The Department of Natural Resources helps organize a workshop for K-12 teachers on Minnesota’s geology and mineral resources. Educators from around Minnesota attend the Minnesota Minerals Education Workshop (MMEW) each year
What is the Minnesota Minerals Education Workshop?
Every summer in June, K-12 earth science teachers come from the far reaches of Minnesota to attend a three-day tactile and multi-sensory workshop. The workshop allows teachers to work hands-on in a classroom or go on guided field trips with MMEW instructors to better understand Minnesota’s geologic history and mineral resources.
Since its inception in 1997, MMEW has had a long-standing tradition of connecting teachers with the state’s leading geologists and experts through a variety of short courses, field trips, and guest speakers. The immersive multi-day workshop helps educators experience the state’s geology – from iron to sand and gravel, dimension stone to silica sand, and crushed stone to peat, Minnesota has abundant mineral resources used in our everyday lives.
At MMEW, teachers can access free teaching materials, rock and mineral kits, lesson plan ideas, posters, maps, classroom lab supplies, and other useful resources. MMEW paves the way for teachers to dig into Minnesota’s geologic past, present, and future!
The 2025 Minnesota Minerals Education Workshop is coming to St. Paul!
The workshop's location varies yearly from northern to southern Minnesota, highlighting Minnesota’s diverse geologic landscape and mineral industries. Teachers can register now to join us at Hamline University for MMEW-St Paul on June 16 –18, 2025. The workshop will feature the geology and mineral resources of the Twin Cities. The MMEW aligns with the Minnesota Science and Social Studies Standards. Teachers can earn up to 24 CEUs and have an opportunity to earn two graduate credits through Hamline University.
View or download the 2025 MMEW poster
What is it like attending MMEW?
Thank you for providing great resources and filling my head with new knowledge about MN minerals and the geologic processes that formed them. Looking forward to next year already!
- 2024 Chisholm participant
Fabulous experts in the field, a fantastic location, and extremely well organized. My earth science teaching will be enriched by the experiences I have had. Thank you!
- 2024 Taylors Falls participant
This workshop was a wonderful way to expose teachers to applied science. It was perfect for what I needed to get started in earth science.
- 2024 Winona participant
This workshop provided a wealth of information and resources for developing earth science curriculum. The experts and geologists I collaborated with during the workshop were exceptional.
- 2024 Chisholm participant
Field Trips: Active discussions on tour-
Field Trips: Visiting a stone site being reclaimed -
Field Trips: Hearing from the experts -
Field Trips: Inside DNR's Drill Core Library -
Field Trips: Facility tour on the Mesabi range -
Field Trips: Exploring together -
Field Trips: Landmark in the forest - the Laurentian Divide -
Short Courses: Examining a specimen -
Short Courses: Interacting with a landscape-scale model -
Short Courses: Learning about core samples -
Short Courses: Putting the Mesabi Range in context -
Short Courses: Interpreting the samples -
Short Courses: Important perspectives on minerals -
Short Courses: Practical geology in the lab -
Teacher Resources: Samples and information for the classroom -
Teacher Resources: Making fun discoveries in class -
Teacher Resources: Seeking a perfect specimen -
Teacher Resources: A workshop staple - the rock box! -
Teacher Resources: Local dimension stone -
Teacher Resources: Stratigraphy on disply in partner samples -
Teacher Resources: Define 'sample'...
- Access materials from previous workshops
- Teachers are encouraged to use the wealth of information shared at each workshop, including field trip guides, rock, mineral, and fossil identification sheets, virtual field trips, and more. Information varies yearly, so be sure to explore materials from past workshops.
- Minnesota Center for Mineral Resource Education
- The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) collaborates each year with theMinnesota Center for Mineral Resource Education (MCMRE), to facilitate education about Minnesota's mineral resources and geology.
The MCMRE is a multisector partnership including members from the DNR, academia, teachers, and industry. They work together to promote awareness of the positive contribution that mineral resources make to the Minnesota way of life. Their goal is to support teacher education in mineral resources and geology to enhance teaching about mineral resources for K-12 education.
In 2022, DNR and MCMRE's expertise in developing and coordinating curricula for teachers and students was nationally recognized by the Minerals Education Coalition Partnership Appreciation Award. The prestigious award acknowledges MMEW’s decades-long contributions to connecting geology and minerals to education and inspiring the next generation of geoscientists.
Get in touch
Sara Welna, DNR Geologist and MMEW Coordinator - [email protected]Sign up to receive news about upcoming workshops: