March/April 2020
 

Jeff Beneke
Northeast Regional
STEM Manager 
 

319-273-7397

 

 
 
 


Upcoming Events 

Have an event
coming up? 


 
Northeast Region
of the Iowa 
 Governor's STEM Advisory Council


 Advisory Board


 Jane Bradley
 Hawkeye Community  College


Sue Burrack
Upper Iowa University


Lisa Chizek
North Tama County Community School District


Kendra Crooks
 Chickasaw County Extension and Outreach


 Kelly Cooper
 Dubuque Area
Labor-Management Council


 Larry Escalada
 University of
Northern Iowa


 Heather Fransen
  RSM, LLP

 Doreen Hayek
 University of
Northern Iowa


Ellen Heuer
 Martin Brothers Distributing


Bill Holland
JB Holland Construction


 Mason Kuhn
 University of
Northern Iowa


 Jason Martin-Hiner
 Keystone Area
Education Agency


Kim Miller
TDS Automation


Allison Plunkett
John Deere


Anderson Sainci
City of Dubuque





  
hub
A Message from the  
Northeast Iowa STEM Hub  

We hope you and your loved ones are doing well during this unprecedented time. In order to protect the health and welfare of our friends, family and colleagues, all events scheduled in April have either been cancelled or moved to a virtual format. We miss our fellow STEM partners and look forward to when we can gather once again.   
 
  
best
STEM BEST® Application Deadline  
Extended to June 15  
     
Due to the recent events of COVID-19, the Governor's STEM Advisory Council has extended the 2020-21 application deadline for the STEM BEST® Program to June 15, 2020. The STEM Council will be hosting open Question and Answer sessions virtually on the following dates:
 
April 14, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
April 22, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
May 5, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
May 11, 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Please complete registration and you will receive an invitation closer to the selected event.
 
 - - - - - - - - - -  
 
STEM BEST ® GRANT FUNDING:
Up to $25,000  
 
An applicant is required to provide a 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 community 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 grant.
   
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RECORDED WEBINARS:
 
To aid school districts and community partners in the application process, the STEM Council's network team has hosted 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, have shared their experiences and tips as they traversed the application process. The recording for each session is below:
  • 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.
 
Please contact Jeff Beneke (jeff.beneke@uni.edu), if you are interested in applying or have questions about the program. 
  
twitter
STEM Council Hosts  
  Twitter Chat on April 14 
   
 
To help connect STEM educators and families to each other and to ideas for growing through this period of disruption, Iowa's STEM Council invites you to;  
 
Twitter chat on April 14 at 7:00 PM  
 
Your contributions to these four discussion topics will be valuable to others:
  • Q1: What resources are you using to help learn STEM through this homebound period?
  • Q2: How are you solving technology access and capacity challenges?
  • Q3: What are you doing to make sure young learners of special needs are being served?
  • Q4: Post-pandemic, how do you think this will affect your professional practices going forward?
 
To join the conversation, follow @IowaSTEM on Twitter. Use the reply icon to answer with A1, A2, A3, A4 so we know which questions (Q1-4) you are answering. Tag all tweets with #IASTEMchat and hit refresh often to see new posts.
   
Let us know if you have any questions at Info@IowaSTEM.gov 
 
  
teachable
Teachable Moment 
 
 
In response to the sudden shift from classroom learning to at home learning, the STEM Council has launched Teachable Moment - a collection of lessons and activities that are right at your fingertips and easy to implement at home. Students, parents and educators will find free access to resources from STEM Scale-Up Program providers, direct links to our Pinterest boards and some of our favorite pinned activities, lessons from partners and much more.  
 
Check out Teachable Moment today at
    
  
externship
STEM Council Seeks Businesses to  
Host Externs this Summer   
   
 
One of the unique ways the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council has advanced Iowans' connection to local businesses is through the Iowa STEM Teacher Externship Program. 
    
Placements are currently being made for educ ato r s to work side-by-side business and industry professionals in the summer. This program brings classroom application to life and helps prepare students for future careers.
 
Teacher Externships are full-time, six-week temporary summer positions in local businesses and agencies for secondary teachers of science, technology, engineering and/or math.   
 
 
If your business is interested in hosting a teacher extern this summer, please fill out the interest form linked below.
 
To learn about the projects past teacher externs had with their business hosts in Northeast Iowa visit the links below; 
Check out the video below to see how teachers and businesses have been positively impacted by the externship program. For more information, visit  https://iowastem.gov/externships.
 
 
 
  
equity
 
Fostering Equity in the STEM Classroom Professional Development Workshop

Fostering Equity in the STEM Classroom is a professional development experience for educators, administrators and community members prioritizing equity, diversity and inclusion. Brought to you by the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, this two-day workshop will be held virtually on June 18 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and June 19 from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM and will feature Aris Winger, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Mathematics Enrichment for Diversity and Learning (MEDAL). Three 60-minute webinars will be scheduled to follow the workshop.
 
 
With the belief that small changes compound to large transformations, this professional development aims to have participants think critically about their practice, commit to making changes and implement those changes in a way that is pragmatic and meaningful, culminating in a classroom experience where all students in their classroom will feel seen, valued and validated.
 
Licensure renewal credit is available at no cost, compliments of the STEM Council. Stipends totaling up to $300 per participant will also be available.
 
Register by June 5 at