AGP Executive Report

Education & Testing: Minnesota’s MCA results keep showing uneven participation and low science/math proficiency at the school level, from Royal Oaks Elementary’s 5th-grade science (30% proficient) to Wayzata East Middle School’s 8th-grade-only science (39% proficient), plus math participation highlights at STEP Academy Elementary (4th grade: 19% proficient) and Cornerstone Montessori (3rd grade: 20% proficient). Public Safety Tech: Mankato launched “leading pedestrian intervals” at 14 intersections to give walkers a head start, while Champlin and Shakopee residents and officials continue debating Flock license-plate cameras and transparency. AI in Schools: St. Cloud is rolling out ChatGPT Edu for lesson planning and admin work, with rules on what it won’t do. Health & Vaccines: CDC data says 13% of MN/WI kindergartners missed standard vaccines, raising measles risk. Food Safety: FDA-linked recall of nearly 2,000 pounds of frozen raw pet food due to salmonella/listeria. STEM/Research & Policy: A new Science review argues sustainable, healthy diets are blocked by food-system forces—not just personal willpower.

Cybersecurity & Water Infrastructure: The Trump administration is launching “Project Watershed 250,” a six-month Texas pilot using AI and cybersecurity tools to test and harden water-system defenses before scaling nationwide. Agriculture & Water Research: SDSU Extension’s 25th annual Tri-State Drainage Research Forum heads to Owatonna on Oct. 1, with an optional Sept. 30 field tour at the University of Minnesota Waseca center. Health Research: A new PLUM Study is testing letrozole, a breast-cancer drug, as a potential treatment for uterine fibroids by lowering estrogen and comparing it to placebo. STEM in Schools: Minnesota’s MCA science and reading results keep showing uneven outcomes, including STRIDE Academy’s top science participation (with low proficiency) and multiple districts reporting large shares of students not meeting reading or math benchmarks. Local Tech & Environment: A Minnesota inventor’s AI-and-steam weed-killing machine targets weeds without chemicals, aiming for broader home use. Public Safety Data: Red Wing may share automatic license-plate camera data with Pierce County, reigniting privacy concerns around surveillance cameras.

MCA Results (Clay County Reading): Clay County reported 51.3% of students failing the 2024-25 reading MCA, down 0.8% from the prior year. MCA Results (Nobles County Math): Nobles County saw 68.6% fail the 2024-25 math MCA, also down 4.4% year over year. MCA Results (Polk County Math): Polk County reported 56.6% failing the 2024-25 math MCA, up 4.7%. MCA Results (Rice County Math): Rice County posted 59.9% failing the 2024-25 math MCA, up 3.8%. School-by-School Science (Liberty Ridge): Liberty Ridge Elementary had 151 fifth-graders take the 2024-25 science MCA; 45% met science proficiency. School-by-School Participation (Venture Academy): Venture Academy Middle School’s sixth grade had the second-highest math participation rate, but 0% reached proficiency. Policy/Legal (Minnesota recount): Minnesota’s Supreme Court rejected Mike Lindell’s bid for a broader recount in the Aug. 11 GOP governor primary. AI & Health (Memory after poor sleep): A PNAS study found a 90-minute nap or a 20-minute exercise session can protect memory after sleep loss.

AI & Spirituality: A new trend shows people turning to AI chatbots for “guru”-style comfort and answers, drawn by 24/7 access and no judgment—though it can still steer users toward unhelpful takes. Education (MCA results): Minnesota’s test data keeps flagging gaps: at Westwood Elementary, 4th grade had the highest reading participation (64 students; 30% proficient); Zachary Lane’s 5th-grade science had 42% proficiency (76 tested); Scenic Heights’ 5th-grade science was 62% proficient (177 tested); and several districts show high failure rates, including Olmsted County math (54.6% failed) and Blue Earth County reading (46.4% failed). Public Safety Tech Backlash: In Minnesota, residents are protesting Flock camera systems—one man used a roof rake to obstruct a camera—amid broader concerns about AI license plate readers and surveillance. Health & Sleep: New research links a 90-minute nap or a 20-minute exercise session to better memory after sleep loss, offering practical recovery options. Policy/Legal: The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected Mike Lindell’s bid for a full recount of the GOP governor primary, saying he sought the wrong legal remedy.

PFAS Policy Shift: Minnesota is moving ahead with stronger PFAS protections even as the EPA scales back parts of federal oversight, raising stakes for families, workers, and small farmers facing “forever chemical” contamination. Energy Grid & Cost Control: The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is pushing virtual power plants to better coordinate distributed energy resources and slow rising electricity costs, especially as new loads like data centers strain demand. Right to Repair: Farmers are being notified about options under a John Deere settlement tied to alleged limits on repair tools and software access—an issue Minnesota regulators have also targeted. AI and Inflation: A Minneapolis Fed analysis links AI-driven demand for memory and computer hardware to higher core inflation, with tariffs also starting to show up in consumer prices. STEM in Schools: Minnesota MCA results keep highlighting uneven participation and proficiency—examples include Groveland, Lakeview, Edinbrook, and Venture Academy, where some grades were tested and proficiency varied widely. Digital Literacy: St. Paul’s DIGIDAZE fair focused on hands-on help for computers, smartphones, and online tools amid statewide AI changes. Health Research Access: A Rochester long-COVID patient describes participating in a clinical trial to test treatments for brain fog and fatigue, underscoring how trial participation can expand care options. Electric Shock Gloves: ICE awarded a $16.7M no-bid contract for electric shock gloves, framing them as a de-escalation tool while critics question the approach.

AI in Minnesota Schools: St. Cloud Public Schools will give teachers access to ChatGPT Edu as part of a national OpenAI cohort, while keeping students off the platform and using a staff “PAUSE IT” framework to review AI output. Water Infrastructure Planning: Richfield approved nearly $190,000 for a feasibility study on its 1963 water treatment plant, weighing rehab, replacement, or decommissioning with Minneapolis water. Healthcare Oversight: Minnesota AG Keith Ellison cleared the way for Sanford’s acquisition of North Memorial Health after a 10-year oversight deal requiring continued emergency and safety-net services at Robbinsdale. Ag Science for Cleaner Water: USDA pilots found nitrate bioreactors work faster when woodchips are replaced with corn cobs—up to 10 times faster nitrate removal in some beds. STEM at the State Fair: The DNR is back with hands-on nature learning, and UMN’s State Fair Research Building is running a Tetris study using brain-monitoring and eye tracking to probe how planning works. Local Defense Tech: Chromatic 3D Materials is setting up rocket propellant test-firing at Camp Ripley, aiming to speed up fabrication-to-live-fire iteration. Public Safety Tech Debate: Pierz residents are pushing for more discussion of the city’s Flock Safety cameras, citing cybersecurity concerns and notice gaps.

COVID & Heart Health: A new study of nearly 4.1 million teens and young adults (16–25) found the highest recorded myocarditis/pericarditis and death rates among people who caught COVID without vaccination, while vaccinated people with no recorded infection had the lowest rates—an observational result that still matters for fall vaccine decisions. Minnesota Health Training: The University of Minnesota launched an Austere Medicine Program to train providers for prolonged, high-acuity care when evacuation and advanced resources aren’t available, partnering with simulation and trauma-care groups plus the Minnesota National Guard. State Fair Science & Research: UMN is ramping up its Minnesota State Fair presence for its 175th anniversary with new exhibits and historical artifacts. Agriculture Safety: Minnesota is pushing farm safety ahead of harvest, highlighting grants for grain bin/silo upgrades and rollover protection structures. Biosecurity & Bird Flu Tracking: Federal bird flu trackers went nearly a month without updates before new H5N1 detections appeared in dairy and poultry. Medical Devices Recall: Federal regulators posted recalls of specialized operating room tables made by IMRIS Imaging in Chaska, tied to a lock/mechanism failure that could allow unintended rotation during hybrid neurosurgery. Cybersecurity Push: More than 100 firms urged faster AI-enabled cyber defenses, warning that AI-driven attacks are accelerating. Right to Repair: “Right to Repair” laws keep spreading, but enforcement remains a problem. ICE Shock Gloves: ICE moved ahead with a $16.7M plan to buy electric-shock gloves, drawing renewed backlash over safety and use. Local Tech & Privacy: St. Louis County ended its Flock license-plate camera contract, citing public concern, cost, and lack of results.

STEM Education in Minnesota: STARBASE and Cirrus Aircraft are teaming up to build 35,000 STEM experiment kits for Minnesota 5th graders, covering robotics, chemistry, scientific exploration, and engineering design. School Testing Snapshot: Minnesota’s MCA science results show uneven participation and proficiency, including Cherry View Elementary’s 5th-grade science segment (31% proficient) and Gage Elementary’s 4th-grade reading results (15% proficient). Cybersecurity for OT: A new piece argues cyber deception can help defenders when operational technology systems lack useful logs and forensic trails. Public Safety Tech Debate: ICE is moving ahead with a $16.7M no-bid purchase of 6,000 electric-shock gloves, despite civil-rights and oversight concerns. Agriculture + Innovation: A Minnesota farmer story highlights Pivot Bio’s bacterial nitrogen approach as fertilizer prices swing with global energy and trade disruptions. Local STEM/Community: University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners is recruiting new volunteers in Mille Lacs County, with science-based training starting in 2027.

Cybersecurity & Critical Infrastructure: CISA says more than 100 internet-exposed water and wastewater systems were hit in July, with Minnesota reporting coordinated PLC attacks that locked operators out and triggered boil-water notices risk—raising alarms about how fast utilities can detect and recover. Public Safety Tech: ICE moved forward on a $16.7M no-bid deal to buy 6,000 electric shock gloves, despite civil-rights backlash over pain-capable devices for field use. Local Tech & Governance: Isanti City Council cut its data center moratorium from 30 months to 12, citing staffing and water constraints as it drafts an ordinance. STEM in Schools: Minnesota’s Community School of Excellence Elementary posted strong math MCA participation (third grade among the top groups), while Cirrus and STARBASE packed hands-on STEM kits for 5th graders across the state. Environment & Conservation: The Poweshiek skipperling recovery shows dramatic gains—down to 9 wild individuals in 2022, then 1,300+ released in 2025, with hundreds now seen at recovery sites. Climate Science: A new Science study finds El Niño events have grown nearly 40% stronger over the last 40 years versus the pre-industrial era. Education Recognition: Gideon Pond Elementary in Burnsville earned 2026 Minnesota School of Excellence status.

Big Tech & Kids Safety: Minnesota won a $214M share of Meta’s proposed teen-safety settlement, with Meta also agreeing to major default changes like time limits and overnight blocks for teens. Cybersecurity & Water Infrastructure: CISA says more than 100 internet-exposed water and wastewater systems were hit in July, including Minnesota utilities, with attackers targeting industrial control devices. AI & Manufacturing: Washington State University researchers used AI to find faster, cheaper 3D-printing settings for a NASA-developed high-heat metal alloy, aiming to make it printable on more common equipment. Energy & Schools: A new report finds 10,800+ U.S. K-12 schools (7M+ students) now use solar, with battery storage data tracked nationally for the first time. Agriculture & Climate Risk: Midwest flooding impacts are spreading beyond roads into farm production and food security, while wheat harvest progress in the Northern Plains is accelerating. Minnesota Research & Health: Minnesota researchers are working on protecting soybeans from pests with fewer chemicals, and separate work highlights new approaches to dementia progression and immunotherapy nanoparticles. Local STEM Policy: A judge ruled Strong Towns founder Charles Marohn can legally call himself a professional engineer, a potential precedent for how Minnesota regulates engineering titles.

Cybersecurity & Critical Infrastructure: CISA’s latest red-team report shows how two organizations in government services and the water sector both got fully compromised—one failed to detect the attack at all, while the other stopped it quickly, underscoring gaps in basic defenses. Public Health & Tech Policy: Minnesota is set to receive up to $17.1B from Meta’s child-safety settlement, with default protections aimed at reducing addictive design on Facebook and Instagram. Alzheimer’s Research: A new study links an early-onset Alzheimer’s brain-scan “signature” to predicting when mild cognitive impairment may progress to dementia and how fast. Education Metrics: Multiple Minnesota schools reported MCA participation and proficiency snapshots, including Woodland Elementary’s high reading participation and Valley View Elementary’s grade-level results. Local Innovation: The University of Minnesota unveiled “North Star Apple Crisp” ice cream for its 175th anniversary, blending apple crisp with aronia berry. Environment & Ecology: Great Lakes lake sturgeon may live far longer than previously thought, with new estimates up to centuries—useful for conservation planning. Internet Access: Fidium expanded its all-fiber service to several southern Minnesota communities, promising faster, more reliable connectivity.

Infrastructure Cybersecurity: FBI scrutiny is growing after a ransomware attack hit Micro-Comm, a water-utility tech maker in Kansas, underscoring how vulnerable control systems can be as hackers target PLCs tied to wastewater operations. Agriculture & Biosecurity: Missouri confirmed a second finding of the soybean tentiform leafminer, a new pest that was first detected in Minnesota in 2021, prompting farmers to scout fields and report suspected cases. Health Research: A Mayo Clinic study reports therapy dogs can boost engagement and physical activity during stroke rehab, with patients showing higher recovery scores than standard therapy alone. Biotech/Clinical Pipeline: Celcuity submitted an sNDA to the FDA for REVTORPYK (gedatolisib) for PIK3CA-mutant HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer, aiming to expand access beyond mutation-specific eligibility. Local STEM/Industry: Donaldson posted record fiscal results, highlighting continued demand for filtration tech from its Minnesota base. Environment: Endangered piping plovers successfully nested again on Wisconsin Point, a win for Great Lakes habitat recovery efforts.

UMD Engineering: The University of Minnesota Duluth is spotlighting a new maritime engineering track aimed at training students for work on underwater autonomy, aquatic sensors, and power systems tied to Lake Superior and the region. STEM in Schools: Minnesota’s MCA results keep rolling in, with multiple schools reporting standout reading participation among 5th-graders (Kimberly Lane, Franklin, and Valley View) alongside lower science proficiency in grade-5 science testing at Richfield STEM School and Elm Creek Elementary. Critical Minerals & Materials: The National Laboratory of the Rockies and U of M’s NRRI launched a new initiative to demonstrate industry-scale processing and supply-chain tech for critical minerals. Local Tech & Policy: Faribault’s environmental commission is reviving a data-center moratorium effort and forming a committee to shape local standards. Workplace Tech Business: Minneapolis-based FORTE acquired Vega Global to expand systems-integration and workplace tech services across APAC. Public Safety Tech Debate: Willmar continues grappling with Flock automated license plate readers as residents question privacy and trust.

Pollinator Watch: Wisconsin recorded its first confirmed Nevada bumblebee (Bombus nevadensis) in Sauk County—an inch-long, underground-nesting species that’s already been spotted in Minnesota—highlighting how bee range shifts can reshape local meadow and prairie pollination. Invasive Species Response: The MDA is continuing Minnesota’s emerald ash borer fight by focusing on early detection, public guidance, and biological control to slow spread rather than try to eliminate it. Cybersecurity for Water & Power: New reporting links Iran-linked hackers to disruption of UK energy equipment and points to a broader risk to critical infrastructure, including earlier Minnesota water-system attacks that targeted remote monitoring and control tech. Medical & Biotech Supply: Minnetonka-based Nu-Tek BioSciences is heading to BPI East to discuss animal-free culture media nutrients for vaccines and biologics, while CVRx defended its Barostim therapy strategy in response to a shareholder letter. Local STEM & Community: Stewartville is expanding its public library with a maker space and flexible meeting rooms, and the Minnesota State Fair is adding dinosaur fossils and life-size exhibits from the Science Museum of Minnesota.

STEM Education in Action: St. Michael-Albertville School Board approved hiring three four-hour paraprofessionals and a $1.8M precast concrete bid for a STEM Center addition at STMA High School, with construction timing shaped by lead times and a plan to cover bid increases without dipping into the general fund. U of M Food Science & Agriculture: The University of Minnesota picked “North Star Apple Crisp” as its 175th-anniversary ice cream flavor, blending apple crisp with aronia berry and tying dairy and food science to the school’s apple-breeding legacy. Public Health & Safety: A multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to imported jalapeños has sickened 431 people across 32 states, including Minnesota, prompting restaurant recalls. Digital Nutrition Research: U of M researchers report TikTok can strongly shape teen food desires, with influencer clips driving bigger spikes in wanting specific items. Minnesota School Testing Snapshot: Multiple schools reported MCA participation and proficiency details, including Best Academy’s top third-grade math participation and Red Pine’s fifth-grade science results. Conservation Policy: Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order banning nonferrous mining near the Boundary Waters, aiming to permanently protect the Rainy River headwaters watershed. Water & Cybersecurity: Washington officials warned utilities about water and wastewater cyber threats tied to a federal alert, noting Minnesota had seen coordinated targeting of community water systems.

Minnesota Agriculture Research: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is taking applications for its AGRI Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant, offering up to $350,000 total (projects up to $50,000) for two- to three-year, farmer-led on-farm research aimed at boosting profitability and resource efficiency. School Science Participation: Lincoln Elementary in Minnesota reports 98.1% of its 5th-graders participated in the 2024-25 MCA science assessment, with the district noting statewide science proficiency challenges post-pandemic. AI + Health Tech: CVRx says Devoted Health issued Medicare Advantage coverage for Barostim therapy, expanding access for eligible heart-failure patients. Agricultural Robotics Education: AgCentric received an NSF supplement ($129,579) to advance classroom-ready curriculum and educator training for agricultural robotics and automation. Public Health & Food Safety: Minneapolis-based Everything Sprouts recalled certain alfalfa sprout lots after a multi-state outbreak tied to E. coli and salmonella, with dozens of illnesses reported. Water Safety: A Red Wing well-water expert warns that AI and online advice about iron can be wrong for local conditions, especially when bacteria are involved. Aviation Research: NASA selected four university teams for projects spanning supersonic propulsion, low-noise flight paths, and smarter avionics for safer, more efficient air travel. Corporate Tech Shift: CleanCore exited its Dogecoin treasury strategy, selling about 463 million DOGE for ~$33.4M and redirecting funds into a Minnesota-based AI venture.