Nicollet Public Schools launches new STEM initiative
MSU collaboration brings robotics to rural schools
Nicollet Public School students begin unboxing the XPR robots that will be used in the school’s new STEM program. Photo by Gween Wolters
MSU vice president of Student & Industry Success, Travis Thul, (right) gives a demonstration to a Nicollet Public School student on how the new XPR robots can be used. Photo by Gween Wolters
Nicollet Public School students begin unboxing the XPR robots that will be used in the school’s new STEM program. Photo by Gween Wolters
MSU vice president of Student & Industry Success, Travis Thul, (right) gives a demonstration to a Nicollet Public School student on how the new XPR robots can be used. Photo by Gween Wolters
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NICOLLET - Nicollet Public Schools officially launched the Rural Experiential STEM Education Partnership Initiative (RESEPI), a Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) program that brings hands-on robotics, programming, and engineering instruction to rural schools at no cost to the district. The launch event was attended by Nicollet STEM teacher Alex Medrano; Nicollet Public Schools Dean of Students Sam Cotton; South Central Service Cooperative Career & Technical Education Coordinator Gwenn Wolters; MSU College of Education Dean Mwarumba Mwavita; MSU Vice President for Student & Industry Success Travis Thul; state Representative Erica Schwartz; and Nicollet’s 9th grade STEM education class, who were among the first students to experience the new program.
Through RESEPI, Nicollet received enough STEM education equipment to teach up to 60 students per semester. The district’s educators were prepared through the summer 2026 train-the-trainer event, led by corporate partner DigiKey. During the two-week program, Medrano and Cotton competed against other RESEPI teachers, MSU faculty, and engineering students. After two rounds of competition involving programming, rapid prototyping, and systems engineering, the Nicollet team took first place.
RESEPI is built on the open-source Experiential Robotics Platform (XRP), which was designed to lower the cost and technical barriers that keep many rural schools from offering advanced STEM courses.
The initiative grew out of a 2025 pilot with three Mankato-area high schools, MSU’s College of Education, the MSU’s College of Science, Engineering, & Technology – together reaching over 100 students. In 2026, it expanded to 12 partner schools, including elementary and alternative schools. Together, partner schools received 300 XRP kits, enough to serve roughly 900 students each semester. MSU’s College of Education and College of Science, Engineering, and Technology support each school with curriculum, preservice teachers, engineering students, and rapid prototyping resources, while industry partners provide mentorship and connect students to regional career pathways.
Thanks to support from partners including DigiKey, Emerson, Rolls-Royce, Nidec, South Central Service Cooperative, Greater Mankato Growth, and Taylor Corp, all RESEPI training, equipment, and engineering support are provided at no cost to partner schools.
As RESEPI continues to grow across rural Minnesota, including planning for a fourth phase in the 2027-2028 school year, the initiative welcomes investment from industry and philanthropic organizations. A single industry partner can support an entire school district for about $5,000, an investment in both rural students and the state’s future workforce. Together, RESEPI aims to ensure that no rural student goes without access to state-of-the-art, industry informed, STEM education.