Minnesota middle and high school students participated in a virtual 83rd Annual Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair (MSSEF) on March 26 through March 28. 

To stay safe and healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, students throughout the state uploaded videos of themselves presenting their research to professional STEM judges, who then determined the winners for this year's awards, according to St. Mary's Catholic School's Facebook post. 

The Association for Women Geoscientists award and the Graduate Women in Science award were virtually presented to ninth-graders Annika Nosbush (Fairfax) and Lizzie Schwint (Sleepy Eye) for their project "The Effects of Tillage Depth on the Transmission of Nitrates Through Soil Macropores," the post said. 

Seventh-graders through tenth-graders of St. Mary's Catholic School participated in the virtual fair.

MSSEF is an annual fair that helps students that excel in methods and science to purse careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and become more informed citizens, the post said.