October 2020 Newsletter

October 19, 2020 Emily Shepard

Sample Minnesota Science Fair Projects from across Minnesota!

Meet the future of STEM across Minnesota! Explore our new map highlighting a variety of the 2020 Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair projects from across the north star state. Links to videos are available for many of the projects, so you can learn about everything from the antibiotic effects of fish slime to the development of WALTER, a route planning system that analyzes accident data to determine safer driving routes in St Paul. You'll be wowed by the level of creativity and rigor in these projects!

From the 1876 MAS Archives: Notes of a Remarkable Storm on July 18, 1867

"There were no unusual features in the storm except the great amount of rainfall. Our camp was in a high exposed place, under tall cottonwood trees. There was little wind and no unusual electrical display. The rainfall from being moderate at first continued to increase during the night. It was not till morning we became aware of the enormous quantity of rain that was falling. It continued by the hour, pouring down as is frequently the case for five or ten minutes at a time, during the passage of a violent thunder shower. About 9 o'clock a.m. there began to be perceptible lulls in the storm, which increased until the steady rain was broken into showers, which continued with brief intervals all day, closing up with a heavy one just before sunset. The storm lasted 30 hours...

The weather that followed was hot. The atmosphere a constant stream, both the saturated earth and the broad sheets of warm water that spread everywhere over the surface poured forth volumes of vapor and larger volumes of mosquitoes. In 20 years of camping experience I think I saw and felt ten times more of mosquitoes between July 25 and October 1, 1867, than in all the balance of the time together. The sun shone out of a coppery sky, and the hot heavy vapor in the air could be seen and felt everywhere and all the time. Our provisions had not been injured by the storm, the heavy double covers of the wagons having protected them, but the sugar melted and ran out of the barrels under the influence of the steam bath, and clothing mildewed and rotted in spite of all the air and sunshine we could give it."

Read the full article by George Wright, "Notes on a Remarkable Storm", Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science, 1876, Volume 1, Number 3, p. 170-174.

MAS is Currently Recruiting Virtual STEM Mentors

Looking to make an impact in Minnesota's STEM community? Consider volunteering as a mentor with our FORSE program! This exciting program focuses on student populations traditionally underrepresented in STEM, finding ways for them to acquire experience in STEM research and exposure to STEM fields and professionals. We achive this by creating partnerships with Title I schools and providing them with mentors, resources, and curriculum that will best support their students.

We have opportunities available for both science fair project mentoring and STEM content tutoring within our FORSE program, all in a safe virtual format. Complete our brief volunteer form to express your interest in mentoring or tutoring with FORSE.

New STEM from Home Resources

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

Watch three brand new videos explaining groundwater flow in southeastern Minnesota
Craft an otter puppet using this tutorial from Duluth's Great Lakes Aquarium
Join the DNR's Aquatic Quest geocaching challenge to learn about plants and animals living in Minnesota's waterways
Hone your fire starting skills, play backyard bird bingo, learn about compasses and knot tying and much more with online learning resources from Wilderness Inquiry
Embark on 30 adventures through TED's Earth School that will help you understand and celebrate our natural world, while learning about how dependent we are on our planet
Explore how Minnesotans are taking action on climate change on local and state levels, and learn how you can get involved with Our Minnesota Climate, a multi-agency state initiative to reduce our state's greenhouse emissions by 80% by 2050

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

Minnesota STEM Spotlight: Minnesota's Climate Trends

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has a great online tool, Minnesota's Climate Trends, that enables residents to retrieve, graph and analyze climate data from across the state. The interface is fun and easy to manipulate. For example, I was able to graph the change in annual minimum temperature for Ramsey County (where the MAS offices are located) between 1895-2020 in just a few minutes.

Try it for yourself to find out how temperature, precipitation and other climate factors have shifted in your home county or favorite state park over the decades. If you are startled by the results, head over to Our Minnesota Climate to take part in combating climate change in your community.

- Emily Shepard, MAS Communications Specialist

Minnesota STEM spotlight is a periodic feature of our newsletter where a member of the MAS community highlights important STEM research, tools, agencies or institutions.

Minnesota Academy of Science 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)
Science Bowl will be held virtually in 2021 - watch an example of the event's format from the 2020 virtual National Science Bowl competition.

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

Astronomy: Boundary Waters becomes the world's largest 'Dark Sky Sanctuary'.

Biomedical Science: Virus that causes COVID-19 detected at four Duluth beaches in September.

Biology: UMN-Twin Cities establishes research institute to investigate environmental adaptations to climate change using spectroscopic sensors.

Invasive Species: Minnesota researchers ask for the public's help in tracking and reporting invasive jumping worms.

Ornithology: UMN-Twin Cities PhD student reflects on participation in 2020 Black Birders Week.

Engineering: Natural Resources Research Institute and US Forest Service demonstrate efficiencies in timber bridges.

Wildlife Biology: Partnerships increase prairie chicken habitat in northwestern Minnesota.

Public Health: UMN-Twin Cities launches Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation.

Genetics: DNR asks hunters to collect spruce grouse feathers for genetics study.

Biology: UMN-Duluth student researches ticks and mosquitoes at the Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center.

Infectious Diseases: UMN-Twin Cities research trial finds that for early treatment of mild COVID-19, hydroxychloroquine has no benefit over placebo.

Life in the Pond, Ney Nature Center, October 15

Water Protection: Reclamation & Preservation Panel Discussion, UMN Circle of Indigenous Nations, October 15

Fall in the Big Woods virtual hike, Landscape Arboretum, October 15

Deadline for Minnesota Climate Adaptation Awards, October 16

Fossil Field Trip, Whitewater State Park, October 16

Creatures of the Night hike, Osprey Wilds, October 17

What in blazes does prescribed fire mean?, Forestville Mystery Cave State Park, October 17

Frontiers of Reproducibility Symposium, University of Minnesota, October 19

Deadline for Fifth Congressional District App Challenge, October 19

We Are Water Exhibit at UMN-Morris through October 19

Practical Applications of an Indigenous Model of Sustainability, Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative, October 20

Minnesota Water Resources Virtual Conference, UMN Water Resources Center, October 20-21

When Life Gets Weird, Bell Museum, October 21

Teach Climate Network Workshop: Supporting Youth Action, Climate Generation, October 21

The Interrelationships between Wolf, Moose and Deer in Minnesota, The International Wolf Center, October 21

MN Health Education Summit, MN Society for Public Health Education, October 22

Apple Breeding in Minnesota, Landscape Arboretum, October 22

Dudley Edmondson Lecture, Osprey Wilds, October 23

Ojibwe Astronomy & NASA Moon 2 Mars, Native Skywatchers, October 23

Virtual Star Party, Bell Museum, October 23

Raptors by Family program, Osprey Wilds, October 24

Seed collection at Lost Valley SNA, DNR, October 24

Nature Obscura, Bell Museum, October 27

Conservation of Monarchs in Mexico, Monarch Joint Venture, October 27

Bats of Minnesota, Dodge Nature Center, October 28

Headwaters Lecture Series, UMN Water Resources Center, October 30

Election Day, November 3

Building Pollinator Habitat in Towns and Cities: Great Lakes Region, Xerces Society, November 5

Upper Midwest Digital Collections Conference, Minitex, November 5 and 6

Bird Banding, Quarry Hill Nature Center, November 8

Minnesota's Annual Statewide Star Party, Bell Museum, November 9-14

Dendrochronology Lecture, Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, November 10

Winter Adaptations, Ney Nature Center, November 10

C-Suite Ambitions, Techquity, November 11

MN Conference on Science Education, Minnesota Science Teachers Association, November 12-17

D(L)akota Astronomy & NASA Moon 2 Mars, Native Skywatchers, November 13

GIS Conference, Big Ten Academic Alliance, November 13

Reading the Landscape, Osprey Wilds, November 13-15

MNCodes Summit, November 14

Tundra Swan Field Trip, Whitewater State Park, November 14

Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds Virtual Conference, Sand County Foundation, November 17-18

Teach Climate Network Workshop: Scientific and Social Solutions, Climate Generation, November 19