January 2020
Monthly News
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IN THIS ISSUE
Governor's
STEM Education Advisory Council Charts the Future
Top
STEM Education Innovations to Scale Across Iowa
STEM
BEST Expansion Leads to New School+Business Partnerships
New
Council Members Join Quest to Advance STEM in Iowa
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February 7, 2020 - 10:00 a.m.
Northwest Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
February 9, 2020 - 1:30 p.m.
Dordt STEM Fest
February 18, 2020 - 4:00 p.m.
Linn County STEM Festival
February 19, 2020 - 1:30 p.m.
South Central Regional STEM Advisory Board Meeting
February 19, 2020 - 10:00 a.m.
STEM Day at the Capitol
February 22, 2020 - 10:00 a.m.
Southeast Iowa STEM Festival
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Governor's STEM Education Advisory Council Charts
the Future
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Leaders in business, higher education, PreK-12 educators, state and local government officials filled the room at the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families as part of the 21st convening of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council.
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With a mission of helping people connect to career goals and achieve financial stability, the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families set the stage for the 21st convening of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. The meeting primarily focused on sustainability and expansion of work-based learning.
Leaders in business, higher education, PreK-12 educators, state and local government officials were welcomed by STEM Council Co-Chairs Gov. Kim Reynolds and Accumold President and CEO Roger Hargens. Students and educators from Kingsley-Pierson Elementary School attended to showcase their Computer Science is Elementary transformation. Council members were informed about recent advancements on the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning by Project Manager Jake Welchans and the STEM Council Equity Working Group by committee member Monic Behnken, a Sociology Professor at Iowa State University.
Panelists Greene County Community School District Superintendent Tim Christensen, Boone Community School District Director of Innovative Learning Jill Janes, West Delaware High School Principal Tim Felderman and Iowa Board of Educational Examiners Executive Director Ann Lebo shared hurdles, constraints and opportunities toward sustainability and expansion of work-based learning to more Iowa students.
The meeting closed with future-focused group discussions facilitated on the topic of vibrancy and momentum of Iowa STEM going forward and a vote on strategies. Some of the widely shared recommendations include early exposure to career exploration, greater collaboration with other initiatives in Iowa and increased awareness of STEM effort and programming to the various constituencies. All input will be processed by the network team and presented to the Co-Chairs for consideration in steering Iowa’s STEM Council for years to come.
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Top STEM Education Innovations to Scale Across Iowa
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PLTW Cybersecurity is one of thirteen world-class STEM Scale-Up Programs being delivered to educators across Iowa.
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The concept was hatched by the STEM Council in its first year: Devise a system by which youth across Iowa, especially those most deserving, enjoy some of the best STEM education kits, curricula, software, games and courses the world has to offer. Scale-Up was born, the most heavily invested program of any conducted by the Council’s network team. Now approaching its ninth year, a new set of thirteen highly-anticipated STEM Scale-Up Programs are being made available to cross-curricular educators from PreK-12 schools, afterschool programs and other educational organizations.
Thousands of Iowa educators are equipped with high-quality STEM Scale-Up Programs, engaging nearly 100,000 students in STEM activities and units each year. Students who participate in the STEM Scale-Up Program have a proven success rate of performing better on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress compared to students who did not receive STEM Scale-Up Programming.
The STEM Scale-Up Program menu includes:
The STEM Scale-Up Program application period closes on March 2, 2020. Award recipients for the 2020-2021 STEM Scale-Up Program will be announced April 7, 2020. Professional development training will be held for educators during the summer for implementation in the fall.
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STEM BEST Expansion Leads to New School+Business Partnerships
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With 58 STEM BEST (Business Engaging Students and Teachers) models now operating throughout the state, chances are good that you are within driving distance of one or more. These invaluable work-based learning opportunities for students have grown to include nearly 100 school districts and more than 500 employers and other community partners.
Entering the seventh year of the STEM BEST Program, the STEM Council is instituting a new application timeline. The application window will extend from February 10 to May 15, 2020, providing educators extended planning time to collaborate and reach interested partners within their community.
To aid school districts and community partners in the application process, the STEM Council’s network team will be hosting a series of five webinars covering an array of topics that drive a successful STEM BEST Program. Program partners, as well as experts in the field, will share their experiences and tips as they traversed the application process over the course of the following sessions:
- Session 1: “Work-Based Learning and STEM BEST: What is it and why do I need it?” on February 12, 2020. Hear from leaders in education on how work-based learning has shaped the opportunities and culture of the communities and districts they work and live in.
- Session 2: “Tips to building partnerships with local business and industry.” STEM BEST partners will share their methods of reaching out and engaging the leaders of your community to establish meaningful partnerships.
- Session 3: “Grant-Writing 101” on March 5, 2020. Listen to tips and track to effective grant writing as well as how to develop a budget.
- Session 4: “Cost-Share: What is it and how do I plan for it?” on March 10, 2020. Find out how and why cost-share is important and hear specific examples of possible ways to meet cost-share requirements for STEM BEST.
- Session 5: “How to navigate the Online Database for application submission” on March 31, 2020. This provides you with a step by step walk through of submitting and completing a STEM BEST application online.
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What A Difference A Year Makes: STEM In 2019
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Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed 22 new members to the STEM Advisory Council.
Pictured in the front row: Stephanie Laird, Representative Dave Williams, Emily Wilkerson, Dan Greteman, Denise Crawford. Pictures in the back row: Michael Young, Adjutant General Benjamin Corell, Georgia Van Gundy, Chris Kramer, Brigadier General Shawn Ford, Curt Simmons. Not pictured: Lisa Atchison-Charleson, Wendy Batchelder, Desmi Chandrasena, Senator Christine Cournoyer, Jason Huffman, Sharon Jaeschke, Don Kearney, Senator Liz Mathis, Louis Moreno, Barb Schwamman and Steven Triplett.
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Among the attributes that distinguish Iowa’s STEM education progress nationally, outstanding members who make up the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council figures prominently. Dedicated stakeholders from education, business and industry, nonprofits, agencies and legislature serve under the leadership of co-chairs Gov. Kim Reynolds and Accumold President and CEO Roger Hargens. This year, twenty-two new members join in setting direction and providing guidance for achieving the STEM Council mission of increasing student interest and awareness in STEM studies and careers.
Governor Reynolds appointed the following 22 new Council members who will bring valuable perspectives toward accomplishing Council goals. New members are:
- Lisa Atchison-Charleston, Human Capital Manager, Barilla
- Wendy Batchelder, Head of Enterprise Data Management, VMware
- Jane Bradley, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Hawkeye Community College
- Desmi Chandrasena, U.S. Agricultural Biotechnology Stewardship Technical Committee
- Benjamin Corell, Adjutant General, Iowa National Guard
- Senator Christine Cournoyer, State of Iowa
- Denise Crawford, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Technology Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University School of Education
- Shawn Ford, Brigadier General, Iowa National Guard
- Dan Greteman, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Ruan Transportation Management Systems
- Jason Huffman, Partner and Mechanical Engineer, Huffman Welding
- Sharon Jaeschke, Mathematics Instructor and Robotics Coach, Southeast Valley High School
- Don Kearney, Associate Director and Systems Architect, Collins Aerospace
- Chris Kramer, Director, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
- Stephanie Laird, Instructional Coach, Mitchellville Elementary School
- Senator Liz Mathis, State of Iowa
- Louis Moreno, Student, Drake University
- Barb Schwamman, Superintendent, Osage and Riceville Schools
- Steven Triplett, Clinical Instructor and Program Coordinator, The University of Iowa College of Education
- Georgia Van Gundy, Senior Vice President, Hy-Vee
- Representative Dave Williams, State of Iowa
- Emily Wilkerson, Student, Iowa State University
- Michael Young, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Department Director of Diversity, Iowa State University
We are grateful for the commitment of these new members alongside three dozen current members, to advancing STEM education in Iowa. For a current list of STEM Council members, please visit
www.IowaSTEM.gov/Council
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Contact the Iowa STEM Operations Center by phone at (319) 273-2959
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