MARSHALL — One of the special guests at this year’s Science and Nature Conference in Marshall will really be wild, organizers said.

“The National Eagle Center will be bringing a live eagle,” said Andrea Anderson, student enrichment coordinator with Southwest West Central Service Cooperative.

Educators from the Eagle Center, which is located in Wabasha, Minnesota, will talk to children in grades K-8 about eagles, as part of the keynote presentation at the conference May 7. Organizers are encouraging area students to come try a variety of fun and hands-on learning activities, all focused on science.

This year will mark the 30th annual Science and Nature Conference, Anderson said. The event is held at the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University.

“We started the event to try to engage students in science, and get them interested,” she said. “It also gives them opportunities they might not get at school, or at home.”

As in past years, the conference will include a keynote presentation for all students, followed by a variety of science-themed classes students can take part in. To celebrate for the 30th conference, there will also be some door prizes for kids, Anderson said.

Anderson said conference organizers try to connect with a range of different of presenters in the region, and cover a wide variety of topics. At this year’s conference, students can learn about bugs and snakes, play with polymers, create circuits, or check out a virtual cadaver.

Anderson said the National Eagle Center has been a presenter at the conference in the past, and students really enjoyed the experience. After that conference, some area students later went on to visit the Eagle Center in Wabasha with their families, she said.

Organizers are anticipating around 600 to 700 students will attend this year’s Science and Nature Conference, Anderson said. While the COVID pandemic shrank attendance in recent years, in the past the conference has drawn anywhere from 1,200 to 1,400 students, she said.

Anderson said one of the great parts of the conference has been getting to see students learning and working together on class projects.

“You know the kids are getting something out of it. It’s special,” she said.

Registration for the 2024 Science and Nature Conference is open until April 11. More details and online registration are available at www.swwc.org/sn.