Regional Science Center Concludes Year of Education, Research, Community Impact
With the changing of the weather, Minnesota State Moorhead’s Regional Science Center (RSC) comes to the end of another successful season pursuing its core mission of education, research, and community engagement. From late spring through late fall, the RSC sponsored and hosted more than two hundred events.
Educational programming occurred at both the K-12 and University levels, impacting over a thousand learners. Students from local K-12 districts, including Moorhead, Fargo, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (DGF), and Hawley, attended programs and experienced the Interpretative Center and nature trails. University students from Moorhead and Concordia College met regularly throughout the semester, employing the RSC as a “living laboratory.”
Both long-term and short-term research projects were undertaken across a multitude of academic disciplines, including Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Anthropology, Geography, and Geology. Research was undertaken not only by Moorhead faculty and students, but the RSC also hosted research directed by faculty from the University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University, and Concordia College.
Special events, both for education and research, were also held in conjunction with regional partners (FM Astronomy club, Earth Partnership, International Water Institute, Department of Natural Resources, etc.). These events included “Science Saturdays,” bird banding, community education and training, and sky viewing.
The RSC is looking forward to the future, and plans are already underway to expand our offerings and increase our campus and regional contributions for our next season.