Upcoming Events
April 21
Scale-Up Evaluation Begins
April 28
April 29
Deadline to Apply for Youth Advisory Board
May 9
July 1
Scale-Up Training Begins
Have an event coming up?
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Northeast Region
of the Iowa
Governor's STEM Advisory Council
Advisory Board
Sue Burrack
Waldorf University
Lisa Chizek
Iowa State
University
Kendra Crooks
Chickasaw County Extension and Outreach
Larry Escalada
University of
Northern Iowa
Heather Fransen
RSM, LLP
Gena Gesing
Northeast Iowa Community College
Seth Harms
West Delaware
High School
Doreen Hayek
University of
Northern Iowa
Ellen Heuer
Martin Brothers Distributing
Marla Loecke
IowaWorks
Jason Martin-Hiner
Keystone Area Education Agency
Kim Miller
Cedar Valley Clocks
Allison Plunkett
John Deere
Miriam Ohrt
John Deere
Anderson Sainci
City of Dubuque
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Join us April 28 for the
STEM Festival in Decorah
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Families are invited to attend the Northeast Iowa Family STEM Festival on Thursday, April 28 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Regents Center at Luther College in Decorah. The festival is free and open to young people and their families.
The goals of the festival are to promote, inspire and engage youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) activities and to introduce children and parents to STEM careers in their local communities.
Organized like a street festival or county fair, visitors stroll from activity to activity at their leisure. Exhibits will feature interactive STEM activities for students and their families. All ages are welcome to attend. Attendees may travel a solar system in the digital planetarium, conduct amazing science experiments, explore the healthcare field and much more!
Click here for your express registration into the Northeast Iowa Family STEM Festival. Fill out the back, bring the completed form with you the day of the event and turn the form in at the registration desk. |
Accepting Applications for
STEM BEST
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The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is accepting applications for schools to begin or enhance a STEM BEST® (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Program.
The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has awarded 118 STEM BEST® Programs since 2014 with an opportunity to grow a series of community collaborations involving school+business partnerships. Working side-by-side, teachers and industry professionals will craft curriculum and projects that prepare students for exciting career pathways in the STEM fields of manufacturing, information technology, bioscience (agriculture and medicine), finance, and more.
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Eligible Applicants Include
- Iowa K-12 public schools
- Iowa K-12 private schools
A hallmark of Iowa STEM education is the connection of classroom learning to meaning beyond the school walls. Overarching guidelines are provided to assist proposers, though ample flexibility in design is encouraged to support organic development of STEM BEST® Programs which match local strengths, challenges and resources. STEM BEST® Program models are open to K-12 schools. Past STEM BEST® Program award recipients are eligible to apply for expanding current programs.
Grant Funding and Match
Applicants may apply for a grant up to $25,000 with a required 1:1 match, up to $25,000. The match may be either cash and/or in-kind support. The match may be contributed by the applicant or a partner. To be eligible as match, the cash and/or in-kind contribution must be provided during the funding period of the STEM BEST® Program award.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: May 9, 2022
Questions
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Requesting Youth to Serve on the
Iowa STEM Youth Advisory Board
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Do you know a young person in middle school through college who has a passion or interest in science, technology, engineering or mathematics? Would they be interested in serving on the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council’s statewide STEM Youth Advisory Board? This Board will meet a priority of the STEM Council by providing a youth perspective on STEM in Iowa. The 15-member Youth Advisory Board is instrumental in contributing to the STEM Council's mission and inspiring Iowa youth in STEM.
Who is eligible?
Iowa youth from middle school to college age who have a passion or interest in science, technology, engineering or mathematics are invited to apply.
What does the Board do?
The overarching goals of the STEM Youth Advisory Group are:
- To inform the STEM Council's direction;
- To expand the STEM Council's reach to Iowa youth.
The Board will hold quarterly meetings lasting one hour, take on projects as a team and be a voice for peers.
What you need for the application?
- If you are under 18 years old, a parent/guardian permission form can be downloaded here. If you are over 18 years old, a media waiver request form can be downloaded here. Please have one or the other signed, scan it and upload to the bottom of the application in PDF form before submitting.
- A letter of reference from an unrelated acquaintance familiar with your STEM experiences.
Applications for the Board will be accepted until April 29, 2022 at 5:00 P.M. CST.
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Support in Place for Teachers to Pursue Latest High-Demand Skills
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Job skills needed by school graduates are evolving rapidly; to thrive in today’s workplace graduates need to command basic skills in robotics, data management, programming, modern machining and others embedded in STEM education. Teachers of STEM subjects need the opportunity for special professional development that keeps them abreast of these rapidly evolving skill trends. That’s why the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has created the STEM Latest Information for Teachers (LIfT) Scholarship to support STEM teachers’ pursuit of these high-demand skills and knowledge for incorporating into their classes.
Eligible fields include agriculture, computer science and technology, engineering, family consumer science, health, industrial technology, mathematics, science and STEM.
Scholarships are available up to a maximum of $1,800 depending on tuition costs. Any Iowa college or university may be selected by teacher-scholars. The catch is that the course they select must be of a cutting-edge subject in their field of teaching rather than a methodology course. Scholars write essays describing how the course update will enhance their teaching.
For summer opportunities, the application is open March 1 through April 29 with scholarships announced May 13. For the fall, the application is open June 1 through July 29 with scholarships announced August 12.
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STEM Council Helps Teacher Shortage Through RAPIL Scholarships |
The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is helping to answer the demand for qualified teachers in high-demand fields. Twenty-two STEM scholarships are now invested in teachers-in-training who are transitioning from other professions through the Regents Alternative Pathway to Intern Licensure (RAPIL) Program. RAPIL is an efficient, rapid pathway to teaching. It is a collaborative effort between the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa to bring the talents and expertise of working professionals to the classroom.
The STEM Council offers the RAPIL Scholarship for STEM Professionals interested in teaching in STEM fields in Iowa schools upon program completion.
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Growing with FIRST
Robotics Programs
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Join the partners of the FIRST program (FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition) to learn and discover the differences between the programs. If you have a student, or a team who is ready to explore to the next level of competition or has "aged-out" and wants to continue, join us for a webinar on April 28 at 4pm. Targeted audience: Parents or coaches of students who are ready to transition to the next level of competition.
Zoom Link:
FIRST & School Districts
Join the partners of the FIRST programs to learn how successful school districts implement all FIRST programs, from early elementary through high school. These school districts implement FIRST as an after-school, extracurricular activity. This webinar will be held on Monday, May 9 at 4pm. Targeted audience: School administrators and teachers who want to incorporate all FIRST programs.
FIRST Tech Challenge Coach & Mentor Professional Development
Join other coaches and mentors, returning and rookie, as we take a deep dive into the tricks and tips of being a successful coach or mentor of an FTC team. This three-day, hands-on workshop will explore the different facets of FTC: from successful recruiting of students; team fundraising; building a team and robot design, programming and a competition. This event will be held, in-person, at the University of Iowa College of Engineering. For more information, and how to register, visit https://engineering.uiowa.edu/first-tech-challenge-coach-professional-development
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