SE Iowa STEM Regional Newsletter

The Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council is a bipartisan collaboration of legislators, educators, businesses, students and families to increase STEM awareness and opportunities in Iowa. To learn more about STEM programming going on in southeast Iowa, visit us at http://se.iowastem.org.

New STEM BEST Partners Awarded in SE Iowa

This fall, the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council awarded 10 new STEM BEST (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Partners across the state of Iowa. Three of these awardees were in the Southeast Region: Assumption High School in Davenport, Fort Madison Community High School, and Muscatine Community School District.

The 10 awards throughout the state divide nearly $250,000 in STEM Council investment, which is a combination of private and state funds. These funds will be used by awardees to provide teacher training and purchase equipment.

STEM Best Partners unite the workplace and classroom to develop STEM education and pathways to STEM careers in Iowa. Since 2014, the STEM Council has established eight STEM BEST Partners that serve as incredible examples of school-business partnerships.

To learn more about the STEM BEST model and the current eight STEM BEST partners, click here.

Iowa Students Code Computers Through Code Iowa

This December, the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council, in partnership with NewBoCo in Cedar Rapids, brought coding to thousands of Iowa students through the Code Iowa. Code Iowa works in partnership with Code.org to increase Iowa's participation in the "Hour of Code," where every student in the world tries one hour of computer coding during Computer Science Education Week .

Thanks to the support of Google and Verizon, one $3,500 award was presented to each of the six STEM regions across the state. The Southeast Region's award winner was Grant Wood Elementary School in Iowa City!

All schools and organizations in Iowa that registered for the "Hour of Code" were recognized as Certified Code Iowa Partners through the STEM Council. They will also receive information about free Computer Science educator workshops this year.

For more information on Code Iowa, click here.

Washington County STEM Festival- A Success!

The Kirkwood Washington County Regional Center held the first annual STEM Festival on November 30! This festival, sponsored by the SE STEM Region, welcomed over 400 students and parents to the Regional Center.

Many thanks go out to the over 30 area exhibitors who helped to make this festival possible, including Greiner Buildings, the Washington Police Department, The Iowa Children's Museum, the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and many more! Exhibitors engaged students in hands-on learning opportunities to highlight STEM career fields and the practical ways that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics influence students' daily lives.

Register for Spring STEM Festivals!

This spring, the Southeast Iowa STEM Region will be sponsoring several STEM Festivals!

The Linn County STEM Festival will be held on Tuesday, February 21 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. This festival will be at a new location, the Linn County Kirkwood Regional Center in Hiawatha. To register to host an exhibit to share STEM experiences with K-12 students, click here. To pre-register to attend the event, visit this website.

The Jefferson County STEM Festival will take place on Monday, February 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at a location to be determined. This STEM Festival will be hosted by Fairfield Community School District and Indian Hills Community College as a part of the 21st Century After School Learning grant. The event will target students in grades 3-8, but people and families of all ages are welcome to attend the free event. To register to host a hands-on exhibit or volunteer, click here.

The Southeast IA STEM Festival will be held on Saturday, April 22 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. This event will take place at Southeastern Community College. For more information, including links for hosting an exhibit, registering as an attendee, or requesting transportation for your school, click here.

Available Resources

A collection of resources for STEM educators, businesses, and community members

Pint Size Science Kit Check-Out

New BeeBot mats have been received and are available for checkout! Four types of kits from the Science Center of Iowa that are designed for 3-5 year old students are currently available for checkout. If interested in checking out a kit or for more information on the kits that are available, click here.

Renewable Energy Activity Kits

The Southeast STEM Hub is proud to partner with the ATEEC Interactive Learning Lab at Eastern Iowa Community College to offer renewable energy activity kits to educators throughout the southeast region. Thanks to the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, ATEEC is able to offer a variety of kits that are sure to engage any student. If interested in checking out a kit or for more information on the available kits, click here

A World In Motion Activity Kit Check-Out

Three types of kits designed for primary or elementary students are currently available for checkout. If interested in checking out a kit or for more information on the kits that are available, click here.

Materials may be checked out for 6 weeks. They can be picked up and returned at the Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa, 2301 Oakdale Boulevard, Coralville, IA 52241 . Please replace any consumables you use.

Sincerely,

Kristine Bullock
SE Iowa STEM Manager
[email protected]