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Kristine Bullock
SE Hub Manager
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Last Friday night of every month, 5:00-8:00 pm, Iowa Children's Museum
February 19-25
February 21, 4:00-8:00, Linn County Kirkwood Regional Center, Hiawatha
February 23, 5:30-9:00 pm, TBD
FIRST Tech Challenge Iowa Championship
February 24-25, Coralville Marriott Hotel
February 27 5:30-7:30 Fairfield Arts and Convention Ctr.
March 3
March 3-4 Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of IA
March 4, 9:00-4:15 University of Iowa
March 22 - 25, UNI Dome
SE Advisory Board Meeting
March 27, 1:00-3:00 pm, Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of IA
FIRST Tech Challenge North Super Regional Event
March 30-April 1, U.S. Cellular Center/DoubleTree Hotel, Cedar Rapids
April 8-16
April 21, 11:00-4:00, Bettendorf High School
April 22, 10:00-2:00, Southeastern Community College, West Burlington
April 26-29, St. Louis, MO
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| Submit Your STEM Event HERE |
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| 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. |
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SE Region Awards Funds to 5 Innovative Programs
Earlier this month, the Southeast Iowa STEM Region of the Iowa Governor's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Advisory Council awarded five exemplary proposals seed funds to scale high-potential STEM programs.
A goal of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council is to support research based STEM education proven to promote, inspire and engage youth in STEM activities and to introduce children and their parents to STEM careers. In support of this goal, the Council piloted the Southeast Iowa STEM Innovation fund, a financial resource pool available to organizations with ideas for innovative STEM programs that show promise for supporting this goal.
"The acronym STEM in itself is supposed to spark innovative ideas. The STEM Council realizes that there are many organizations in Iowa that are developing creative programs for Iowa youth but need funds to help them grow," said Kristine Bullock, Southeast Iowa Regional STEM Manager. "Through this fund, we are able to support local programs that have the potential to have a broader impact in the future."
Representatives from the Southeast Iowa STEM Advisory Board selected the following five programs based on their evidence of innovation, scope of work, evaluation metrics, community collaborations, and financial sustainability:
- Keokuk Cardboard Challenge
- Mid-Prairie a Pathway to the Future
- Ottumwa High School and Middle School Coding Clubs
- Scott County Library Building a Better World with STEM
- University of Iowa Femineers
The Innovation Fund awards were made possible through generous donations from Alliant Energy, CIPCO, ITC Midwest, Linn County REC, Roquette and University of Iowa Community Credit Union.
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Iowa S.T.E.M. Teacher Award Winner Announced!
The Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council and Kemin Industries have announced the recipients of the 2017 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award sponsored by Kemin Industries.
The Southeast STEM Region's awardee Gregory Smith teaches engineering and manufacturing at Davenport West High School. Smith was instrumental in developing "Davenport West INSPIRE," a
2015 STEM BEST® Partner, preparing students for careers in STEM fields through interdisciplinary pathways. He also started the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team, which has been nationally-recognized the past three years. One of his robotics teams, the Combustible Lemons, created an international STEM outreach program called NXT Repurpose Project in which they sent 23 repurposed NXT engineering kits to 1,000 Kenyan students in June 2016. He has also worked in the
Iowa STEM Teacher Externship program at John Deere Davenport Works and M.A. Ford.
Along with this award, Smith has also received the 2014 QCESC STEM Teacher of the Year and as the 2015 Young Educator of the Year by the Jaycees of the Quad Cities. He serves on the Project Lead the Way Advisory Board at Davenport West and has completed Core Training where he was exposed to potential student stresses and taught to anticipate roadblocks in the classroom.
This award recognizes and celebrates one teacher from each of the six STEM regions who goes above and beyond to increase their student's interest in STEM. Each recipient is recognized for their dedication in representing I.O.W.A.; by being Innovative in their methods, Outstanding in their passion for education, Worldly in the way they help students see that STEM is all around them, and Academic through engaging students in the classroom to prepare them for higher education and high-demand careers.
Each recipient was selected by a panel of judges after being nominated for the award by a colleague, school administrator, parent, student or community member and completing an application showcasing their contributions to STEM education. Each recipient will receive $1,500 for personal use and another $1,500 for their classroom.
For more information about the award and all current and previous recipients, please visit
www.stemaward.fluidreview.com
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Pre-Service Teacher Conference March 3-4
The Southeast Iowa Regional STEM Hub, the University of Iowa College of Education and the Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa will host the second annual
Pre-Service STEM Teacher Conference on March 3rd and 4th.The free conference is designed to bring together faculty and students from across the state of Iowa to discuss and learn about issues related to STEM teaching and learning at both the elementary and secondary levels. Highlights of the conference include:
- Keynote, breakout, workshop, and networking sessions aimed at providing overviews and information of different STEM learning and teaching approaches being promoted and used in the state
- Networking opportunities with other pre-service STEM teachers, with STEM faculty from other colleges and universities in the state, and with current STEM teachers and administrators
Lodging and travel will be covered for students traveling greater than 50 miles and Friday night meal, Saturday breakfast, and Saturday lunch provided. Onsite registration for the conference will begin at 4:30 pm on Friday March 3rd. The opening session and meal will begin at 5:00 pm that evening.On Saturday March 4th, a continental breakfast will open the day at 8:00 am, with the first sessions beginning at 8:45 am. The conference will conclude by 4:00 pm Saturday.
At this time, we would like to compile a list of students and faculty interested in attending and faculty members interested in presenting at the conference (faculty members are not required to present if they attend but are encouraged to do so).If you are a faculty member interested in presenting at the event in a 30 minute breakout session, please send your name, email, and brief description of what you would like to present to
Mark McDermott
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If you have students interested in attending, please email an approximate number to Mark and distribute the link below to the students.
In order to help us plan for meals, lodging, and supplies, both faculty and students wishing to attend should
RSVP as soon as possible.
Specific conference information will be forwarded to those who have signed up closer to the date of the conference.
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Sylvan Learning Center Receives Seal of Approval
STEM can ha ppen almost anywhere. It can happen at hackathons, conferences, after school programs, clubs, events, and more. To enculturate, sustain, and spread STEM thinking, the STEM Council has created the Seal of Approval to recognize and support select, non-Council programs and events that help achieve STEM Council goals.
The STEM Council's Seal of Approval indicates that a program or event officially advances one of the most progressive state STEM initiatives in the country.
In the Southeast Region, the STEM Council approved Sylvan STEM Enrichment in Iowa City with the Seal of Approval. Sylvan's program runs robotics and engineering programs at Grant Wood and Alexander Elementary Schools serving students in first through fifth grade using fund's from the district's 21st Century Grant.
Each week during the summer months, Sylvan Learning Center brings their certified staff, materials, curriculum, and fun to each site to educate, engage, and excite students. The two-hour programs in robotics and engineering help give students the solid foundations in STEM they need in elementary school, and help them to develop the critical thinking skills to prepare them for high school, college and future careers.
Each lesson engages students with STEM vocabulary
and hands-on building of robots and machines. Within each subject's curriculum, real world questions are asked to relate
the student's personal experience to what they are working on. STEM literacy is an important part of the program making the programs engaging and letting students make STEM connections between the program and school or globally.
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Scale-Up Applications Due March 3
Last month, the
2017-18 Scale-Up program menu debuted, ranging from building robots and coding programs to conducting agricultural field experiences and learning about STEM careers. All 9 selected programs underwent a competitive review process, proving an appeal to diverse youth, a demonstrated success in improving academic performance, evidence of integrating STEM concepts, fostering business-education-community partnerships and track records of sustainability.
Iowa's STEM Scale-Up Program is simple: Find what works, deliver it across Iowa and inspire the next generation of innovators to meet the STEM workforce demand in Iowa. Educators interested in bringing the best of STEM to their learners may apply until
March 3 on our website at
https://se.iowastem.org/scale-ups
Schools (public and nonpublic), after-school programs and other active learning communities serving students in grades preK-12 can apply for these Scale-Up Programs beginning
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 through Friday, March 3, 2017.
Information about each program as well as the application can be found on our
website.
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Program
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Grade Range
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In School/After School/Both
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Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) - Agriculture Power & Technology
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9-12
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In School
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Engineering is Elementary (EiE)
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1-6
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Both
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Engineering the Future
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8-12
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Both
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FIRST Robotics Competition
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9-12
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Both
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Making STEM Connections
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K-6
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Both
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Power Teaching Math
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6-8
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In School
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PLTW: Launch
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K-5
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In School
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Ramps and Pathways
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PreK-2
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Both
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ST Math
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K-6
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In School
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Available Resources
A collection of resources for STEM educators, businesses, and community members
Pint Size Science Kit Check-Out
New BeeBot mats have been received and are available for checkout! 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.
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
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
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Please replace any consumables you use.
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Sincerely,
Kristine Bullock
SE Iowa STEM Manager
kristine-bullock@uiowa.edu |
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