A month-long celebration of engineering and STEM!

Tech Fest looks a little different this year – it’s a full month of engineering fun with our partners.
Featuring virtual content and activities you can do from home and drop-in exploration at The Works Museum.

August 1-31, 2021

Engineering is Cool

Show your support for The Works Museum and help us get more kids engineering.

Proceeds raised through donations and t-shirt sales* go towards our Engineering for All education programs, helping us increase equity in STEM education by providing subsidized programs to under-resourced schools.

T-shirts are available in toddler, youth, and adult sizes.

Purchase a T-Shirt / Donate

*T-shirts are shipped once the fundraiser ends on September 3, 2021.

Drop-in Exploration

Join us for drop-in explorations with our partners at The Works Museum. Meet real scientists and engineers, and learn about their jobs through hands-on activities and demonstrations.

Monday, 8/16 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Burns & McDonnell)
Thursday, 8/19 | 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. (Emerson)
Thursday, 8/19 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Burns & McDonnell)
Saturday, 8/21 | 10am-2pm (Burns & McDonnell and Cargill)
Monday, 8/23 | 10am-2pm (Iron Maidens)

About our Drop-In Exploration partners

Burns & McDonnell is a full-service engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting solutions firm with a team of 7,600 engineers, construction professionals, architects, technologists and scientists.

Emerson specializes in both Automation Solutions and Commercial and Residential Solutions drives innovation that makes the world healthier, safer, smarter and more sustainable.

Cargill’s employees work alongside farmers, producers, manufacturers, retailers, governments, and other organizations in order to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Together, they create efficiencies, develop innovations, and help communities thrive.

The Iron Maidens are a sixth year all-female FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team from Apple Valley High School. They regularly attend Works Museum events, inspiring kids to pursue STEM.

Exploration Links

http://www.discovere.org/
https://code.org/
CSE K-12 Virtual Classroom Resources
- UWM College of Science and Engineering – Student Voices Videos
- Virtual Egg Carton of Minnesota Rocks (Minnesota Geological Survey) — This interactive slide presentation allows participants to select and learn about a dozen Minnesota rock types.
- Gridlock Buster (Center for Transportation Studies) — This online traffic control game is based on tools and ideas that actual traffic control engineers use in their everyday work.
https://www.nasa.gov/stem/forstudents/k-4/index.html
https://www.nasa.gov/stem-at-home-for-students-5-8.html
https://www.exploratorium.edu/explore
https://www.mos.org/explore/mos-at-home
https://www.msichicago.org/science-at-home/

The Great Dinkytown Bridge Challenge: An At-Home STEM Activity

Are you ready to take on the challenge of designing and building the greatest bridge Dinkytown has ever seen?

In this video, your bridge mentor Logan Carstensen will help guide you through an at-home bridge-building activity. Follow along with the video, and complete the tasks to design, build, and assess a model bridge that meets real-world regulations. And don’t be nervous — real-life bridge engineers Brandon Day (from MnDOT) and Jim Archer (from Bolton & Menk) also will be there to help you along the way!

You can share your results by emailing your photo to ctsedu@umn.edu.

You can download this activity here!

Supplies you will need:

Paper and pencil
Use what you already have at home for bridge materials:
- Legos
- Cardboard, glue, scissors
- Popsicle sticks, glue
- Toothpicks, glue
- Spaghetti, glue, rubber bands
- Cans, blocks, bricks, weights