Northwest Iowa STEM Newsletter

September 2021

Mary Trent

NW Regional STEM Manager

Contact me at mtrent@iowalakes.edu

Northwest Regional Advisory Board Members

Tina Benton,

Sioux City

Ben Bouza,

Hawarden

Derek Brower, Orange City

Beth Bunkers, Primghar

Tyler Hahn,

Cherokee

Kiana Johnson, Primghar

Nancy McDowell, Sheldon

Jordan Menning, Rock Rapids

Faith Miller,

Carroll

Teresa Putnam, Hartley

Andrew Roelfs,

Sioux Center

Mary Skopec,

Spirit Lake

Brenda Welch, Meriden

Mark Zabawa, Spencer

Check out NW STEM Web Site!

https://www.iowalakes.edu/stem/

Northwest STEM Calendar

Stay up-to-date on all Northwest STEM regional opportunities and even a few statewide. Use this calendar to share your STEM events with others.

NW STEM Lending Resources

Check out the STEM lending library for educators and place your order online.

Don't forget to connect with NW STEM on social media as well!

Check us out on Facebook:

@NWSTEM Region

https://www.facebook.com/NWStemRegion/

@NWIowaSTEM

Invite a friend or colleague to sign up for this newsletter:

http://goo.gl/oPZmPP

NW STEM will be at the Clay County Fair on Science Saturday!

Stop by the NW STEM tents on September 18, from 9:00-1:00 in Central Park right behind the Event Center! We will be having hands-on activities with Bee Bots and Ozobots for children and great NW STEM Swag to giveaways!

We are also looking for volunteer teachers to work our two tents. We have shifts from 9:00-11:00 and 11:00-1:00 available. You will receive FREE passes into the fair and a NW STEM t-shirt if you sign up! Click below to sign up for a shift!

Click Here to Sign Up

Nominate a Deserving STEM Teacher!

Administrators, teachers, counselors, parents, students and other STEM advocates are invited to nominate an inspirational science, technology, engineering or mathematics teacher for the 2021-2022 Iowa STEM Teacher Award, sponsored by Kemin Industries and the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council.

This award honors teachers who make a significant difference in the lives of students across the state by providing excellent curriculum, encouraging lifelong learning and inspiring a passion for STEM beyond the classroom and into the future. We are looking for educators who represent Iowa, defined as:

Innovative: Use unique ways to educate students to develop a curiosity in STEM fields.

Outstanding: Have a true passion for education and provide an exceptional learning experience.

Worldly: Help students see that STEM is all around us and is more than the sum of its parts.

Academic: Engage students in the classroom, preparing them for higher education and high- demand careers.

One teacher from each of the six STEM regions is selected for their contributions and dedication to STEM education in Iowa. Each recipient will receive $1,500 for personal use, as well as another $1,500 to be used in their classroom.

Eligible nominees include licensed, full-time, PreK-12 Iowa STEM teachers in public or non-public schools. For this award, a full-time teacher is defined as an educator who spends at least 75% of their working hours (approximately 30 hours, minimum) in the classroom - both virtually and in-person - interacting with students. Nominations for previous award recipients and self-nominations will not be accepted.

Click Here to Nominate a Teacher

2021 STEM Scale-Up

Professional Development

Educators across Iowa gathered in person or attended professional development training online for the STEM Scale Up Awards this summer. 265 Educators in the NW Region were awarded a STEM Scale-Up Award. It was really wonderful to be able to meet in person and see the smiling faces of our educators! Pictured above shows Ioponics, Teaching Energy Transformations and Energy Sources and Soapy Cilantro trainings.

NW STEM Advisory Board Tours GOMACO in Ida Grove

The NW STEM Advisory Council had their August board meeting at GOMACO in Ida Grove on August 20. It was such a unique setting as we enter the building and meeting room, it was like walking into a trolley car. Amazing woodwork and decor. After the meeting, Lex Jacobson, Manager of GOMACO Trolley Company and NW STEM Region Advisory Board Member, provided a tour of the GOMACO Trolley Company and GOMACO Corporation located in Ida Grove. GOMACO Trolley Company manufactures, restores and renovates authentic trolley cars for use throughout the world. Each trolley is built or restored to unique specifications for historical accuracy. All trolleys must have updated systems which allow travel on existing rail lines and must meet current safety standards. The company began building trolleys in 1982. https://www.gomacotrolley.com/index.html

GOMACO (Godbersen Manufacturing Company) Corporation is a world leader in concrete paving technology, manufacturing paving equipment since 1965. Based in Ida Grove, GOMACO’s distribution sites are located in over 40 countries throughout the world. GOMACO University was set up in the early 1970s to provide customer and distributor education. Over 22,000 students have received the skills needed to operate the construction equipment. Due to growth and expansion, GOMACO is constantly searching for qualified individuals to add to their team: machinists, production welds, assembly technicians and fabricators. https://www.gomaco.com/

STEM Day at the Iowa State Fair 2021

The Governor's STEM Advisory Council took over the Main Concourse on Sunday, August 22, at the Iowa State Fair. Robby Cundy, teacher at Sioux Center, was recognized for the STEM Teacher of the Year award in the NW region. Many stage acts occurred on our stage with our own NW STEM Advisory council Member and STEM Gem, Tyler Hahn as MC of the acts. Many STEM partners provided hands-on STEM activities and challenges for our youth at the fair. Governor, Kim Reynolds and Co-chair, Diane Young, Foundation Analytics owner in Cherokee, also spoke on the stage about the STEM Council's accomplishments and goals for the future. It was a great day at the fair!

NW STEM Virtual Year Long Literature Festival & STEM Challenges

You can still register and participate in this year long festival! We have met our quota for kits that we can hand out, but you can still participate without the kits. You will have access to the recordings and activities that go along with it as well as a list of supplies you can collect. Most of the items are recyclables or household items. To register to receive access to the Festival materials, Click below.

Click Here to Register

NW STEM and the Govenor's STEM Advisory Council has many FREE resources and amazing programs to offer our K-12 schools as well as our informal partners. Want to hear more about these? Sign up for a in person or virtual professional development session! Presentations can be flexible for the time allowed.

Let's get everyone on board with STEM in NW Iowa!

Click below to request a session.

Request a Session

REGISTRATION FOR THE FUTURE READY IOWA SUMMIT IS

NOW OPEN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Iowa Events Center - Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, 730 3rd Street, Des Moines, IA 50309

The 2021 Future Ready Iowa Summit: Transforming Education for the Workforce – brings together leaders from business and industry, education, nonprofits, elected officials, students and others to amplify the public conversation about connecting education and the workforce, with a focus on expanding work-based learning and computer science as critical aspects of STEM education.

REGISTRATION

Admission is free of charge. Free license renewal credit and substitute teacher reimbursement is available for practicing PreK-12 and informal educators.

Please register by clicking on the button below:

Summit Registration

Share your 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!

Email: mtrent@iowalakes.edu

NW STEM Checkout System is Now OPEN!

NW STEM Checkout system has many great STEM Scale-Up Kits as well as other materials perfect for classrooms, homeschools, libraries, and after school groups! And the best part, everything is FREE!!

We utilize the AEA van system to make deliveries of all our kits. You can keep the kits as long as you need them and simply set them out for the AEA van to pick them up. It's as simple as that!

You can find a complete list of our items and check out form here:

https://www.iowalakes.edu/stem/stem-resources/.