SE Iowa STEM Regional Newsletter

The Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council is a bipartisan collaboration of legislators, educators, businesses, students and families to increase STEM awareness and opportunities in Iowa. To learn more about STEM programming going on in southeast Iowa, visit us at http://se.iowastem.org.

STEM Council to Launch Six More School+Business Partnerships in Iowa

This month, the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council launched a request for proposals to award Iowa's next six STEM BEST® models.

The heart of the model is business and industry partners working in collaboration with educators to define the curriculum and the work space driven by local industry needs. Since 2014, the STEM Council has awarded eight STEM BEST models now serving as examples for Iowa and uniting the expertise of business and education to strengthen the continuum from the classroom to careers.

"Learning how to align what students learn in the classroom with what exists in Iowa's jobs of today and the future is the signature goal of the Iowa STEM BEST program," said Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, co-chair of the STEM Council. "Students who get to experience a STEM BEST environment not only develop invaluable soft skills like collaboration and communication, but they also build relationships with future employers in the communities where they live."

The STEM Council invites school+business partnerships across Iowa to submit their proposal to establish a STEM BEST model at www.IowaSTEM.gov/STEMBEST/Proposal . All Iowa private and public schools and school districts serving students in any of grades K-12 are eligible to apply. All six awarded applicants will receive $25,000 each to be matched with local cost-share and will be designated as an Iowa STEM BEST model. The application window will close on Friday, September 23, and recipients will be announced on November 2.

To learn more about Iowa STEM BEST, please visit www.IowaSTEM.gov/STEMBEST or register today for the STEM School+Business Innovation Conference set for June 29 at www.IowaSTEM.gov/School-Business-Conference .

Teacher Extern Training Held June 13

Each year, the Iowa STEM Teacher Externship program provides Iowa STEM teachers with the opportunity to work in local industries to help answer the age-old question, "When am I ever going to use this?" This year's teacher externship training and orientation was held on June 13th at the Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa. Each year, more than 90% of participating teachers agree that the experience impacts their teaching and has been the most valuable professional development they have ever received. On August 2, the following teachers from Southeast Iowa will have the opportunity to reflect on their summer experiences alongside their business host at the annual Teacher Externship Forum in Huxley, IA.

Teacher Name	Teacher School	Host Business
Erin Allen	Bettendorf Middle School	US Army Corps of Engineers
Katherine Atkinson	Prince of Peace Catholic School	Maquoketa DNR
Catherine Buzynski	Prairie Creek Middle School	Johnson County Conservation
Matt Cain	West Branch High School	State Hygienic Lab - Coralville
Brent Carstensen	Camanche High School	John Deere - Moline
Heather Davidson	North Cedar Jr/Sr High School	State Hygienic Lab - Coralville
Lee Falkena	Muscatine HS East Campus	Monsanto
Lynn Figg	Davenport North High School	MA Ford
Ben Kuker	Mount Vernon High School	American Profol
Katey Mahoney	Camanche Middle School	John Deere Computer Center
Andrea Malek	Cedar Rapids Home School Assistance Program	Johnson County Conservation
Matthew May	Keokuk High School	Siemens
Jeff Sands	Mediapolis High School	Hawkeye Pedershaab
Amanda Schiller	Van Buren High School	Climax Molybdenum
Greg Smith	Davenport West High School	MA Ford
Alene Vandermyde	Davenport Central High School	Rockwell Collins
Bret Woodward	Muscatine HS East Campus	Monsanto

For more information on teacher externships, click here .

SE Region Visits GoDaddy in Cedar Rapids

On May 10th, the SE STEM Region made an exciting business visit to GoDaddy! GoDaddy, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the world's largest domain registrar, serving over 13 million customers. GoDaddy is also a major employer in Linn County, with close to 750 full-time employees.

We visited with Rich Merdinger, VP of Domains, who took considerable time to explain the business workings of the IT giant. The importance of STEM was emphasized as both a need for business expansion and for the development of an up and coming workforce. GoDaddy Business Visit 5.10.16

GoDaddy implements a business culture that attracts people from all age cohorts and backgrounds with an emphasis on the constantly changing role of internet development. Rich was impressed with the investment of the UI/KCC SE Region STEM Hub and the Governor's STEM Council and hopes to partner with us.

A subsequent meeting was set for further defining our partnership and connecting with admin staff in Arizona. Look for future updates on the partnership!

Save the Date: Iowa PLTW STEM Conference on Sept. 26-27

Mark your calendars for the Iowa Project Lead the Way STEM Conference that will be held on September 26 and 27! The University of Iowa College of Engineering is hosting the annual PLTW conference on the 26th and hands-on workshops for teachers, administrators, counselors, and community college leaders the next day on the 27th. Community leaders and industry partners are encouraged to attend to learn more about PLTW and how they can become involved in the school districts in their area. The event will be held at the Double Tree Hotel and Conference Center in Cedar Rapids.

To register for the event, visit the PLTW website here.

Recap on Spring Festivals

This spring, the SE Region had the privilege of sponsoring multiple successful STEM festivals- one at the Cedar Rapids Public Library on February 23, another at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington on April 23, and a final festival on April 29 at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport. These festivals aim to give students and families opportunities to engage in hands-on activities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. All festivals had great attendance, and many thanks go out to the volunteers and exhibitors that make events like these possible!

Feedback on the Southeast Iowa STEMFest in Burlington includes the following data:

For the list of 2016-2017 festivals, visit our website.

Available Resources

A collection of resources for STEM educators, businesses, and community members

Renewable Energy Activity Kits

The Southeast STEM Hub is proud to partner with the ATEEC Interactive Learning Lab at Eastern Iowa Community College to offer renewable energy activity kits to educators throughout the southeast region. Thanks to the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, ATEEC is able to offer a variety of kits that are sure to engage any student. If interested in checking out a kit or for more information on the available kits, click here

Pint Size Science Kit Check-Out

Four types of kits from the Science Center of Iowa that are designed for 3-5 year old students are currently available for checkout. If interested in checking out a kit or for more information on the kits that are available, click here.

A World In Motion Activity Kit Check-Out!

Three types of kits designed for primary or elementary students are currently available for checkout. If interested in checking out a kit or for more information on the kits that are available, click here.

Materials may be checked out for 6 weeks. They can be picked up and returned at the Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa, 2301 Oakdale Boulevard, Coralville, IA 52241 . Please replace any consumables you use.

Sincerely,

Kristine Bullock
SE Iowa STEM Manager
[email protected]