Community Education - Rochester, Minnesota

Register by Friday, March, 6th at 11:59 PM!

Congrats, State Finalists!

Please register for this activity only if you participated in the Rochester Regional STEM Fair and you have been nominated as a state finalist.

Read About the Event

Please note that the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair is not organized by Rochester Community Education. Answers to many of your questions can be found on the state science fair website. The registration fee of ~$100/student is paid directly to the Minnesota Academy of Science. Please direct questions about scholarships to James Kappes at james.kappes@rochesterschools.org.

Deadlines

Failure to follow the Minnesota Academy of Science’s instructions or to meet these deadlines will disqualify you from participating.

Monday, 3/2 - State Finalists Announced

• Immediately: Read about the details of the event on the state science fair website.

• Verify that your paperwork is complete and correct. Now is the time to contact your science teacher or the SRC Chair if you need help with your paperwork. Common errors are missing signatures and dates that do not align e.g. the date of parent permission on Form 1B is listed after the project took place on Form 1A
• Start work on your video and "quad chart" (a single PDF document of the slides printed on your physical display board). Make sure your digital and physical display boards follow the Project Presentation Guidelines.
  • All students in middle and high school must submit a video.

Before Tuesday, 3/10 at 11:59 PM - Register with Rochester Community Education   Failure to register before this deadline will disqualify you from participating. Registering sooner is always better!

• Using the "Enroll Now" button on this page, Finalists must communicate their intention to attend the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair.
• Choose transportation preference: ride on bus or drive separately
• Notify your science teacher that you plan to attend.

Before Sunday, 3/8 at 5:00 PM - Register with the Minnesota Academy of Science   Failure to register before this deadline will disqualify you from participating.

• Login to the state zFairs website and complete the questionnaire. You already have an account. Use the same username and password as your Rochester zFairs account.
• When registering, you will be required to fill the "Entry Video Url" and "Digital Display Board” fields. If you are not ready to do this, type any text (such as a dash or a period). You have until 3/16 to submit your video and slides.
  

Before Friday, 3/13 - SRC Resolution deadline. All paperwork must be submitted, revised AND approved by the state SRC.

By Friday 3/13 - Deadline to upload your video and digital display board to the state zfairs website

• Make sure your digital and physical display boards follow the Project Presentation Guidelines.
• Video
• Poster presentation/Quad Chart (a single PDF document of the slides printed on your physical display board)

Before Monday, 3/23 - Deadline to pay registration fee

• Pay directly to Minnesota Academy of Science.
• $100 for individual project / $180 for 2 person team / $240 for 3 person team
• Please direct questions about scholarships to Josh Halverson at james.kappes@rochesterschools.org.

Friday, 3/27 - Travel to the state science fair

Location

Bus Stop: Northrop Community Education Center
201 8th St NW, Rochester, MN 55901

Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair
175 Kellogg Blvd West, St Paul, MN 55102

Transportation

A coach bus will be available for State Finalists. To ride the bus and participate in the state science fair, students must register with Rochester Community Education before Thursday, 3/5 at 11:59 PM.

The bus will start and end the day at the Northrop building.

Students who ride the bus in the morning MUST ride the bus back to Rochester in the evening.

Students who ride separately in the morning CANNOT ride the bus back to Rochester in the evening.

High school students cannot drive themselves to this out-of-town, school-sponsored event. High school students must ride the bus or be driven by an adult who is not a current high school student.

Schedule

Friday, March 27, 2025, 7:00 AM - 9:15 PM

7:00 AM Board bus

7:15 AM Bus departs from Northrop Building

9:00 AM Bus arrives in St. Paul

9:00 AM - 3:30 PM Science Fair

3:30-4:30 PM Public Viewing. This is the portion of the event when parents and family members may be present.

5:00-6:30 PM Special Awards Ceremony

6:30-7:30 PM Project Teardown & Closing Announcements

7:45 PM Bus departs from St. Paul

9:15 PM Bus returns to Rochester

Food

Breakfast: Bring snacks with you to eat on the bus

Lunch: Bring cash to purchase lunch at the convention center

Dinner: Appetizers and a light dinner will be provided by event organizers during the award ceremony. Please contact Minnesota Society of Science staff for more information about dietary options.

Medications

Students must self-carry and self-administer all medications.

Questions for Minnesota Science and Engineering Fair staff

Minnesota Society of Science Program Manager

sciencefair@mnmas.org - Please contact with State Registration Questions 

Questions for Rochester Community Education staff

James Kappes
Rochester Regional STEM Fair Director
james.kappes@rochesterschools.org