| 
Mary Trent NW Regional STEM Manager Send me an email! |
|
Northwest Regional Advisory Board Members
A special thank you to the STEM Advisory Board
of NW Iowa
Teresa Alesch, Emmetsburg
John Bedward, Storm Lake
Kathleen Bottaro, Sioux City
Benjamin Bouza,
Hawarden
Derek Brower, Orange City
Beth Bunkers, Primghar
Eric Forseth,
Sioux Center
Linda Gray, Everly
Ginny Gunderson, Lake Park
Kiana Johnson, Primghar
Nancy McDowell, Sheldon
Jordan Menning, Rock Rapids
Teresa Putnam, Hartley
Brenda Welch, Meriden
Mark Zabawa, Spencer
|
|
|
Your Community
-
Your Events
Learning happens inside and outside of the classroom.
Learning can happen to anyone at any age.
so
learning
can happen anywhere, anytime, for anyone.
|
|
|
|
|
STEM is the foundation for innovative problem-solving and discovery through exploratory learning. It is important for teachers, students, parents, businesses and communities to connect and have awareness, and access to world-class STEM education opportunities. In Northwest Iowa, we are committed to growing STEM education and opportunities.
|
Healthy Living STEM Festival 
Saturday, November 4, 2017
9:00-3:00
Northwest Iowa Community College
Sheldon, IA
|
|
STEM BEST Recipient Announced
Congratulations to the 19 new 2017-18 STEM BEST School and business partners. We were fortunate to have received 31 applications. They join the growing and
presetigous
network of educators working to build partnerships with business and communities to enhance student learning and achievement.
I am happy to announce that Spirit Lake Middle School was awarded the STEM BEST award in the Northwest region. This BEST program will be led by Rick Reinking, Director of Strategic Partnerships/K-12 STEAM at the Spirit Lake School District.
The
goal
at
Spirit Lake Middle School is to create a multipurpose educational
makerspace
that connects school with
community
. The
makerspace
concept provides hands-on, creative ways that allow students to innovate while engaging them in deep learning in all academic disciplines. The STEM BEST® award will support purchasing furniture and technology for adding a contemporary presentation area designed to provide accessibility, mobility and inspiration within the
makerspace
. The award will also support renovating the current Maker area. Connecting with local businesses and nonprofits to raise STEM career awareness and job skills are also a
prior
ity
. The e
nd goal is to establish a public asset Makerspace that will deliver STEM opportunities not only to Spirit Lake students but also to the community.
|
On October 7, 2017, the STEM & Arts Festival was held at Buena Vista University. John Bedward, NW STEM Board Chair and professor at Buena Vista and Nichol Kleespies, 4-H Youth Outreach Educator, Buena Vista ISU Extension and NW STEM organized the festival. About 85 students in grades 4-8 attended the event. Students explored chemical reactions, painted geometric patterns on tiles, and analyzed fingerprints and turned them into works of art. Students also made Junk Sculptures to summarize their day. It was a day full of STEM and the Arts!
|
|
2018 Scale-Up Programs - Mark Your Calendars
- January 22, 2018 - Application opens to educators aiming to implement selected programs.
- March 5, 2018 - Educator application closed.
- April 10, 2018 - Final scale-up selections announced.
This year, there's a particular emphasis in ensuring strong connections with Iowa's Education Standards. If you have questions about any part of the Scale-Up process, please email Dr. Sarah Derry at
scstemhub@drake.edu.
|
Engineering is Elementary has new Spanish Resources
The Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council has scaled Engineering is Elementary to Iowa educators since 2012. One of the goals of the STEM Council is to engage all learners regardless of their zip code, gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.
Recently, the Museum of Science, Boston released Spanish translations of the student notebooks for all 20 Engineering Adventures and Engineering Everywhere units. These new translations are in addition to the 20 in-school curriculum units available in Spanish.
The Museum also provides a Spanish-
language family
letter on their website on the individual page for each unit.
Download the notebooks and curricula here.
|
 Share you Scale-Up Story with Us!
Were you awarded a Scale-Up Program this year? If so, please share your story and pictures with us! We will share your story in our newsletters and social media. Invite me out to see the Scale-up Program in action!
|
NW Advisory Board Meeting at LaunchPAD
Children's Museum, Sioux City
The NW STEM Advisory Board held their October Board meeting at in Sioux City on October 20, 2017.
Bob Fitch, Executive Director of t
he
LaunchPad Children's Museum,
led a tour through the facilities.
LaunchPAD
is an interactive educational experience designed to foster creativity and imagination in children ages 6 months to 10 years. Thirteen years in the making, it began as a brainchild of four mothers who realized their goal with its opening in 2016. As a private, non-profit organization, the museum has rapidly exceeded membership and attendance expectations. Plans are underway to expand programming, hand-on activities, as well as number of educators.
|
|
Upcoming Dates
- Healthy Living STEM Festival, Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College November 4
- NW STEM Advisory Board Meeting, SERT Building, Estherville Campus of Iowa Lakes Community College, November 13
|
|
Future Ready Iowa Alliance
Recommendations Announced
Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg recently announced new Future Ready Iowa Alliance recommendations. The recommendations are a major step forward in achieving the Reynolds/Gregg administration's No. 1 goal: 70 percent of Iowa's workforce having education or training beyond high school by the year 2025. In order to achieve that goal, an additional 127,700 Iowans need to earn post-secondary degrees and other credentials.
Alliance Recommendations
- Establish the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship and Future Ready Iowa Grant Program. The scholarship will bridge the financial divide with money for Iowans seeking up to an associate degree at Iowa colleges and universities leading to high-demand jobs.
- Better align and expand the existing ecosystem of support for Iowans who are beginning or returning to complete college or career training.
- Expand high-quality work-based learning experiences in high-demand careers to all students, but particularly those who are underserved. This is an opportunity for employers to increase pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship and internship programs and make sure there is equity in access, both in urban and rural areas.
- Identify early academic approaches that effectively prepare all students for a changing world. This could include expanding after-school programs for children.
- Develop a grassroots strategy to engage the business community, regional workforce boards, STEM regions and other current and future regional collaborations. This will allow for the mapping of existing regional and local workforce partnership and filling any gaps existing within a community or region.
The third recommendation provides an opportunity to expand the STEM BEST (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) program started by the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. Students explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers through hands-on, real-world projects designed by industry professionals and educators, with amazing opportunities to connect with their communities.
"
These recommendations are about the opportunity for 127,700 additional Iowans to have great careers and a bigger paycheck. An entry-level STEM job pays an average $42,000 a year," Gov. Reynolds said. "A non-STEM job starts at an average $27,000. That's real money to fund vacations, cars and gadgets for young graduates. For older graduates, that's a down payment on a home, saving for college for their kids and financial freedom from more debt and worry."
Click to learn more about STEM BEST opportunities in the NW Region.
|
|
Check out NW STEM Website!
Northwest STEM Calendar
- Stay up-to-date on all Northwest STEM
regional opportunities and even a few state-wide. Use this calendar to share your STEM events with others.
Don't forget to connect with NW STEM on social media as well!
|
|
| |
|
