Iowa Classrooms + Workplaces

Summit 2024

You and your colleagues are invited to the statewide Iowa Classrooms+Workplaces Summit being held on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at the Iowa Events Center, Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, in Des Moines. The day of the event, check in starts at 8:30 a.m. with the event running from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This Summit is open to the public and admission is free of charge thanks to generous sponsors.

Registration is required. To register and for more information, go to: https://iowastem.org/2024Summit.

The deadline for registration is April 3. 

If you're seeking ideas, inspiration. resources, and community contacts, this event is for you! The purpose is to amplify public conversation, set the stage for inspiring networks, and create learning environments that link classroom curriculum to real-world career opportunities. This day brings together Iowans from business and industry, education, nonprofits, trade organizations, professional societies, governmental agencies, elected officials, and students.

The Agenda

• Keynotes
• Breakouts
• Panels
• STEM Teacher Awards
• Build Networks
• Get Ideas
• Click for details: https://tinyurl.com/y2v8pr99

A Couple of Extern Positions are Still Available for this Summer

There are a few Summer 2024 Extern positions remaining! While the location is within the Northeast Iowa Region, any Iowa educator in any of the six regions is invited to apply and drive to the host city.

Below, you'll see the host, city, type of teacher and description of the remaining opportunities.

John Deere Dubuque Works

Location: Dubuque

Type of Teacher: Business, Engineer, Industrial Technology, etc.

Description: Re-emphasizing our Lean Manufacturing culture at the Dubuque Works. We are starting by training our Mid Frame Skid Steer Loader and doing a lean focus on part our main assembly line for this product. We are looking for support in executing some of the concepts from that event and then helping to spread the learning to other areas of our factory.

John Deere Waterloo Foundry Operations

Location: Waterloo

Type of Teacher: Computer Science, Industrial Technology, etc.

Description: Project focused on robot programming, simulations, mechanical design, or factory layout.

Mercy Medical Center

Location: Dubuque

Type of Teacher: Engineering, Industrial Technology, etc.

Description: Assist with creation/execution of health care career camps, data analysis for research or evidence-based practice projects

Iowa DNR

Location: Strawberry Point

Type of Teacher: Environmental Science, Life Science, etc.

Description: Possible projects include tree and brush removal from prairie areas. Assisting with tree and shrub plantings installation and maintenance.

Tallgrass Prairie Center

Location: Cedar Falls

Type of Teacher: Environmental Science, Life Science, etc.

Description: Vegetation monitoring, seed collection from prairie remnants, data collection from field trials, germination trials, monitoring of plant-insect interactions.

Geater Machining and Manufacturing

Location: Independence

Type of Teacher: Industrial Technology, Mathematics, etc.

Description: We help the teachers learn CNC machines and programming for their classroom. Help with a project for in the classroom with students.

Upper Iowa Tool & Die

Location: Cresco

Type of Teacher: Industrial Technology, Mathematics, etc.

Description: Operating CNC Machines: Milling and Lathe which are programmed at the machine pendant, Injection Molding, Measure of part on a CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine with accuracy to 5 Microns.

If you're interested in a position, but not the perfect content fit, please reach out to Ann Gritzner (gritzner@iowastem.org) to see if your skills match.

Families are Invited to Attend the Dubuque Area Family STEM Festival on Thursday, April 18

Students and their families are invited to attend the Dubuque Area Family STEM Festival on Thursday, April 18 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds in Dubuque. The festival is free and open to the public.

The goals of the festival are to promote, inspire and engage youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) opportunities and to introduce youth and their parents to STEM careers.

More than 30 exhibits will feature hands-on, interactive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities. Attendees can drive a robot, conduct amazing science experiments, and much more.

Organized like a street festival or county fair, visitors stroll from activity to activity at their leisure. All ages are welcome to attend. Exhibits will feature interactive STEM activities for students and their families. Attendees may conduct amazing science experiments, observe and interact with robots, perform surgery with a Laparoscopic Surgical Trainer, experience virtual reality, measure electricity usage of common electronic devices, and much more!

To learn more, visit

https://neiowastem.com/dubuque-area-family-stem-festival

The Dubuque Area Family STEM Festival is a community-wide partnership led by the Northeast Region of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the University of Northern Iowa, in partnership with Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council, Dubuque Community School District, Holy Family Catholic Schools, Dubuque County Extension and Outreach, Clarke University, Loras College, University of Dubuque, IowaWORKS, Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency, Keystone Area Education Agency, National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, and Northeast Iowa Community College. 

Fun for all at the Cedar Valley Family STEM Festival

During a three hour time span at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, we had over 1,800 STEM enthusiasts engaged in STEM activities.

Thank you to the Cedar Valley STEM Festival exhibitors.

STEM BEST Model Fortifies Futures as ‘looCon IT Day’ Shines Light on Cybersecurity

'looCon Cybersecurity Competition Video

The Waterloo Career Center’s cybersecurity strand was awarded STEM BEST (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) in 2022. The CyberSecurity Program has grown exponentially through the strong partnerships forged within the community. As a result, events such as ‘looCon IT Day’ have created unique learning opportunities for not only Waterloo students but any school interested in exploring. ‘looCon IT Day' was held at the Waterloo Career Center on March 7 with over 230 students from 29 Iowa school districts at the center to explore the emerging field of cybersecurity and learn what it takes to be a computer science and cybersecurity professional in today’s world.

A panel of Cedar Valley cybersecurity experts kicked off the day’s events and provided valuable real-world information to students. The six-person panel included Trevor Kems from Pratum, Nick Dideriksen from VGMForbin, Brandon Blankenship from ProCircular, Samantha Dahlby from NewBoCo, Tyler Coan from First Security State Bank and Todd Burzynski from UnityPoint. Students asked questions ranging from the day-to-day duties of a cybersecurity professional to what skills are needed to be successful in the field.

“I was definitely looking forward to the panel discussion the most,” said 18-year-old Waterloo senior Jack Lindaman. “I want to go into the cybersecurity field, so I wanted to hear how they got into their own positions. You could ask them anything you wanted to get a better understanding of what they do and what they needed to get there.”

Building experiences through business and education partnerships to connect students with hands-on opportunities such as looCon IT Day is what the foundation of the STEM BEST Program is all about.  

Along with various industry professionals, students also had opportunities to connect with other high school students interested in computer science before participating in a Capture the Flag-style cybersecurity competition. Teams of three to five students were tasked with completing different online puzzles, which earned them points for each question. Although students from different skill levels were in attendance for ‘looCon IT Day, the puzzles were specifically aimed at beginner-level cybersecurity students.