Drones, robots, virtual reality and a world-champion Mars rover built by students. Missouri University of Science and Technology will bring hands-on activities for fairgoers of all ages to the Missouri State Fair, Aug. 7-17 in Sedalia, Missouri.

The university’s large exhibit space, open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. near the Grandstand and across from the MO-AG Theatre, will feature free science demos, student-built engineering projects, and a chance to win a $1,000 S&T scholarship or a free STEM summer camp for kids.

Something new every day

The university’s Kummer Center for STEM Education will provide a “drone zone,” VEX robots, virtual reality and Sphero robot balls for fairgoers of all ages to play with every day. The center will also host several robotics workshops for children ages 8-15 on various days.

A STEM Mobile will be on site each day. The vehicle brings hands-on educational activities to communities throughout the state. Teachers can speak with a representative from the STEM center about scheduling the van to come to their school district.

S&T representatives attending the fair will include professors, students and staff. Representatives from the following S&T departments will attend the fair:

• Air Force and Army ROTC
• Biological sciences
• Ceramic engineering
• Chemistry
• Civil, architectural and environmental engineering
• Earth sciences and engineering
• History and political science
• Materials science and engineering
• Mechanical and aerospace engineering
• Nuclear engineering and radiation science
• Physics
• Psychological science.

Get a detailed schedule of activities at statefair.mst.edu.

Student design teams

Representatives from four of the university’s student design teams will be at S&T’s booth on the following days:

• The Miner Motorcycle Design team on Thursday, Aug. 7
• The Baja SAE and Concrete Canoe teams with their creations – an offroad vehicle and a canoe made of concrete, on Thursday, Aug. 14, Friday, Aug. 15, and Saturday, Aug. 16
• The Mars Rover Design Team, 2025 world champions, with their winning rover, on Friday, Aug. 15, and Saturday, Aug. 16

Missouri S&T design teams are registered student organizations that operate as 501(c) non-profit businesses. The teams work like small start-up companies, and bring together students from different disciplines to work on large-scale projects for competition. In addition to hands-on design and manufacturing experience, students gain experience in project management, fundraising, public relations and more. 

Fireworks sponsor

Missouri S&T is the fair’s official fireworks sponsor. The fireworks will follow evening concerts at the Grandstand stage, weather permitting, on the following nights: Thursday, Aug. 7, Friday, Aug. 8, Saturday, Aug. 9, Friday, Aug. 15, and Saturday, Aug. 16.

Prize raffles                            

Visit the Missouri S&T exhibit at the Missouri State Fair and complete a survey for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship to S&T or a full scholarship for a child (age 6-18) to attend one of the university’s summer camps. Participants must visit S&T’s exhibit at the state fair to enter the raffle. The deadline to enter is the final day of the fair, Sunday, Aug. 17. Winners will be notified by Monday, Aug. 25.

Details online

For more information about Missouri S&T’s presence at the Missouri State Fair and for a detailed schedule, please visit statefair.mst.edu.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to The Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.