Northwest Iowa STEM Newsletter

October 2022








Mary Trent
NW Regional STEM Manager
Contact me at mtrent@iowalakes.edu
Northwest Regional Advisory Board Members

Tina Benton,

Sioux City

Ben Bouza, 

Hawarden

Beth Bunkers, Primghar

Tyler Hahn,

Cherokee

Lex Jacobson,

Ida

Jordan Menning, Rock Rapids

Andrew Roelfs,

Sioux Center

Mary Skopec,

Spirit Lake

Brenda Welch, Meriden


Check out NW STEM Web Site!

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.


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


Follow us on Twitter:

@NWIowaSTEM

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CSE Mentorship Project 

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NW STEM October Events

October 1-31 NW STEM Advanced Manufacturing Virtual STEM Festival

October 3 - STEM BEST HD Applications Open

October 4 - MOC-Floyd Valley - Computer Science Showcase

October 6 - Heartland Education Conference - NW STEM presentation

October 7 - AEA Curriculum Meeting - CSE Mentorship Presentation

October 11 - Build My Future Festival- Sioux City - NW STEM Exhibit

October 18 - 2022 Leadership in Education Conference

October 19 - Peterson Public Library STEM Event

October 20 - NW STEM Advisory Council Meeting- Emmetsburg

NW STEM Advisory Board Tours 

NW STEM Advisory Board met at the Hawarden Public Library and then we took a tour of the Prairie Woods Nature Center.  What a wonderful center for camps, fieldtrips, and exploration! We were amazed at the number of individuals that partake in their events and programs. We hope to partner with them in the future!

NW STEM at Clay County Fair 

Science Saturday

NW STEM and Iowa Lakes Community College participated in Science Saturday on September 17, at the Clay County Fair.  We had so much fun flying drones from our Scale-up Program: Ready, Set, Drone! and Waterworks.  Iowa Lakes also offered lots of hands-on activities for fair-goers like exploding volcanoes, reptiles, and amphibians! 

NW STEM Lunch & Learn

Carroll County

NW STEM hosted a Lunch & Learn on September 19, at the St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll.  Education and business partners heard stories of successful partnerships from various STEM Council programs in NW Iowa.  Plans for upcoming STEM festivals and events are in the works! 

2022 Future Ready Iowa Summit

The Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council hosted the 2022 Future Ready Iowa Summit on September 21. The Summit brought together Iowans from business and industry, education, nonprofits, elected officials, students and others to amplify the public conversation about solutions for connecting education and the workforce.


Featured Speakers:

 

  • Keynote speakers include Astronaut Raja Chari from Waterloo (invited) and MacArthur "Genius" Dr. Lisa Schulte-Moore of Iowa State University (confirmed)
  • Iowa futurists interviewed live by Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O'Donnell
  • Presentations from Iowa leaders sharing resources and supports for your innovation
  • Exciting people and projects presenting a slew of options for Iowans to be Future Ready
  • Showcasing 30+ local innovations in education and workforce development

 

Computer Science is Elementary Mentors also participated in the Speed Showcase portion of the day.  

Iowa STEM Council Team and Astronaut Raja Chari 

Computer Science is Elementary Mentorship Project

A new project has been launched, Computer Science is Elementary Mentorship Project. The Computer Science is Elementary (CS is E) Project Schools Mentors will provide guidance and support to other elementary schools across the state that are creating and implementing their Computer Science plans for their district in line with the Department of Education legislative requirements. We hope this mentorship help schools to will meet the Iowa Department of Education legislative requirements with high engagement and fidelity. NW STEM Regional Manager, Mary Trent and NW AEA Consultant, Erin Chute will manage the mentors.

To Request a Visit from a CSE Mentor
Interested in Becoming a
NW Advisory Board Member?
We are actively seeking members who represent:
  • Regional Workforce Development
  • STEM Teacher
  • Local Government
  • Economic Development/Chamber of Commerce
Apply Here
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! 

NW STEM Checkout System is 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 up. It's as simple as that!

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