All students in grades 6-12 and college who participate in the MN Science Bowls, State Science & Engineering Fair, and Winchell Symposium — and those who join the MN Junior Academy of Science — receive free yearly memberships during these activities. However, to protect the privacy of minors, only seniors attending the State Science Fair, members of the Junior Academy, and college students presenting at Winchell will be added to our member database. All other participating students may opt-in to receiving MAS communications by subscribing to our newsletter, joining the Alumni Network, or following us on social media.

All Science Bowl coaches, State Science & Engineering Fair mentors, Science Fair regional directors, Winchell advisors, and FORSE site coordinators receive free yearly memberships during these activities. All other MN STEM educators are welcome to become members as a volunteer or donor.

All STEM professionals and others who volunteer for an MAS event or program receive a yearly membership during or soon after their volunteer shift.

All legacy lifetime members will receive an annual membership each year by email and/or mail. Stay tuned for more information about future opportunities to become a lifetime member.

All MAS donors receive a link and passcode to their member card in their emailed thank you letter and/or by mail after their gift is received.

Membership has been an integral part of state academies of science like ours since they began in the 1800s. Our current by-laws and membership structure certainly reflect this tradition. However, in recent years our membership program languished due to a lack of a clear purpose, member benefits, and staff capacity to manage and grow the program. As we approached our 150th year (2023) with only about 50 members and outdated by-laws, we needed to carefully consider the role of membership within our organization.

In 2022, as part of our board-led strategic planning process, we considered several options for our membership program, including eliminating memberships entirely. We decided to proceed with the option that most strongly reflected our mission and our desire to expand our community and increase stakeholder engagement. So, we stopped accepting paid memberships in July 2022 in preparation for creating a new membership structure in 2023 that recognizes all our supporters and program participants as MAS members.

Beginning in January 2023, MAS will give 2023 Memberships to every individual donor, every student and educator participating in the Regional Science Bowls, State Science & Engineering Fair, and Winchell Symposium, every FORSE site coordinator and teacher leader, every volunteer, and every legacy lifetime member. We will repeat this process each calendar year going forward. MAS will invite members to connect with us (and each other) in a variety of ways to stay informed about STEM-related activities, opportunities, events, and news in Minnesota. While membership will no longer include voting on by-laws changes or Board officers, MAS will invite members to our Annual Meeting and offer varied opportunities to provide feedback to MAS.

MAS voting members currently have the opportunity to vote for Board officers and on changes to our by-laws. Current 1-year, paid memberships will remain fully in effect until they expire. MAS will grant current lifetime members “legacy” lifetime membership status and give them annual memberships each year going forward without requiring them to take any action to renew. The MAS Board has drafted new by-laws that reflect these changes to membership as well as other organizational needs. MAS will provide members with opportunities to weigh in on the draft by-laws prior to adoption.