Minnesota Academy of Science

The David Frank Grether Central Minnesota Regional Science Fair was an annual event hosted by St. Cloud State University. Middle and high school students from an assortment of central Minnesotan schools presented demonstrations and papers pertaining to a scientific study of their choice. This event originated in 1951 (under the name of “The Science Congress”) and was sponsored by today’s Minnesota Academy of Science. The competition was originally envisioned as a program to help jump-start the professional careers of high school students with an interest in science, especially with the Cold War raging and the launch of the Sputnik satellite had firmly gripped public.

Over time, the program expanded in size and scope, incorporating projects from junior high school students in grades 6-8, in addition to offering prizes and scholarships for projects deemed exceptional by a panel of judges. The last event of this kind was held in 2019 and discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the fair’s former sponsor, the Minnesota Academy of Science, continues to host similar programs at the regional and statewide level to this day, such as the annual Minnesota State Science Fair held annually in St. Paul.

David Frank Grether was a former faculty member in the Department of Biology at St. Cloud State University. Throughout his time at the university, he served as one of the key organizers of the Central Minnesota Regional Science Fair, which was renamed in his honor to mark the event’s fiftieth anniversary.