February 2018 Monthly News

IN THIS ISSUE Hundreds Assemble for STEM Day at the Capitol Congratulations to the 2018 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award Recipients Preparing Students for the Future Executive Order Establishes Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning

UPCOMING EVENTS March 14, 2018 - 10:30 a.m. Making a Difference: Women in STEM Festival More information March 16, 2018 - 10:45 a.m. GRIT Multicultural Fair More information March 16, 2018 - 5 p.m. St. Albert STEM Festival More information

Hundreds Assemble for STEM Day at the Capitol

Exhibitor partners assembled in the Rotunda for STEM Day at the Capitol and gather around for the program.

Nearly 200 representatives from an array of 34 in-school and out-of-school STEM programs and partnerships from across Iowa assembled on Valentine’s Day in the State Capitol Rotunda to extend their heartfelt thanks for the steadfast support from Iowa’s state leaders, the legislature and the Iowa citizenry and to showcase their contributions to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) cause in the state. During a program which kicked off the day, Governor Kim Reynolds and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg were joined by Senator Amy Sinclair, Senator Bill Dotzler, Representative Kevin Koester, Representative Dave Jacoby, Accumold President and CEO Roger Hargens, Kemin Industries Vice President and General Counsel Libby Nelson and STEM Council Managing Director Carrie Rankin to highlight the importance of STEM education and its progress in Iowa. The program also included recognition of the 2018 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award recipients (spotlighted in another article in this newsletter) . Legislators and their staff visited with exhibitors, including students and leaders from higher education, K-12, non-profits, business and industry, STEM Scale-Up Program partners, the STEM BEST® Network and more, to learn how they are shaping tomorrow’s STEM leaders and building STEM-literate, workforce-ready citizens for Iowa. Sponsors of the event were ITC Midwest and Rockwell Collins.

Congratulations to the 2018 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award Recipients The 2018 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award recipients honored at STEM Day at the Capitol. Pictured left to right: Kemin Industries VP and General Counsel Libby Nelson; Thomas Jefferson High School Educator Denise Hoag; Waukee APEX Educator Dr. Holly Showalter; Johnson STEAM Academy Educator Cassidy Reinken; Gov. Kim Reynolds; Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg; Accumold President and CEO Roger Hargens; Orange Elementary Educator Stacey Snyder; and Edwards Elementary Educator Teresa Green. ( Not pictured, Storm Lake Elementary Educator Jacquie Drey.) During the STEM Day at the Capitol program on February 14, the 2018 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award recipients were recognized. In her remarks Libby Nelson, vice president and general counsel at Kemin Industries, expressed how proud Kemin Industries is to have sponsored the I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award for the past four years, honoring 24 incredible teachers in the award’s lifetime. This award honors one teacher in each of the six STEM regions of the state whose leadership and dedication to STEM in Iowa increases students' interest and awareness in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These teacher awardees are I nnovative in their methods, O utstanding in their passion for education, W orldly in the way they help students see that STEM is all around them and A cademic through engaging students in the classroom to prepare them for post-secondary education and high-demand careers. Eligible nominees include licensed, full-time, K-12 Iowa STEM teachers in public or non-public schools. The 2018 I.O.W.A. STEM Teaching Award recipients include: Jacquie Drey – 4th grade teacher at Storm Lake Elementary School in Storm Lake (Northwest Region) Teresa Green – K-5 technology teacher librarian at Edwards Elementary School in Ames (North Central Region) Denise Hoag – computer science/business teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in Council Bluffs (Southwest Region) Cassidy Reinken – magnet coordinator at Johnson STEAM Academy in Cedar Rapids (Southeast Region) Dr. Holly Showalter – medical and bioscience research instructor at Waukee APEX in Waukee (South Central Region) Stacey Snyder – Expanded Learner Program and Gifted Resource teacher at Orange Elementary School in Waterloo (Northeast Region) During the I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award application process, each teacher is nominated by a school administrator, fellow teacher, student or parent. The nominees are, then, asked to complete an application. All applications are reviewed by a panel of external judges. Through Kemin Industries’ generous support, each awardee is presented with $3,000 -- $1,500 for the educator’s use and another $1,500 to be used in their classroom. Each of this year’s recipients were also honored during a ceremony at their school with students, peers, administrators and business partners present. During the lifetime of this award, there has been more than 600 nominations for deserving teachers from all corners of the state.

Gov. Reynolds signs Executive Order No. 1 establishing Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning.

Executive Order Establishes Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning An Executive Order signed by Governor Kim Reynolds for the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning will help expand student and business work-based learning opportunities. Facilitated by the Iowa Department of Education and Area Education Agencies (AEA) Learning Online, the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning will build upon existing school business partnerships, including the successful efforts of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. Hundreds of thousands of Iowa students have participated in high-quality STEM education programming through the STEM Council across the six STEM regions. Since 2011, the STEM Council has been successful in increasing student interest and achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Students who participate in the STEM Scale-Up Program score higher on state tests in mathematics, science and reading compared to all students throughout the state. STEM Scale-Up Program participants are also more interested in working in Iowa after graduation and pursuing high-demand STEM careers such as advanced manufacturing, information technology, health care and the skilled trades. STEM BEST® , the STEM Council’s innovative work-based learning model, joins schools and businesses together to design real-world, hands-on experiences for students. In the last four years, 37 STEM BEST® awards have been implemented in 39 schools and/or school districts, engaging 368 local business partners. Building upon this foundation, the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning will expand work-based learning throughout the state and help facilitate distance K-12 school to business partnerships. These efforts and the ongoing efforts of the STEM Council are critical to achieving the Future Ready Iowa goal of 70 percent of Iowa’s workforce receiving education or training beyond high school by 2025.

Preparing Students for the Future In an effort to help expand Iowa’s talent pipeline, initial models have been set in motion to help students identify skills and paths to pursue specific careers and gain necessary certifications and competencies for local employers. These models will helps students gain employable skills and recognize the opportunities that exist in their own backyard. The following reports demonstrate the need for additional focus on this area: “Education and Workforce Trends through 2025” provides a forecast that by 2025 68 percent of jobs in Iowa will require education and training beyond high school, which includes fast-track STEM careers in advanced manufacturing, information technology, health care and the skilled trades. “A Stronger Nation” shows that today in Iowa 4 percent of residents between the ages of 25 and 64 hold a high-quality certificate. This brings the state’s overall level of education after high school to 47.3 percent. “Metrics That Matter” provides key statistics shaping Iowa's workforce talent pipeline as analyzed by Iowa Workforce Development. Click here for a complete list of high-demand jobs. To help make an impact on future preparedness of students, a high school registered apprenticeship pilot is being developed between Vermeer and Career Academy of Pella. The pilot program will feature a welding apprenticeship opportunity for students this fall. The STEM Council will develop recommendations based on this experience, which will guide other interested educational groups throughout Iowa. Additionally, four Iowa STEM BEST® schools received a Quality Pre-Apprenticeship subaward from the STEM Council, which was made available to the STEM Council through an ApprenticeshipUSA State Expansion grant through the U.S. Department of Labor awarded to Iowa Workforce Development in 2016. Boone High School, Muscatine High School, Spencer High School and Waukee APEX are developing quality pre-apprenticeship, collaborative learning models with local businesses. Ultimately as an outgrowth of this grant, these models will be showcased and shared with other communities across Iowa.

Contact the Iowa STEM Operations Center by phone at (319) 273-2959 or by email at info@IowaSTEM.gov.