mentoring and tutoring services through MAS' Fostering Opportunities and Relationships in STEM Education (FORSE) program. Funds will also be instrumental in MAS' initiative to create networking opportunities for STEM teachers, students, and professionals to share resources and strategies during distance and hybrid learning.

Howmet Aerospace Foundation, the independently endowed charitable arm of Howmet Aerospace, invests in STEM and technical education and workforce development initiatives, with an emphasis on increased access to STEM fields for underrepresented individuals.

From the 1910 MAS Archives: The Prairie Flora of Southwestern MN

"When we turn to the prairie flora of this region, we are beset
with many difficulties. In the first place the prairie flora has been
destroyed. The breaking plow has been at work in this region for
about forty years, extending the wheat fields, and the remaining portions of the prairie have been fenced in by barb wire fences and closely pastured. The showy prairie flowers are gone, and even the grasses have been mostly destroyed. Along the roadsides and on railway rights of way a few individuals of the original flora are still to be found, but they are being rapidly driven out by the introduced blue grass and by European weeds...

Early in July the grayness of the prairie due to the Amorphas and Psoraleas is heightened by the whitening glumes of the ripening porcupine grass, Stipa spartea. The loosening seed grains with their long spiral awns work through one's clothing and irritate one's flesh in a way never to be forgotten. The Canada milk vetch, Astragalus canadensis, becomes a conspicuous object on the prairie where the soil has been loosened by the pocket gopher. Where the soil is somewhat moist the whitely tomentose showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, raises its stout stem thickly covered with its large oval leaves, carrying at its top its clustered umbels of large flowers...

In the early part of August the tall stems and purple spikes of the big blue stem grass, Andropogon furcatus, are conspicuous objects on rich moist prairies. Indeed, one who has seen this noble grass in great areas growing on the wild prairie, especially if he has seen it in full bloom in early morning swaying before a gentle south wind, will have impressed on his mind a sight never to be forgotten."

Read the full article by L.R. Moyer, "The Prairie Flora of Southwestern Minnesota", Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science, 1910, Volume 4, Number 3, p. 357-372. Digitized by UMN-Morris.

Volunteer for Science Bowl from your Home

The 2021 Minnesota Regional Science Bowls are coming up, and we are looking for volunteers to help us host this exciting virtual event for our amazing student scientists. We would love to have you join us as a volunteer!

What does the virtual format mean for volunteers?
- We need more volunteers than usual, since each game includes only a single team but needs at least 3 volunteers
- No travel time, volunteer from the comfort of your own home
- Only common computer functions are needed: stable internet connection, zoom with webcam, and google forms
- National Science Bowl organizers will provide online training for all volunteer roles in the weeks before the tournament

Learn more about volunteer opportunities. Register to volunteer by completing this short form.

Minnesota STEM Spotlight: STEMLink

Prior to the COVID-19 public health crisis, STEMLink was an annual career and higher education fair for Minnesota students in grades 5-6. For the 2020-2021 year, STEMLink has changed courses, and will offer unique virtual STEM content each month to paid subscribers. Each month will feature (1) two new recorded sessions with STEM professionals including a hands-on activity, (2) weekly career blog posts from a STEM professional and (2) two live question and answer sessions with STEM professionals. Learn more about registration and costs.
- Emily Shepard, MAS Communications Specialist

Minnesota STEM spotlight is a periodic feature of our newsletter highlighting important STEM research, tools, agencies or institutions in the north star state.

STEM from Home Resources

Keep engaged in STEM this fall! Here are some new ideas from our continually updated STEM from Home resources page:

Spend a chilly autumn evening relaxing at home as you color in these Freaky Fungi coloring pages from the UMN mycology club.
Have a little one at home? Visit St. Paul Public Library's Little Learners at Home youtube channel for Technology-a-long, Science-a-long, and Nature-a-long videos.
Whether you are an educator or just curious, check out Minnesota Earth Science Teachers Association's teacher resources for links to lessons on astronomy, geology, meteorology, and more!
Find amazing explanations on topics ranging from nuclear energy to the greenhouse effect with MIT's K-12 videos.
Listen in to Camp 8, the Cloquet Forestry Center podcast highlighting voices from the Minnesota woods.

Check out our website, facebook, and twitter for many more ways to incorporate STEM into your life!

MAS Program Updates

Science Bowl
Registration is open!
2021 High School Science Bowl: Saturday, January 23 (Register by December 15)
2021 Middle School Science Bowl: Saturday, February 13 (Register by January 15)
Virtual volunteer registration is also open

FORSE
Now recruiting for virtual STEM research and subject-specific mentors

Paleontology: Rare Columbian mammoth tusk discovered in New Ulm.
Infectious Disease: President-elect Joe Biden taps Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the UMN, as a member of his coronavirus task force.
Wildlife Biology: Federal government announces removal of gray wolf from Endangered Species Act protections.
Mechanical Engineering: University of St. Thomas professor examines the relationship between stratification in oceans and climate change.
Biology: UMN-Twin Cities professor unlocks new understanding of the spectrum of light seen by a species of fruit fly.
Public Science: Science Museum of Minnesota updates 'RACE: Are We So Different?' exhibit.
Ecology: DNR begins testing for industrial chemicals in deer near two PFAS contaminated sites.
Biomedical Engineering: UMN-Twin Cities researchers demonstrate that combining sound and electrical stimulation of the tongue reduces tinnitus.
Biochemistry: UMN-Duluth professor investigates the impact of photochemical and microbial degradation of polymers and pollutants in Lake Superior and the St. Louis River estuary.
Wildlife Biology: First St. Croix Valley antenna added to wildlife-tracking network.
STEM Inclusion and Equity: UMN becomes part of Aspire, a national alliance aimed at developing inclusive and diverse STEM faculty.
Climate Change: Red Wing adopts five-year climate action plan.
Biosystems Engineering: UMN-Twin Cities professor researches importance of transforming global food system emissions to combating climate change.
STEM Inclusion and Equity: Code the Gap, a new student group at the UMN, focuses on diversifying the field of computer science.